Why is my Aqualisa Aquarian shower leaking?

Ive recently had this problem on my e99 shower too. Taken the spindle out and replaced the seals but unfortunately i think i opened the spindle (unscrewed it) abd now suspect the alignment is wrong and when i put it all back together there is no water at all when shower is switched back on? Does anyone know about the re alignment of spindle when putting back in?

gjohnson
April 2016

My shower was leaking in exactly the same way as described above. I searched on eBay for the rubber O-rings and silicon gel. Following the step by step instructions that were provided with the O-rings made installation, fiddly, but quiet easy. It took me about an hour. The product was from a seller on eBay called pyruscrafts. Good luck!

Robert
November 2014

My shower was dripping from the on/off side of my Aquilisa Aquarian thermostatic shower cartridge. I purchased the rubber O-rings and silicon gel from ebay. It arrived 1st class post within 3 days (inc. Sun) Following the step by step instructions that were provided with the O-rings, I took my Aquilisa Aquarian thermostatic cartridge apart and replaced all 4 rings and applied the silicon (a small flat head screw driver was required to remove them). £8.50 was well worth it as the instructions were invaluble. Whole job took about 45mins. FYI - New cartridge would have been approx £90. New unit would have been approx £250. O-ring kit was a huge saving.

Chris
April 2014

Tool Station cheapest (plumbing section), Screwfix twice the price but still cheap at £15 for 419 'O' rings (workshop Equip't section). Last you (and the rest of the street) a lifetime!

Mr Helpful?
November 2013

Same issue here with 2 showers and trying to get my hand on these o-rings. I tried www.anixtercomponents.com but the listed product numbers don't seem to exist. Can anyone else confirm the size of these O-Rings?

doubledutch
May 2013

Regarding the E99 Aquarian leaks, when i have removed the lozenge badge on the front, i cannot undo the fixing screw in the middle so cannot gain access to the cartridge.

I used a standard phillips to try this and then even an alan key but the screw just turns around, the is no grip and therefore the unit cannot be taken apart. Any suggestions as to why this is or what i can do to fix it (this appears to be the same problem with the one in the en-suite as well).
Thanks.

Shaymen
April 2013

please can someone help me with how to take the cartridge apart coz I can't even find the screw to get to the on/off switch?

Lindsey
January 2013

My shower was dripping from the on/off side of my Aquilisa shower cartridge. I went the same route as M.Mawson (April 2012). Got replacement rubber O-rings off Ebay. Took my Aquilisa Aquarian E99 cartridge apart and replaced all 4 rings. The largest ring (closest to the on/off) was easy to sort out but the other 3 rings were really hard and worn and initially looked as they were plastic and part of the cartridge. On closer inspection I prised/split these rings with a small screwdriver and replaced with silicon grease and the new rings from Ebay. The instructions sent with the "repair" kit are excellent and now I'm drip free and £200+ better off. Hope this helps.

Andy
January 2013

What is the size of the O-ring. I found this on eBay, however can I get this quickly from BnQ / ScrewFix / HomeBase as eBay would take days to deliver?

Janmesh
December 2012

Can someone tell me where the o rings are please as I have removed the cartridge but cannot see them. When I place my finger into the black box on the wall I think there maybe one in there, please tell me I am correct? or maybe not as I feel it's going to be a nightmare to get it out?

jd
September 2012

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this blog.
Has helped me a lot.
Des

Des
July 2012

The seals (O rings) will have gone in the cartridge. I went the B&Q route but thay are none standard sizes and then found a complete repair kit on ebay (search under Aqualisa aquarian cartridge repair kit) It worked brilliantly for me so I bought a spare set! says it works for all models of Aqualisa aquarian exposed shower units.

M Mawson
April 2012

I have just fitted a crome fixed aqualisa shower head and it is leaking from the base of it. I slipoped the o ring over the 15mm pipe screwed it to the wall and it leaks. A little help please

sean
March 2012

My cartridge is also leaking from the left hand side. Found the black plastic screwed nut to be split, therefore i cannot quite nip up the "o" ring. Does anyone know where i can obtain a new nut

Steve
November 2011

At Taffy56. I've got the same problem as yourself (leaks from around the on/off knob base or dripping shower head). You'll find it's the large O-ring around the on/off spigot/insert where the on/off knob is fitted. A temporary fix is to wrap PTFE tape around the cartridge threads & apply Plumbers paste also around the outer-edge of said O-ring & PTFE tape before re-assembly. The black "bottle-top" cap needs just a slight "nip" after doing it finger tight to ensure a water-tight seal. Failing all that, I've just ordered some O-rings from a company near me and I'll have spares if you, or anybody are interested? These will fit the Thermostatic cartridge 214004, (I seem to think that there's only 1 anyway & that's this 1 on the On/Off spigot), I may be wrong?? I can be contacted: bike999emergency-at-a very warm mail-dot-com

Ian Galloway
October 2011

hi i have water coming out of the hole underneath the unit can anyone tell me how to fix it please

Taffy56
September 2011

My Aqualisa Aquarian was leaking from the left of the cartridge. Rang Aqualisa to see if they can supply the 'O' rings which are on the shaft within the cartdridge. Aqualisa said they do not supply the 'O' rings and that I have to buy the complete cartridge. Finally I bought the 'O' rings from diy shop costing £1. Replaced the 'O' rings and hey presto......it stopped leaking.

Sikh2U
June 2011

I did replace it now(sorry for my english)after 3 atempts of changing the spare part i just relaise is a small white plastic ring (hard plastic)wich goes at the end ,and after the small ruber and that is not mention in the manual, i hope that help.after i did that the leaking from the top of the shower stop.

jose
December 2010

I have 2 aqualisa showers and both started leaking at the same time last year. They have started leaking again now.
I replaced the washers on the left hand side, on both showers, with ones that are in a multi pack from Band Q £1.49 for the pack. I had to turn the hot and cold water off at the mains (forgot to turn the cold water off this time and got soaked, my wife was laughing). Forgot to grease the washer with silicon so it is still leaking. Will try again this weekend.

Terry
November 2010

Rob, your shower will be covered by the 3 (used to be 5) year warranty - just call Aqualisa and they will send an engineer round completely FOC.

You may need to fax or email your NHBC certificate if the builder 'forgot' to register the shower when installed.

Steveo
June 2010

I have this same problem .....these Aquarian showers are dud. Persimmon homes put this in only 2 years ago. I took it apart and I couldnt even work out where the o rings were! I looked at maybe just putting a replacment and it was like £300 or more for it. Crazy. Bring back the days of rubber tubes stuck on taps.

rob
May 2010

O-Rings a metric set is available from Screwfix.

SuffolkBoy
February 2010

I stripped my leaking cartridge and could only find one O ring in the whole unit, this being about 1" in diameter. Where I thought there should be O rings I found what I can only describe as machined plastic faces. There was certainly nothing else in the unit which could be changed and I stripped it completely.

Mike Crawford
November 2009

Success! Replaced the o-rings on the spigot today and all seems dry so far. Could only replace 3 of the 4 o-rings as the second one from the small end appeared to have a smaller circlular cross-section than the others. Anyway, greased (silicon, not vasaline remmeber!) each o-ring and managed to get it back in eventually (remembering to leave some of the thread visible for correct installation).

Nath: just pull the on/off knob to the left if you're facing the shower. (I believe the temperature knob is screwed in place - but you shouldn't need to touch that)

Andy
October 2009

Ronzer, it sounds like a stupid question, but how do I get the on/off knob off without breaking it? (Use simple instructions for a simple non-DIY inclined chap).

Nath
October 2009

How do I undo the large nut/ring on the left hand side of the valve to remove the 'spigot' which the on/off dial turns? I'm worried about cracking or otherwise damaging it - should it be hand-tight, or is it ok to use a pair of adjustable pliers? Other tips in fixing a leaking valve (leaking from the on/off end) gratefully received.

Thanks, Andy

Andy
October 2009

Similar to some of the other stories here, my Aqualisa Aquarian thermostatic shower was leaking. To be more specific, despite being off, it started as a drip through the shower head, then after a few weeks became more constant.

I removed the outer covers and the on/off knob. This gave me access to remove the flow control spigot (on left hand side in my shower). To remove the spigot you need to remove the threaded retaining ring, then pull it out. On the spigot itself, you should be able to see the 3 O-rings on the thin section, and another larger one on the larger section that mates with the cartridge body. On my one, I found that the o-ring at the point of the spigot had been sheared flat on the outer circumference - inside the cartridge it appears to seal against the internal surface of a metalic cone with holes in it, you can see this by looking in through the port that supplies the shower head.

Once I had obtained a replacement o-ring (circa 10p), it was a simple job to grease, and fit to the spigot. It was a bit more trial and error to refit the spigot in to the cartridge properly. Firstly, the thin part of the spigot is connected to the wider part by a wide thread - this acts as a "worm drive" to push the spigot in and out, thus opening and closing the seal. It appears that this threaded section needs to be exposed a bit to allow for the stroke in and out. Secondly, on the thin part of the spigot, roughly half way along there's a "cross". Now if you have a look at the end of the cartridge body where the spigot goes in, you will see some recessed "runners" on either side. The cross section has to fit in to the runners - there's a specific shape to the cross/recepticle that will only allow it to go in with a specific orientation.

It took a few goes before I'd sussed this out, but worth it the end.

Ronzer
October 2009

Hi

My other half turned off the shower & was left holding the entire knob & all it's first set of washers & screw in, with the water still pumping out. Having been diddled years ago by a plumber I am now a woman that tries to do it herself before yelling 'help me help me' in the style of Penelope Pitstop.

I've had the entire unit stripped down & cleaned it all thoroughly whilst I was there. I found as did the chap below, that it was the left hand side on/off knob screw on cap. I have yet been able to find a part number for this £1 plastic screw in cap but have a sneaky feeling that it only comes WITH the main cartridge.

I shall keep looking though, typical it going on a Saturday evening, my hair needs washing too! But if any of you know where to obtain said screw in cap, I would be much obliged for the info.


QUOTE...

I had it leaking too, but it turned out to be the plastic screw cap on the left side that had split, rather than an o-ring, so needed a new unit.

Cheapest new cartridge I found was £60 (delivered) from HIE Plumbing

NB: there are two types manual (164312 - mine, for £60) and thermostatic one (164310 - about £90). You can tell which one you need as there is an embossed code (like M0119) on the top of the black cartridge - Mxxxx=manual / Txxxx=thermo

Kevin Rustill
March 2008

Miss Pitstop
August 2009

I fitted a new Aqualisa Aquarian in 2002 after having nearly 20 years terrific service from a older Aqualisa shower. What a difference! The old one was made out of brass and the new one out of plastic, and the difference was like chalk and cheese.
After 1 year it started leaking terribly and Aqualisa promptly sent me a replacement cartridge under the 5 year guarantee which I duly fitted but over the next 4 years it needed another 4 replacement cartridges because of either leaks from the unit, or not being able to turn it fully off. It is leaking again now.The company were very helpful and honoured the guarantee without question but I think there is a serious weakness with the product and also I believe the guarantee period has been reduced to 3 years now.

Bob G.
May 2009

Ok, that was an epic fail.

Fortunately I was prepared for it and had a block off solution for the shower unit water outlet.

I think I broke something when I extracted the on/off spindle. I swapped the o-rings easily, but heard something crack when I inserted it. I pretended not to hear it and hoped it wasn't inportant.

It was.

So the unit was fecked and I got drenched as I tried to fix it. Still, the block off bung worked.

I'll order the cartridge tomorrow

Peter De La Mare
November 2008

If you are looking for the little round ruber ring from the back of the cartridge, which you describe as the O ring which I have replaced on mine a few times. ( I have two thermostat showers,) phone Aqualisia help desk on 01959 560711. Thay are in Westerham Kent, they are most helpful and up until now they haven't charged me, they've also supplied the large ring and mesh filter as well.
It depends which is dripping.
The hot side or the cold side.
If I remember correctly and it's the cold side dripping it's the cheap nothing to pay job and if it's the hot side it's the expensive side about £100.
I've had Aqualisia showers for over 20 years.
( Three of them,) it's always the same fault. The cartridges appear to last for about 6 years and the rings sometimes go after 3-5 years.
The rubber O ring on the 609 and 409 manual Thermostatic shower ( in built. ) is a right B-----r
to replace. There is a recess in the back of the unit into which it slots. Push it too far and it slips out of place. i have spent up to three hours just trying to get the ring in using a couple of bicycle wheel spokes and a screwdriver.. I am in the middle of the job now. I came home after a three week holiday and found water over two rooms upstairs. I haven't fully tracked the source down but I think it's the O ring.

Silverbuzzard
October 2008

Hi Ben. Thanks very much for your detailed information. I'm going to order the o-rings and attempt the repair myself.

Peter
October 2008

Hi
had exactly the same problem with my unit. I managed to buy the relevant O-rings from Anixter components. They only come in 50's but for all three I paid £16 including postage. Part No's are : smallest 336-0056
medium 336.0076 and largest 336.0196.
Should save about £75 plus the cost of a plumber I reckon :) www.anixtercomponents.com

Ben
September 2008

I have stripped the entire unit. The LHS is the inlet for cold the RHS being the inlet for hot. The RHS also enters the large chamber used by the thermostat. On both sides of the unit I inspected all the O rings but couldn't find any signs of wear - that's not to say there isn't any wear - it can be minute leading to a drip leak like mine!
I consulted with a supplier who will offer to order the main unit at approx £90 but I feel I need to try to replace the O rings first and do not know where I can secure a supply. Anyone have a source for this
Thanks
Andy

Andy P
September 2008

Hi,

I am unable to find the "O" rings at all.. I remove the end onto which the knob attaches, this end is screwed into the shaft which pulls out partially from the cartridge, but I cannot see or feel any rubber rings.

Please help... Thanks.

Inaam
August 2008

Can i say big thanks to all who have contributed to answers here...
I've taken my aqualisa aquarian apart and found o-ring, replaced for 50p and now is like brand new. I also cleaned out some of the limescale built up in the process.

Coz of your info I have save £100 buying a new thermostatic cartridge.

thank you
Max

Max
April 2008

I had it leaking too, but it turned out to be the plastic screw cap on the left side that had split, rather than an o-ring, so needed a new unit.

Cheapest new cartridge I found was £60 (delivered) from HIE Plumbing

NB: there are two types manual (164312 - mine, for £60) and thermostatic one (164310 - about £90). You can tell which one you need as there is an embossed code (like M0119) on the top of the black cartridge - Mxxxx=manual / Txxxx=thermo

Kevin Rustill
March 2008

I had the same problem and brought a cartridge, then had the nightmare of trying to get the old o-ring out. I ended up getting access to the o-ring from the back by undoing the tork screws.

This saved loads of time and messing around but I had to remove the shower from the wall.

Nick
February 2008

for O-rings or o-ring material try RS (http://uk.rs-online.com/web)

Richard
January 2008

Correction: All the 'o' rings are round section. The first one had been flattened due to age with use and hardening.

Stephen
November 2007

I've just got the same problem and tracked it down to the on/off shaft in the cartridge. It appears to be worn rubber 'o' rings on it but can't find anyone selling a pit to replace these. Plemty of people selling the cartridges for a large sum. To access it first pull off the temperature knob on the right hand side. Then pull off the front shroud. Now you can test it and will probably see water seeping out the cartridge housing at the on/off knob end (left hand side). (When the shroud is on it tracks inside it and leaks out of the base at the middle). To access the on/off shaft the 'o' rings are on pull off the on/off control knob, undo the plastic ring at the left hand end of the cartridge and pull out the shaft. Note to turn the water off before pulling this out! You will see that the shaft has two small round section 'o' rings and a large square section 'o' ring where the ring you've undone is. Its this latter 'o' ring that appears to pass water but replace them all. All are coated in silicone grease so ensure you recoat them with silicone grease for water fitments when you reassemble it. If anyone can shed light on anywhere the 'o' ring kits are available then it will be helpful.

Stephen
November 2007

I'm having EXACTLY the same problem. Getting info is a nightmare!!

Tom Oliver
October 2007