Shower Install - Advice please :-)

Gixerguy · Jan 3, 2010

Morning all!

I'm in the early stages of putting my bathroom back together and am going to have an electric shower. I know I need a new fuse box and it'll all be wired in professionally. My question is that the conduit for the shower cable is to be chased in a wall and I need to do that quite early in the project. Should it run out of the top of the unit into the loft to avoid being in a wet area below the shower? Also, due to thin plaster, can i use oval conduit or do regs prevent this?
One more - it's a 9.5kw shower which apparently needs 10mm cable - what's the realistic distance from fusebox to shower as if I go to the loft with conduit will an electrician be telling me the route is too long and off come my tiles to rout down to the floor!!! Lol

Thanks for any help with this - it's much appreciated !!

Cheers!

acat · Jan 3, 2010

Maximum run for cable by my workings is 63 meters to ensure voltage drop does not go above the permitted 11.5volts.

Cable route is up to you and I would suggest the shortest distance possible and of course it must have RCD protection. The area underneath the shower basin is considered as zone 1 however if it is only accessible with the use of a tool it is considered outside the zones.

The job is notifiable to building control.

Hope that helps.

Chris

Gixerguy · Jan 3, 2010

Many thanks Chris, i think the run will be within that distance so I'll go with the up and over route. Just to be sure, oval conduit is ok to use too? Due to thin plaster i cant chase deep enough for 20mm round!

Cheers!

acat · Jan 3, 2010

Quote from Building Regs page 32 if you have it.

In dwellings a 30mA RCD is required when a cable is installed in a wall or partition at a depth of less than 50mm and not enclosed in STEEL conduit.

As your circuit is in a bathroom and must be protected by a 30mA RCD anyway, anything you use in addition to RCD for protection is a bonus. So I cant see any problems with what you are proposing.

Chris