Are electrical questions allowed?

ZG002 · 1 Mar 2009 at 21:59

Its either 4mm or 6mm cable thats in mate. 6mm cable will actually take a 8.5kw shower.. just

mejinks · 1 Mar 2009 at 22:00

mrochester said:
I think the shower is actually an 8.5Kw model. Yeah, seems that it was a dodgey job when it was first put in, but it seems to have lasted admirably anyway.

From memory, 5mm is 35 amp. It sounds a really bad job.

The best way to treat electricity is to be very afraid of it

You build a healthy respect for it then.

Yes, in this case, you need to get a qualified electrician in to do it.

mejinks · 1 Mar 2009 at 22:01

ZG002 said:
Its either 4mm or 6mm cable thats in mate. 6mm cable will actually take a 8.5kw shower.. just

9.75kW

mrochester · 1 Mar 2009 at 22:03

ZG002 said:
Its either 4mm or 6mm cable thats in mate. 6mm cable will actually take a 8.5kw shower.. just

Actually 6 does ring a bell... it was very difficult for me to measure when I opened it up all that time ago since the wires were quite inaccesible. So it's possible that a straight swap to another 8.5KW would work, and be considerably cheaper. I'll see what my options are when I get someone around.

mejinks · 1 Mar 2009 at 22:06

mrochester said:
Actually 6 does ring a bell... it was very difficult for me to measure when I opened it up all that time ago since the wires were quite inaccesible. So it's possible that a straight swap to another 8.5KW would work, and be considerably cheaper. I'll see what my options are when I get someone around.

It should be printed on the side of the cable. Don't forget to notify the local building control authority if you are replacing cable.

ZG002 · 1 Mar 2009 at 22:06

http://www.alexscullion.co.uk/

Try these.. i work for them lol

Munromax · 1 Mar 2009 at 22:08

RCD is a safety device which will trip the supply if an electrical fault (Short etc) is detected.
The cable diameter is dependant on both the length of cable run (Supply connection to the Shower) as well as the actual load - the wattage of the Shower e.g. 9.6Kw)
I would agree with previous posts that it is likely to be the thermostat or conection to the element. The fact that the water is still running means power must be on for the valve to be open.
If you are not sure about this seek professional advice - as previously stated this can be a very dangerous area to work on.

Lethagized · 2 Mar 2009 at 00:29

You need 10mm cable for a shower of 9.5kw. I would hazard a guess you have 6mm cable in, so therefore, you will need to install new cable if you want 9.5kw shower. It should all be on a 45A RCD at the consumer unit. 9 times out of ten it's either melted wires inside the pull cord, or a dodgy shower unit, unless someones put a powerful shower on some old wire that cant support it, example 4mm.

Rainmaker · 2 Mar 2009 at 00:35

That is all

mrochester · 2 Mar 2009 at 06:52

Munromax said:
RCD is a safety device which will trip the supply if an electrical fault (Short etc) is detected.
The cable diameter is dependant on both the length of cable run (Supply connection to the Shower) as well as the actual load - the wattage of the Shower e.g. 9.6Kw)
I would agree with previous posts that it is likely to be the thermostat or conection to the element. The fact that the water is still running means power must be on for the valve to be open.
If you are not sure about this seek professional advice - as previously stated this can be a very dangerous area to work on.

Actually opening the water value isn't an electrical process.. you turn a big knob, which inside the unit essentially turns on the tap. So the unit could be loosing all power.

Pilky01 · 2 Mar 2009 at 14:42

dangerstat said:
No they are not, by asking this you are now Pilky's bitch

Sweet.

platypus · 2 Mar 2009 at 14:43

Grimley said:
Water & electricity don't mix.

Sure they do. Rather well in fact.

mrochester · 3 Mar 2009 at 20:12

Well an electrician has been this evening, and after looking briefly at the shower, he took a look at the fuse box. He pressed the 'test' button on the trip switch, and off the power went. However, when he turned it back on again, the box gave off a nice crackling sound. He said it sounds like a loose wire inside the fuse box. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to get straight into it because some idiot who previously owned this house built a cupboard around it, and blocked the screws on one side. As such, he's coming back on Monday next week with a drill to cut through the cupboard and get at the screw to take a look inside the fuse box, and then assess what needs to be done.

Millwall.FC · 3 Mar 2009 at 20:23

mejinks said:
From memory, 5mm is 35 amp. It sounds a really bad job.

The best way to treat electricity is to be very afraid of it You build a healthy respect for it then.

Yes, in this case, you need to get a qualified electrician in to do it.

The fact you can give a current rating for a cable that dosent exist is shocking. 6mm was the standard a while back and is no way a bad job and yes im a sparks by trade.

mrochester · 3 Mar 2009 at 21:59

I've just spoken to a friend and happened to mention my shower woes. He asked me if there was a fishy smelly near the fuse box. Funnilly enough, there has *always* been a slightly fishy smell in my hall, and is definitely stronger inside the cupboard with the fuse box. My friend said exactly the same thing happened to his mum, and that it was something burning inside the box that was causing it. This must be an exceptionally slow burn since the smell has been there for at least nearly 2 years, and I had always assumed it was because the hall is unheated, and quite damp.

Any thoughts on this?

Ian_Eb · 3 Mar 2009 at 22:07

The fishy smell is usually from the plastic insulation material overheating. From what you said earlier about the possibility of a loose connection, this could well be from the same source.

Last time i had this, it was in a mains socket and it pretty much fell apart when it was removed for replacement.

mrochester · 3 Mar 2009 at 22:31

I suppose it could also be that the size of cabling used for the shower is insufficient for the power it draws. Do you think I need the electrician back more urgently than Monday next week. Am I in any sort of danger?