Triton Power on indicator not litwhat it means
The neon in the start/stop button is a direct test of whether the supply has reached the shower. Unlit with the cord on points outward, not inward.
Take care
What this means
Triton define this lamp with unusual precision and that definition turns it into a diagnostic tool rather than a decoration: when the electricity supply to the shower is switched on at the isolating switch, the neon in the start/stop button illuminates. Read carefully, that makes the neon a test of one specific thing — whether mains has physically arrived at the appliance. It is not reporting that the shower is healthy, that the elements work, or that anything internal is functioning. It is reporting the presence of a supply. That makes an unlit neon genuinely informative in a way that most indicator lamps are not.
With the pull cord on and the breaker on, a dark neon means the supply is not getting to the unit, and everything between the consumer unit and the shower becomes the subject: the breaker, the cable, the isolating switch and the terminals at either end. On a dedicated circuit with nothing else on it, that is a short list.
In practice the isolating switch dominates it. A ceiling pull cord is the only mechanical part in the chain, it is operated with a wet hand several times a day, and its contacts wear until they no longer make. The complement is equally useful: a neon that *is* lit with no water and no heat tells you the supply is fine and the fault is inside the appliance, which is a completely different and more expensive conversation. Using the lamp properly saves people from replacing showers that had a failed switch, which is one of the more annoying ways to spend money in this category.
What causes it
| Cause | What is actually happening | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Isolating switch or pull cord failed | The only mechanical part in the supply chain and the one that wears out. Dominant cause on installations over about ten years old. | Common |
| Breaker tripped or switched off | Check before anything else. Whether it tripped or was simply off changes the answer completely. | Common |
| Loose terminal in the switch or at the shower | A high-current connection that has worked loose. Frequently accompanied by discolouration, which makes it urgent rather than merely inconvenient. | Occasional |
| Neon itself failed | The lamp is a component and it can fail while the shower works normally. Suspect it only when everything else behaves. | Rare |
What to try yourself
Check the shower breaker at the consumer unit and note whether it tripped or was simply switched off. It is usually the largest in the board: Triton’s own table gives a 32 A MCB for 7.5 kW, 40 A for 8.5 and 9.5 kW and 45 A for 10.5 kW.
If it trips again when the shower runs, stop resetting it and treat it as an electrical fault rather than a supply that needs restoring.Pull the cord and listen for a clean mechanical click. A soft or silent cord is a switch that has worn out and it is the commonest answer here.
Look at the pull cord rose and the shower for browning or a hot-plastic smell. Any of that means leaving the circuit off and treating it as an overheating connection.
Note whether the neon lights but the shower does nothing. That reverses the diagnosis — supply present, fault internal — and is worth telling whoever attends.
If the breaker is sound and the cord clicks but the neon stays dark, the fault is in the run between them and needs testing rather than guessing.
Get a qualified electrician to look at your Triton electric shower
We do not pass enquiries to a repair firm, so there is no form here. When you book a qualified electrician, tell them the make, the model and the exact code or message on the display, and ask whether they carry parts for this make — that is what turns one visit into a repair rather than a quote.
What it costs to fix
Typical repair cost
£0–£140
Time on site
20 minutes
Nothing if the switch was off. A replacement pull-cord switch fitted is the common outcome; a fault inside the shower is a different order of cost.
Typical UK prices including parts and labour, updated September 2026. Your quote may differ.
Own this appliance and had this code? . Nothing is published until a person has read it.
Related Triton fault codes
- Low pressure indicator litUsually simple to fixA named Triton lamp with one meaning: pressure fell below what the shower needs, so it cut power to the elements and left the water running.Related: same brand
- Abnormal safety cut-out operatedGet it checkedTriton’s thermal cut-out is a one-shot device. It cannot be reset, and their own instruction is that an engineer replaces it after the fault is repaired.Related: same brand
- Water temperature cycling hot and coolGet it checkedTriton problem 3. The shower swings between hot and cool at intervals, and their published cause is the heater cycling on its temperature limiter.Related: same brand
- Shower goes cold during useUsually simple to fixTriton problem 5, and their published answer is one line: the water pressure dropped below the minimum, so wait until it comes back.Related: same brand
- TP temperature protectionUsually simple to fixTriton’s automatic temperature protection. It removes power to the elements when the limit is exceeded and puts it back on its own once things cool.Related: same brand
- Shower fails to shut offGet it checkedTriton problem 7. Water keeps running after you press stop, and the shower is still an energised appliance while you work out what to do.Related: same brand
Own a Triton electric shower? Save it and its codes come first next time.
Related guides
Common questions
What exactly does the neon prove?
That mains has arrived at the shower. Triton define it as lighting when the supply is switched on at the isolating switch — so it tests the supply chain rather than the health of the appliance.
The neon is lit but nothing happens when I press start. What now?
That is the useful opposite result. The supply is fine, so the fault is inside the unit — a solenoid, a switch or the electronics — rather than in the breaker, the cable or the pull cord.
Could the neon have failed on its own?
It can, and it is the reason a dark neon is not conclusive on its own. But it is well down the list: check the breaker and the pull cord first, because they fail far more often and cost far less to put right.
Technical review
Not reviewed by an engineer
No engineer has read this page. Severity follows what the manufacturer publishes, and we would rather tell you that than let a byline imply a sign-off.
Sources and how we verified this
We establish the facts from the sources below and then write the explanation ourselves. We do not copy manufacturer wording and we do not host their manuals.
- Manufacturer technical and service documentation
This page has not been reviewed by an engineer, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise. The severity rating follows what the manufacturer publishes: where they say isolate the appliance and call someone, so do we.