Burnt out pull cord to electric shower

[Sammw123]

Hello everyone,

I have recently had a bathroom refurb in our new house as it had no bathroom fitted before. I have a 8.5kw electric shower that is isolated by a 45 amp pull cord. The shower stopped working so I had an electrician come and have a look and the pull cord wires are completely black and the plastic is melted. It never tripped the main fuse box but it is wired into a 32 amp fuse on the main box and the pull cord is 45amp will this cause it to burn? What other options are there for the burning ??? Any advice is much appreciated thr shower is fitted with a 6mm cable but I'm unsure of the size of the cable that goes from the pull cord to the fuse box...

Thanks in advance

 

[pc1966]

Usually the only genuine reason for replacing the CU (consumer unit = fusebox) when something is under rated is when it is so old you can't get compatible parts.
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Already mentioned is that a 8.5kW shower needs an minimum of 6mm cable (and even then not through a thermally insulated route) and generally most electricians would be selecting 10mm cable.

 

[Sammw123]

Hmmm easy for me to say, but why does your whole fusebox need replacing, is it somewhat old & tired?

The MCB needs to be sized in accordance with the cable size & how its installed. Likewise, a shower load should be installed with a suitably sized cable & MCB, i.e. the circuit should be designed for its load appropiately.

My house was built in 1991 I dont know how long they are suppose to last and the 4mm cable that supplied the fuse box comes through the loft. I am thinking a new fuse box may be easier at this point it seems there are lots of faults on the shower cabling

 

[Midwest]

If it was my house, I’d be getting more than one quote to have that fuse box replaced, and a new properly sized cable run to your shower.

 

[westward10]

Have trouble getting a Legrand breaker for that.

 

[radiohead]

An alternative solution would be to replace your 8.4kw shower with a 7.2kw unit, in which case your CU and existing 32a mcb and wiring should be adequate to leave in place. Not necessarily the best option but if your budget is tight...….

 

[davesparks]

The other thing I find about those pull cords, is that the home owner actually use them to isolate the shower after using said shower.

I mean really.

That's the whole point of it, to turn off the shower, no different to any other appliance switch we install.

 

[SJD]

As mentioned by Midwest, get more than one quote to change the consumer unit, prices can vary somewhat (by a factor of 2 or more) for the same thing.

A new consumer unit is notifiable work to Building Control, so make sure anyone who does change it is able to notify it (usually by being a member of a CPS such as ELECSA, NICEIC, etc). And check you will get a certificate with it, which will include test results for all the circuits, again it is not unknown for that to be forgotten!

 

[ipf]

And check you will get a certificate with it, which will include test results for all the circuits, again it is not unknown for that to be forgotten!

Accidentally, of course....

 

[pc1966]

As already said, the ideal solution would be to get a couple of quotes and then get someone in to fix it properly. But just now you might be struggling to get that done.

Failing that, what condition is the existing cable in?
Can you see how far back it has been burned from the switch?
What sort of a route does it take (i.e. do you think you could pull in new cable using the old one as a "draw string")?

As a temporary measure you could cut the cable at a point where it is good and join a new section using something like this:

60A Junction Box

A strong and robust 60A junction box shaped for easier installation in tighter spaces. This oval enclosure has a depth of just 35mm - a slimline profile that's incredibly easy to work with.Inside, there's plenty of room and the three large brass terminals are easy to connect. The brown casing...

www.toolstation.com

And replace you burned out pull switch with something like:

Crabtree 50A Pull Switch

www.toolstation.com

Obviously you need to be very careful to isolate the supply, best option is probably to turn all of the power off as you probably don't have a reliable tester. Opening the breaker for the shower should do that, but you should always test!

Never rely on the neon screwdriver sort, they are not reliable, this is the sort of thing you should use for testing and even then you should prove it works on a known live source first:

TIS Voltage Tester

• Voltage range 12V to 690V • Automatic polarity indication • One hand operation for testing sockets• Compact pocket size design• Probe tip protection• No batteries required• Extra bright LEDs• Does not trip RCDsThis is the perfect fully compliant Voltage Tester to be used within electrical safe...

www.toolstation.com

 

[telectrix]

PM sent to OP. he's a Stokie, so well within reach of my grasping claws.

 

[ipf]

As a temporary measure you could cut the cable at a point where it is good and join a new section using something like this:

60A Junction Box

A strong and robust 60A junction box shaped for easier installation in tighter spaces. This oval enclosure has a depth of just 35mm - a slimline profile that's incredibly easy to work with.Inside, there's plenty of room and the three large brass terminals are easy to connect. The brown casing...

www.toolstation.com

Yep. Not like this example of a shower 'failure' from last year.

 

[Midwest]

That's the whole point of it, to turn off the shower, no different to any other appliance switch we install.

Well I know, my wife insists on turning off our electric hob at the isolator, but leaves the electric oven on (at the DP switch), just turns the dials off on the oven. Silly isn’t it?
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PM sent to OP. he's a Stokie, so well within reach of my grasping claws.

Not at the moment, not essential work.

 

[ipf]

Well I know, my wife insists on turning off our electric hob at the isolator, but leaves the electric oven on (at the DP switch), just turns the dials off on the oven. Silly isn’t it?

Ahhh....but she doesn't sit on the oven when ...….. sshh!..

 

[telectrix]

Not at the moment, not essential work.

have said that in my PM. although I can't see why non-essential work should not be undertaken, providing all reasonable precautions are taken. after all, we have Piers Morgan and his crew at work every day. That's not essential ; they could all work from home, or better still give us all a rest from the tripe they broadcast. we can get any news we want from radio ot internet. Likewise the financial scammers that comprise the City of London. Close the tube system and if their work is essential the buggers can walk.

 

[pc1966]

Yes, it is about reasonable risk and what the situation is.

Certainly a repair of sorts is something I would consider important, essential if safety is involved, but not replacing things for decorative reasons, etc.