Hydramax (Aqualisa) mixer - thoughts on this?

[Deleted member 120897]

Having only really dealt with bar mixers and electric showers this would be a first for me.

So my mixer shower started going hot and cold every now and then, and eventually started to leak frequently from the middle, so replaced the cartridge, which has solved the 2 issues.

This is the bit that threw me - should I be seeing what appears to be rust on the old cartridge? If not, is it a sign of something else?

Thanks.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Any pictures?

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Any pictures?

Of course - I do this a lot, look at something, and then think I’ve done it 🙄

 

[exedon2]

Yes seen it a few times but I live/work in a area where water is described as aggressively hard.
At that point I stopped using Aqualisa shower valves.

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Yes seen it a few times but I live/work in a area where water is described as aggressively hard.
At that point I stopped using Aqualisa shower valves.

Thanks. I’ve just checked, and my supply is classed as soft to moderately soft.

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Looks ok to me not rust

 

[Deleted member 120897]

Looks ok to me not rust

Any idea what the orange/brown residue is then? The 4 retaining screws were rusty upon removal - could it be these?

 

[exedon2]

The ones I've seen were most definitely rust, maybe the the metal of the cartridge has some ferrous content?

 

[ShaunCorbs]

Could be Scale and it’s just hardened over time

 

[exedon2]

Lumps when chipped off stuck to a magnet!
But as I said bad water area lots of pin hole corrosion failed copper cylinders dezincification on brass all very common.