Shower on Ceiling Light Flickers - advice needed please

[guest1010]

Hello, I am not an electrician. I don't normally post on forums but I'm at breaking point with this situation and require some advice please.

Our new shower was installed earlier this year. Since it was installed when you press the new shower on the ceiling light in the bathroom flickers (strobe like) as does the ceiling lights on the landing and small bedroom (all on the right side of the house.)

No other lights flicker when the shower is on anywhere in the house and the bathroom light doesn't flicker at any other time when it is on (only when the shower is on.) We have changed the light bulb in bathroom and it's still flickering only when the shower is on.

When the shower is turned off the flickering stops immediately, however, the shower is on one consumer board and all ceiling lights are on a separate consumer board. We have been told the cable is correct for the connection of the shower.

With the old shower there was only a small dip in the ceiling light when it was turned on similar to when we put on our hoover and our downstairs table lamp dips in light once. We have been told this dip (or blink) of light is normal due to the load it uses.

We use a 25watt incandescent bulb in the bathroom. We use these bulbs as a family member has seizures to LED and fluorescent lights and can't use any other bulbs. We are aware they are no longer available to buy.

I've had 3 electricians out and also the local electric board to test equipment and they are sending us round in circles (electrician says everything is working normal and it's a supply issue and supply says it's a electricians issue as there are no supply faults.) Our meter doesn't reflect any issues so the electric supplier won't send any one out to look at their equipment other than the replace the existing meter.

We need to have a new hob and oven installed and the electrician has said we can't do that until we find what is causing the flickering issue, however, the electrician has said he cannot find the issue even though the flickering is visible and he has seen it. He has told us to keep a diary of when the flickering occurs (but it is only when the shower is turned on that it happens.)

The shower company cannot help us with this as they are only for installing and repairs even though we have told them it started when the new shower was installed.

Can anyone advise what I need to be either doing or asking because I'm at a loss on what to do and just want to get the house back to our normality again. I am not going to do any work on this as I am not an electrician.

Many thanks for your time with my query.

 

[Pete999]

Probably as others have mentioned, one or two questions, it's only happened since you had a new shower fitted? is the new shower bigger in Electrical terms, ie what size was the old one what size is the new one in KWs ie 8KW etc did the shower fitters rewire the shower from the fuseboard?
Could be a Loose N or if the shower is larger in KWs, it could be causing voltage drop on your entire installation. You may need to ask the Electricians you have employed to fit a power analizer for a few weeks, or write to your Power supplier to monitor your supply, sounds like the Power supplier is washing their hands out of hand, if however the the Shower is a lorger KW one you may need to have your Shower rewired with a larger cable, of course these conclusions are from a distance nothing better than a hands on investigation, how did the numerous electricians come to the conclusion that all is OK, did they carry out any testing.?

 

[guest1010]

Hello, I shall reply in one post and again many thanks for your replies and help (your questions are in bold):

To: Paignton pete:

Did they leave any certification when they fitted the shower? No. We were given a bill and 1 year guarantee (installed in January) and a manual. The new shower was to replace the old shower which they had originally installed and wasn't able to be repaired.

Do you have a split board?( does it have a main switch and 2 rcd's?) No.

If so is the light circuit that's flickering on the same rcd as the shower? No. They are on separate consumer boards which is why the electrician has told us he cannot figure out why this is happening.

Go back to the installation company and insist they return or contact there registration body. They will insist they return. I have asked them the name of the registration body (Thank you as I wasn't aware of this.)

However I do think the company should have returned to check this out of common courtesy and customer service. The shower company were going to install a new shower as we are under guarantee, however, now they won't and will only repair the shower again (it keeps whistling when the water is on in addition to the flickering lights.) They have been out over 5 times since January to fix and replace parts including new solenoids, washers and ball values. We are awaiting a reply from a regional manager but again they are refusing to help about the flickering lights.

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To: plugsandsparks:

It could well be a loose neutral or live and could even be at the service head or meter, which could be why an electrician cannot find it.

Sadly the service head is managed by one company, the meter by another and after the meter its an electrician.

What is the service head? and who would this be - electrician, electric supplier or electric board? I am sorry, however, I have never heard of a service head before.

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To: Murdoch:

Did the bathroom company install the 2nd fuseboard? The original shower company, who are no longer in existence, installed it when we had the shower installed about 15 years ago. The new shower company installed the previous shower (to replace the original one) and the new shower in January (to replace the one they originally installed.)

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To: Midwest:

I would go with the possibility there's something wrong with the supply.

Have your supply company etc, got their tools out and checked their equipement?

They have come out but the person they sent was not an electrical contractor. He said the consumer board was "ticking" and that was the fault, however, he didn't realise the ticking was actually the electric supplier's meter that was ticking as the numbers went round when the shower was on (it is a mechanical meter not digital.) It has taken us nearly a month to get the electric board to agree to send someone else out to check their equipment again as prior to this they were not willing to and said they were satisfied with the work the person who came out did.

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To: grantr37:
Does the shower have a pump? No. It has an isolation pull cord which is linked to a fan. You pull that and then press a button on the shower to turn the shower on. After about 10-15 seconds the ceiling light flickers in the bathroom and doesn't stop until the shower is pressed off as do all the ceiling lights on that side of the house. This only started on the day the new shower was installed.

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To: Pete999:
Probably as others have mentioned, one or two questions, it's only happened since you had a new shower fitted? is the new shower bigger in Electrical terms, ie what size was the old one what size is the new one in KWs ie 8KW etc did the shower fitters rewire the shower from the fuseboard?

The shower is 9.5KW from the manual which is the same as the old shower they replaced as they can only install like for like. They didn't do any rewiring as far as we are aware.

Could be a Loose N or if the shower is larger in KWs, it could be causing voltage drop on your entire installation. You may need to ask the Electricians you have employed to fit a power analizer for a few weeks, or write to your Power supplier to monitor your supply, sounds like the Power supplier is washing their hands out of hand, if however the the Shower is a lorger KW one you may need to have your Shower rewired with a larger cable, of course these conclusions are from a distance nothing better than a hands on investigation,

The electrical supplier are refusing to check the meter installed and will only replace the meter for a more modern on. They say our bills don't reflect any issues at all, however, no one from the electrical supplier have been out to check.

how did the numerous electricians come to the conclusion that all is OK, did they carry out any testing.?
Yes. The electricians went through the house and did tests. They left all the lights on while testing. They checked both consumer boards and made sure the wiring was tight. But the last electrician we had out has said until we find the cause of the flickering there is nothing more he can do as for him our electrics are safe. He did see the flickering while he was here with his workmate.


Thank you again for all your help.

 

[Wilko]

Hi - the company may have their Electrical registration listed on their website or paperwork. If you're interested someone here may be nearby and be able to have a look at the issue close up.

 

[telectrix]

alaerm bells ringing. why is a fan running off the shower circuit, unless it had been designed as such by manufacturers?

 

[telectrix]

echo wilko's post #18. post your location.

 

[Deleted account]

Thanks showerq for the brilliant detailed reply. From everything I've read I suspect it's down the the supply companies, but I could be wrong. It's difficult to diagnose from afar. I really wish you all the luck.

I am a I little concerned you didn't get any certification.

Cheers peter

 

[guest1010]

Hi - the company may have their Electrical registration listed on their website or paperwork. If you're interested someone here may be nearby and be able to have a look at the issue close up.

Hi Wilko,

I've contacted NICEIC and ELECSA (who I was told are the same company from the man I spoke to at their technical dept.) and also ECA. They have all said contact the electric board as it sounds like a supply issue. Hopefully now they have agreed to send someone out again they can let us know. If all is fine (and I hope so) then I don't know what our next step is.

 

[littlespark]

Did the shower installer walk away without operating the shower? The lights must have been flickering straight away. That should have told the installer something was a miss.
It may be that they have installed something larger than was there before, but that would dim the lights, not cause a flicker.

The shower pull cord is linked to a fan? For extraction? These are normally wired in with the lighswitch rather than the shower.

If you can, please post a photograph of your shower and your consumer unit/meter/etc. (ps, the service head is where the supply cable goes through a big fuse, and normally is sealed so us mortals cannot tamper)

We don't want to badmouth any company on the public forum, so don't name them.

 

[guest1010]

Thanks showerq for the brilliant detailed reply. From everything I've read I suspect it's down the the supply companies, but I could be wrong. It's difficult to diagnose from afar. I really wish you all the luck.

I am a I little concerned you didn't get any certification.

Cheers peter

Many thanks again, Peter.

I shall ask they shower company for the certificate. Fingers crossed and again many thanks to you all.

 

[Pete999]

Did the shower installer walk away without operating the shower? The lights must have been flickering straight away. That should have told the installer something was a miss.
It may be that they have installed something larger than was there before, but that would dim the lights, not cause a flicker.

The shower pull cord is linked to a fan? For extraction? These are normally wired in with the lighswitch rather than the shower.

If you can, please post a photograph of your shower and your consumer unit/meter/etc. (ps, the service head is where the supply cable goes through a big fuse, and normally is sealed so us mortals cannot tamper)

We don't want to badmouth any company on the public forum, so don't name them.

Flicker and Dim may mean the same to some Mate, before we start why not wait until the OP comes back with answers to the questions posed, I've seen dafter things than what I am questioning, and of course we are all diagnosing the problem from afar.

 

[guest1010]

Did the shower installer walk away without operating the shower? The lights must have been flickering straight away. That should have told the installer something was a miss.
It may be that they have installed something larger than was there before, but that would dim the lights, not cause a flicker.

The shower pull cord is linked to a fan? For extraction? These are normally wired in with the lighswitch rather than the shower.

If you can, please post a photograph of your shower and your consumer unit/meter/etc. (ps, the service head is where the supply cable goes through a big fuse, and normally is sealed so us mortals cannot tamper)

We don't want to badmouth any company on the public forum, so don't name them.

Hi Littlespark, Thanks for your reply.

They tested the shower before they left, however, the flickering only started in the evening on the day it was installed.

I recorded the whistle and played it as it didn't happen when they were here. A few hours later after they replaced the washers, solenoid and ball valve the same whistle happen again and is continuing when the shower is on as is the lights flickering. We are waiting for them to come out and look at it again.

Thank you about the pull cord - we shall double check as no one has mentioned or suggested that before. Thank you.

 

[telectrix]

@littlespark. ain't you ever heard of the seal fairy? .

(ps, the service head is where the supply cable goes through a big fuse, and normally is sealed so us mortals cannot tamper)

 

[Wilko]

... If all is fine (and I hope so) then I don't know what our next step is.

Certainly don't despair, as what's made by man, can be fixed by man. Just maybe not the fine folks you've been blessed with so far.

 

[Deleted account]

alaerm bells ringing. why is a fan running off the shower circuit, unless it had been designed as such by manufacturers?

O dear. I've seen this before. Extractor permanent live and neutral fed from lighting circuit. Switched live from shower.
It functionally worked fine at the address I was at but obviously wrong.

This property was previously owned by a builder. He had done a lot of interesting things including the shower run off 2.5 mm. I've no idea how it coped, but the cable was fine, no evidence of overheating. This turned into a full rewire of the whole house as the socket circuits and lighting were a joke too. First time I've made a customer cry when going over what I'd found.

 

[guest1010]

Certainly don't despair, as what's made by man, can be fixed by man. Just maybe not the fine folks you've been blessed with so far.

You are certainly right. I'm lost what to do and I think I'm actually past breaking point. I won't mention the names of the companies but their attitudes is very difficult to cope with.