New Shower

TBagpuss

Hi, I'd welcome any advice.
I live in a small terraced house which was built in the 1970s and has (I strongly suspect!) the orgininal bathroom fittings.
It has a small and always highly unimpressive (BerrySpray) shower over the foot of the bath, which died last week in circumstances involving a hot smell and the tripping of the relevant fuse.

I am not good at DIY and I have absolutely no intention of trying to play around with anything which involves both water and electricity myself, but would rather not look too much of a fool in front of the plumbers when they come to quote.

- Are there any permissions/regulations which need to be obtained if I am simply having an old shower replaced with a new one?

- can anyone give a very rough figure as to what I should expect to pay? (I don't need anything very fancy, just a usable shower. I think the old one had it's own heating rather than drawing from the hot water tank, as it would typically still provide hot water even when the tap water was only luke-warm)

I appreciate that this is a bit vague but any guidance would be welcome. I am planning to get a couple of quotes but at the moment I am not sure what questions I need to be asking, or exactly what I wought to be asking for.

Thanks in advance

Winky,_The_House_Elf

Hi

It looks like you are simply wanting a replacement electric shower, like for like? If so I'd take a look at http://www.screwfix.com/cats/A470433/Bathrooms-Showers/Showers-Enclosures/Showers/Electric-Showers to get an idea of the price of the units, and then factor in what you think is reasonable for labour ... but don't forget that you are paying a professional and that also depends on what part of the country you are in.

As you said the previous one was less than impressive, you may want to look at a more powerful one, but be aware that you are limited by the wiring that is already in place to the current shower as to how high you can go, (unless you want to replace that too) so it might be something to ask the plumber you are getting quotes from to advise.

You won't need any permission, but do ensure that your plumber is qualified in electrics ie has Part-P Qualifications.

I'm sure that someone more knowledgable will come along soon and give you a better idea.

ormus

my sister in law changed hers last year. about 80 quid for a new shower unit, and a sparky charged her 50 quid to wire it up.

macman

If it was a 1970s vintage electric shower, then the rating is likely to be very low (maybe around 6kW?) and the circuit cabling inadequate for even a modest shower (say 8.5 kW) by today's standards. So you really should budget for rewiring that circuit and fitting proper RCD protection at the same time.
Is it currently wired on a dedicated circuit (look at the labelling on your CU)?

TBagpuss

Thank you. I'm not sure whether it is on a separate circuit - I don't think so.

I will get them to advise about whether additional wiring will be needed.

macman

Then it is not suitable for a direct replacement-these days you need a dedicated shower circuit and proper RCD protection. It's really not worth skimping on this, as water and leccy do not mix! Consult a qualified electrician.

TBagpuss

I know leccy & water don't mix, it's one of the reasons I'm not even considering trying to do anything myself - I have no intention of skimping on something that has the capacity of killing me if done wrong!

I'm waiting for the quote to come through now - they've said I will probably need some upgade relating to the earthing as my CU is 6 ror 7 years old and won't coply with current recommnedations, as well as rewiring and replacing the shower. Looks as though I shall be looking at £600 or so.


*sigh*

Justicia

Winky,_The_House_Elf wrote: »

You won't need any permission, but do ensure that your plumber is qualified in electrics ie has Part-P Qualifications.

Great advice, though have to pick up on this part - there are no such things as Part P qualifications, as Part P is one of the Building Regulations rather than a qualification and to be compliant, one just needs to follow the proper process if the work is "notifiable" (consult with local Building Control OR be accredited with a Competent Person Scheme; ECA, Napit, NICEIC, etc...)

TBagpuss wrote: »

I'm waiting for the quote to come through now - they've said I will probably need some upgade relating to the earthing as my CU is 6 ror 7 years old and won't coply with current recommnedations, as well as rewiring and replacing the shower. Looks as though I shall be looking at £600 or so.

Hope that you are getting more than one quote!

Not saying that they are wrong as not quite sure what they are advising, but do be aware that not being fully compliant with the current Wiring Regulations is not a reason in itself for parts of installations to be condemned - as long as safety is considered.

Again, they may be correct as they have looked and we haven't but do query anything that may seem strange and post back here with any aspects.

HTH :beer: