the power cable that goes to the back of the shower unit seems to be hot when i touch it, (and no i didnt get a shock) i just touched the outer insulation strip and it seemed to be hot. Is is normal for cable to get hot when in use?
2007-10-14 08:51:43 · 12 answers · asked by Lizo 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
does the shower have to be connected directly to the fuse box with 10mm cable?
2007-10-14 09:17:10 · update #1
God no, it should not get hot, and you are not allowed to wire a shower in the bathroom unless you have part "P" of the elec.regs. Get a qualified Electrician to check it before you kill someone. To ask this question you obviously do not know what you are doing, For heavens sake man get an Electrician in quick and do not use the shower. If you were replacing it is it the same wattage?, if you have bought a bigger wattage shower that will make the cable get hot.
Golden Rule. If you have to ask you should not be doing it .
2007-10-14 08:59:30 · answer #1 · answered by Radiator 4 · 6⤊ 2⤋
You do need an isolator switch, but it can be a wall mounted one if you don't want a ceiling switch. But there will be a bit of extra work in redirecting the cable from your old ceiling position to the new wall position. Usually showers are 6mm or 10mm cable so dependant on your shower rating you will be OK there. A 32 or 40 amp MCB (depending on the shower rating again) with a 30ma RCD. If your in England you will need to be part p registered to do the work, if your in Scotland you can do it yourself OK.(This will probably get a thumbs down by someone who doesn't know what there talking about, but it is true contrary to opinion) You may be asked for a test certificate if you sell later on, but you could get a contractor to do it for you at a cost.
2016-05-22 12:19:13 · answer #2 · answered by bernice 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If the cable is correctly-sized and correctly fused then it may be something as simple as a loose connection which is causing it to become overly warm.
Cables are permitted to operate at 70 degrees C, but rarely reaches that temperature unless you spend a long time in the shower, and the cable is close to it's limit.
A quick visit from any half-decent electrician should identify any fault, or installation errors. Membership of a trade body/association/scheme is not a requirement.
2007-10-15 10:52:58 · answer #3 · answered by Pauline 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The shower should be connected via a double-pole double break ceiling switch back to a 45A ELCB, using at least 10mm cable. It should also be electrically connected to earth by a separate earth cable connected to an exposed section of the copper water pipe, as near as possible to the shower.
The cable should not get hot, not even warm in normal use.
Contrary to what other people are telling you, it is not illegal to carry out electrical work yourself, unless you are wiring in the bathroom or kitchen. If you do carry out the work yourself, you must have it inspected by a qualified electrician or the local council before using it.
2007-10-16 01:30:39 · answer #4 · answered by Timbo 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No the cable shouldn't be getting hot. This means the cable is under sized. Most showers these days are 9 to 10kw, you should be looking at a cable size in the region of 10mm.
Just seen your add details,yes cable should go back to the board on its own RCCBO breaker (fuse) via a 45amp double pole switch outside the bathroom. Please get a sparks to do this for you before you burn the house down or kill someone.
2007-10-14 08:57:57 · answer #5 · answered by Ken J 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
no the cable should not get hot, but if you live in the uk, you are not allowed to install wiring as you need to be registered, not necessarily by the niceic, but any of the approved bodies, anyway sounds like you have used 6mm cable instead of 10mm, if i was you, switch off the circuit breaker for the supply to the shower and get an approved electrician to look at it as it could be dangerous, also you need an electrical certificate and your bonding (earthing) checked also as it could save your life if there was a fault.
approved electrician, north west
2007-10-15 04:14:14 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
TURN IT OFF
the shower is drawing to much power, for the size of the cable, cable is under sized.
You need to use a qualified Electrician
2007-10-15 22:57:08 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
If you do the wiring yourself, do not enclose it until a qualified electrician certificates its safety.
The electrician will give you a certificate which you must keep, and the electrician you choose should come from a part p qualified firm or be part p registered for domestic installations.
2007-10-16 02:33:15 · answer #8 · answered by jory 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No,It should not get hot,What size cable?Should be 10mm.
2007-10-14 08:55:56 · answer #9 · answered by taxed till i die,and then some. 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
i wish when people ask questions like this one that they told us what country they lived in ..but ..if you do live in the UK ..then you should have NEVER EVER have touched the electrics ..only an nic reg electrician is allowed by law to touch it ..switch it of and don't touch it again ..get a qualified sparks in ..
2007-10-14 09:11:08 · answer #10 · answered by boy boy 7 · 1⤊ 3⤋