Help! - Shower Pull Switch, wires too short!

[Bootneck73h]

Hi,

The shower pull chord switch has snapped at my mom’s home and having unscrewed the switch I discovered a horror show(see pic). So I’ve had cut the wires back to clean them up but having done so it’s left me with nothing reasonable to wire up the new switch.
There’s nothing left on the cable to pull through and access to the loft in this very old dwelling is going to be an epic so re-routing isn’t really on the table.
Could I use some SpliceLine in-line wire connectors to extend the wires and if so would the 32 amp ones cut it?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[mainline]

It's very common to have dry lining boxes for pullcord shower isolators in my neck of the woods and the plasterboard very rarely fails around the box when properly fitted.
So rare I can't remember when I last saw one.

The fact that it happens is enough to put it in the last resort bracket for me.

Dry liner boxes were not designed for that and would be dependent on the strength of the plaster, how good the plaster is fixed to the ceiling and where between the joists that the liner would be.

Also, there are unknowns that can happen at a later date, like a water leak.

I would rather use a noggin, drill a hole for cable and mount the switch properly.

If a flush switch is wanted, then use a metal back box fixed to the noggin.

 

[littlespark]

Metal boxes like to bite my hands. And those extra two fixing lugs are just a nuisance.

Nothing to stop you adding a noggin above a dry liner…. Just for extra hold

 

[mainline]

Metal boxes like to bite my hands. And those extra two fixing lugs are just a nuisance.

Nothing to stop you adding a noggin above a dry liner…. Just for extra

A coupe of screws though a plastic dry liner is never going to be as strong as a metal backbox.

fitting something that wasn’t intended for that use is always going to be a bit of a bodge.

Best way is to avoid pull cords I’ve seen lots with multi cords for fan, towel rail ,wall heater and light it looked like something out of the Adam’s family.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Would mounting an RCD/RCBO protected switch on the wall comply with UK regs.

How about a Kinetic switch solution, Rx in the loft stuffed through the existing hole and switch double sided taped to the wall?

 

[DPG]

Would mounting an RCD/RCBO protected switch on the wall comply with UK regs.

How about a Kinetic switch solution, Rx in the loft stuffed through the existing hole and switch double sided taped to the wall?

Don't think a kinetic switch will meet requirements for a shower isolator!

 

[Mike Johnson]

Whoops thought it was a light, reminder to self, read first post more than once, must do better.

Just looked and they do a 16amp model now, how long before they have a 32amp range?

 

[DPG]

Whoops thought it was a light, reminder to self, read first post more than once, must do better.

I've done the same before!

 

[nicebutdim]

Don't think a kinetic switch will meet requirements for a shower isolator!

It could pull in a contactor....


...anything to avoid a pull cord and drylining box combo

 

[mainline]

It could pull in a contactor....


...anything to avoid a pull cord and drylining box combo

Could always mount the switch in the roof space and pop the cord through a hole.

 

[timhoward]

Could always mount the switch in the roof space and pop the cord through a hole.

...anything to avoid a pull cord and drylining box combo

Could always run a gas pipe....

 

[mainline]

Could always run a gas pipe....
View attachment 112732

You know you're getting old when as a child you remember the bright light from a gas mantle.

 

[mainline]

Would mounting an RCD/RCBO protected switch on the wall comply with UK regs.

I would think so as it's very common to have RCD protected circuits supplying switches, especially on a wall

How about a Kinetic switch solution, Rx in the loft stuffed through the existing hole and switch double sided taped to the wall?

They have their place, but I'm not a fan of kinetic in the respect of reliability compared to hardwired, if it uses electronics then It's going to fail at some point.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Knee jerk reaction as usual, the problem is In a bathroom, keep up mainline.

Kinetic switch's have proven to be reliable so far, had them in our place in France for a number of years, saved chasing down stone walls.

 

[pirate]

Quinetic amazing, but I'd never use for that application.
My preferred installation is to mount the isolator outside the bathroom. Bring the 10mm cable into a dual box, plenty of room for terminations, DP switch in one side, cable into the other "half"...easy to switch on/off and plenty of room to make terminations.

 

[mainline]

Knee jerk reaction as usual, the problem is In a bathroom, keep up mainline.

It does relate to having a switch in a bathroom keep up, especially with the regs