Discuss Shower 9.5kw in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

Welcome to ElectriciansForums.net - The American Electrical Advice Forum
Head straight to the main forums to chat by click here:   American Electrical Advice Forum

L

leepy

Hi all my sister bought a house with old 9.5 shower she's had bathroom
Upgraded and plumber ask her if she wanted like for like shower fitting so he's fitted a 9.5 kw shower its fed on a 6mm cable fused at 45amp mcb today the pull switch failed when the shower pull switch was open the live cable to shower is all burnt,
Please can we have advise on this situation
 
What sort of advice would you like?

Posting some pictures would certainly help with the " live cable to shower is all burnt" part.

I don't have he regs at hand so cant comment on the over current protection. But it does sound like it is too big off the top of my head.
 
so the plumber fitted this shower for you.....did you get an installation certificate for it?....Was he part p registered or did he just do it through the LABC?....and a dropped line conductor at the switch hm?...basic termination error here and i bet you neither got a cert or phone number off him...and forget the LABC as i bet they wern`t notified either.....
 
Sorry guys no he just swapped like for like don't think he checked the supply no cert is the cable overheating due to the load or is it a case of loose connection in pull switch
 
This really all depends on how the cable is routed to the shower. 9.5 KW is pushing a 6mm cable, even when clipped direct. More importantly, a plumber is (probably) not part pee approved and will not have checked and tested the rest of the circuit prior to commissioning the shower. For example, is the circuit RCD protected?

The odds are, and this is only an opinion, that the connection to the switch has been loose for quite a while and the damage has been done gradually. however, the damage is done. To be blunt, you need an approved spark to come and check it out, replace any damaged cable and check that the circuit is installed correctly and fit for continued use.
 
This really all depends on how the cable is routed to the shower. 9.5 KW is pushing a 6mm cable, even when clipped direct. More importantly, a plumber is (probably) not part pee approved and will not have checked and tested the rest of the circuit prior to commissioning the shower. For example, is the circuit RCD protected?

The odds are, and this is only an opinion, that the connection to the switch has been loose for quite a while and the damage has been done gradually. however, the damage is done. To be blunt, you need an approved spark to come and check it out, replace any damaged cable and check that the circuit is installed correctly and fit for continued use.
yes....somebody who not only knows where to run cables properly, and terminate correctly, but can also perform the tests required..R1 R2..IR..Zs etc....
 
Stupid plumbers.Conning naive folks out of ££££.All he needed to do was say get an electrician in to check wiring and give me a bell.Too quick to do the job and take the money.TBH the switch would have failed either way most likely but that's no excuse
 
Leepy, I think you have to be quite honest with your sister, you have a circuit capable of delivering at least 45A of current, through water, fitted by an electrically unqualified plumber to a plastic box in a shower. Are all the seals in place? A few extra quid to fit an RCD into the circuit may be the best advice you ever give her....
 
Thanks for reply guys the cable is run above insulation in loft through gable end clipped have down side of house into metal conduit back into house thro meter box approx 7 mtr run
 
Leepy, I think you have to be quite honest with your sister, you have a circuit capable of delivering at least 45A of current, through water, fitted by an electrically unqualified plumber to a plastic box in a shower. Are all the seals in place? A few extra quid to fit an RCD into the circuit may be the best advice you ever give her....
well i would say its capable of delivering whatever the PFC is at that point in the installation......
 
Op- been said already, get a proper electrician in!!!

Sounds like that circuit has been compromised & needs checking. What area are you in? (as in london, midlands, etc).
If not keen in a forum member checking it, try the competant persons register, at least they will all have paid to be above board, assessed each year,etc.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm in Leeds wot my worry is is the cable up to the job cause it's only 6mm also it's not rcd protected the plumber said I will put like for like in and he said the previous one was 9.5 kw thanks for your help looked on net at different opinions regarding 6mn being ok and some say 10 mm
 
I'm in Leeds wot my worry is is the cable up to the job cause it's only 6mm also it's not rcd protected the plumber said I will put like for like in and he said the previous one was 9.5 kw thanks for your help looked on net at different opinions regarding 6mn being ok and some say 10 mm

As said in other posts depends on the route (every inch of it, not most of it) that the cable takes. 6mm squared is on the cusp really and I think alot of (if not all) sparkys fitting it from new would use the next size up (10 mm squared).

I am more worried that the circuit is damaged. That is why you need it looked at professionally.

All the best

Spartykus

p.s. there are some very sound individuals on here based in Leeds
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Leepy, without finding out the current carrying capacity of the cable which is always quite hard if we dont know which route the cable has taken and what thermal effects etc have to be taken into account.
As a rule i wouldnt install a 6mm2 t+e for a 9.5kw appliance,
I would have used 10mm2 t+e. If i was in your situation i would fit an 8kw shower and replace mcb/rcbo for a 32a, or replace the cable to a 10mm2 t+e if your keeping the same shower unit. If your keeping the same cable make sure you pull as much of the damaged stuff out before terminating and essential testing would be necessary to make sure the cable is still safe to use and that its got the correct protection. Oh and swap your pull switch. It may be that the existing 6mm2 cable is not capable of carrying the current required at full load so will become damaged/burnt before the protective device trips.
 
Remember if a plumber can do electrics whats the point of us but yet again on this forum stupid plumbers upgrading showers but the catch is they are not going to be there when the customer discovers that the shower is too big for the supply cable plus burnt cables are down to bad or slack connection but what the hell go for an 11kw shower and I keep asking where is this going to stop
 

Reply to Shower 9.5kw in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc

Electrical Forum

Welcome to the Electrical Forum at ElectriciansForums.net. The friendliest electrical forum online. General electrical questions and answers can be found in the electrical forum.
This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by Untold Media. Operating under the name Untold Media since 2001.
Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock