Dodgy Shower?

winterfell99

Hello all,

This is my first post, please be kind as i am asking a silly question!

I wonder if anyone with a bit of knowledge about showers/ electrics might be able to give me some advise?

We did our bathroom up approx a year ago. The shower (was there when we moved in) was removed and then replaced when the tiling was complete.
When it was replaced, a tiny bit of the plastic casing snapped from the bottom of the shower, where it is positioned means that the screw holding it to the wall is a bit loose.

In the last couple of months, the fuse for the shower keeps tripping out, meaning we have to replace the fuse.
When replacing the fuse, i noticed it was a 30w one, and since our shower is a 9.5km shower seems to be too low for the shower - online resources seem to suggest that it should be at least a 40w fuse.

So i'm wondering:
a) is the fuse tripping cos the wattage is too low? Could the previous house owners got a more powerful shower and not changed the fuse type, thus causing us issues? Should i have a 40w in there?
b) do we need to buy a new shower?

I am more than happy to buy a new shower, but if the issue is the fuse and not the slightly wobbly shower, it would be a waste of money.

If you got to the end of that - well done! If you understand what i'm babbling about - even more well done!
Any advise would be much appreciated!

cyclonebri1

winterfell99 wrote: »

Hello all,

This is my first post, please be kind as i am asking a silly question!

I wonder if anyone with a bit of knowledge about showers/ electrics might be able to give me some advise?

We did our bathroom up approx a year ago. The shower (was there when we moved in) was removed and then replaced when the tiling was complete.
When it was replaced, a tiny bit of the plastic casing snapped from the bottom of the shower, where it is positioned means that the screw holding it to the wall is a bit loose.

In the last couple of months, the fuse for the shower keeps tripping out, meaning we have to replace the fuse.
When replacing the fuse, i noticed it was a 30w one, and since our shower is a 9.5km shower seems to be too low for the shower - online resources seem to suggest that it should be at least a 40w fuse.

So i'm wondering:
a) is the fuse tripping cos the wattage is too low? Could the previous house owners got a more powerful shower and not changed the fuse type, thus causing us issues? Should i have a 40w in there?
b) do we need to buy a new shower?

I am more than happy to buy a new shower, but if the issue is the fuse and not the slightly wobbly shower, it would be a waste of money.

If you got to the end of that - well done! If you understand what i'm babbling about - even more well done!
Any advise would be much appreciated!

It requires a 39amp fuse, ie, 45 amp

You will probably also find the shower is fubarred and requires replacement., sorry

Ectophile

I assume you mean 30 A and 40 A.

30A is definitely too low. 9.5 kW at 240 V is around 39.5 A. So I wouldn't be surprised if the fuse or breaker keeps tripping. 40 A or 45 A seems much more suitable.

I hope the cabling is up to the job. It should be either 6 or 10 mm2.

Myser

Since the OP is talking about replacing the fuse, I assume it's a cartridge type?

9.5kW at 230V (standard UK mains voltage +/- variation) would be approximately 41A.

You would be better off with a 45A cartridge fuse to avoid the fuse constantly blowing:

http://www.screwfix.com/p/wylex-sfcfl45-45a-cartridge-fuse/89120?cm_sp=Search-_-SearchRec-_-Area1&_requestid=171919

Or you may want to replace the fuse carrier with a mini circuit breaker.

If water is getting into the electrics, this may cause the current drawn to increase. Also with age, showers do start to draw more current.