shower not working!

[ample current]

got a call from a guy saying "my shower has stopped working"

And this is what i found

 

[Edd]

I hope theres some slack above to pull down!!!!

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Classic.

 

[Brightspark2]

Oh dear...

Sent from my Xperia S using next doors WIFI.

 

[ample current]

I hope theres some slack above to pull down!!!!

Luckily there was enough slack.

 

[drew35]

If it had caught fire he could have put it out with the shower head whilst having his shower!

 

[KevinS]

I see examples of this ALL the time
if you see one of my previous posts, I think that the shower pull switch is the worst items the we fit, I think it's time that the manufacturers make drastic improvements to the good old shower pull switch. Possibly putting maintenance free connections in them
its an item that is too easy to be fitted badly, no matter how much time you take and how tight you try and get the connections you never know whats happened when you push it back into the ceiling

 

[telectrix]

i agree. pull switches are pants. i always fit wall switches where possible ( outside the bathroom of course). these have the added advantage of being able to get teenage daughters out of the bathroom when you need a dump.

 

[thekingiam]

i have found this failure a few times now, i dont believe that a loose contact is always the fault. when ever i fit these or here about them burning out i tell them to always leave them on, and am always told that they thought it would cost them more in electricity so always turned them off and on when in use.i know to fit them is a pain and the design is rubish but the constant use issue i beleive also leads to a failure.

 

[telectrix]

why is it always the neutral though? that is a burning question.

 

[DaveyD]

get teenage daughters out of the bathroom when you need a dump.

Quite the salesman there Tel.

 

[robskiing]

I'm not a great lover of the 45amp pull switch but when installing 10mm for the shower I always use the Crabtree 50 amp version there's a lot more room and thought gone into its construction most wall sw are pants

 

[sparks1973]

I hope theres some slack above to pull down!!!!

probably some slack on them terminations that caused it..

- - - Updated - - -

maybe whoever did it in the first place was slack n all...

 

[thekingiam]

neice called me out to replace hers that burnt out ,not much cable left so squached head against ceiling and connected the cheap box she bought from biology checked connections ok.2 months later called back burnt out again! asked what are you doing ? replied we turn it off every time we use it, told her its a isolator not a switch and have not had any problem for a year now.in screw fix other day guy working there says hes having work done,shower switch burnt cables also rcd burnt out, out of interest asked him does he use it as a switch 'yes my father told me to turn it off and turn it on when needed as its going to cost you lots of electric.

please don't jump down the throat of who ever installed these bad designed units, its an isolator not a switch and please let your customers know.

 

[MarkieSparkie]

...its an item that is too easy to be fitted badly, no matter how much time you take and how tight you try and get the connections you never know whats happened when you push it back into the ceiling

The Crabtree 50A pull cord isolator is the only type, as far as I'm aware, that doesn't suffer from this deficiency.

 

[nickblake]

its very common this fault and like tel Say why always the neutral terminal they are a weak point carrying a large load , im the same as tel outside switch when ever i can never had a problem with the scolmore switches , i have a tendancy of torquing them up these days around 2.3nm only thing i can think is temperature changes that loosen the connections hence it burns out do like the crabtree ones but they look so big and can be a pain to wire

 

[MarkieSparkie]

why is it always the neutral though? that is a burning question.

Well it's something that probably should be added to the current Ring v Radial thread, as it occurs to me that it’s usually radial circuits, shower and cooker radials in particular, where one or more of the N connections burn-out, this is probably due to the standard test method not requiring Rn to be measured![FONT=&amp] At least the standard tests for RFC checks Rn; which is more than can be said for the standard tests on radials.[/FONT]

 

[polo1]

Well it's something that probably should be added to the current Ring v Radial thread, as it occurs to me that it’s usually radial circuits, shower and cooker radials in particular, where one or more of the N connections burn-out, this is probably due to the standard test method not requiring Rn to be measured![FONT=&amp] At least the standard tests for RFC checks Rn; which is more than can be said for the standard tests on radials.[/FONT]

Can you explain your thinking MS - I think I understand the point you are making, but just want to be sure (though I'm not saying I agree with you that loose connection of the N is typically the cause!)

 

[Dooby]

How did it get in that state, I'm guessing that isolator is actually in the bathroom/rather wet place..? How does the neutral end up so knackered?

Everyone I've met (non trade folk) thinks that the shower pull cord isolator is a fancy switch for the shower, and should be switched off. To the extent I was getting concerned I was doing things wrong myself..