Cable Spec for Electric Shower

[Scotty501]

Hello All,

I am looking to have an electric shower installed into our en-suite. I am trying to reduce costs where I can, and one way is for me to run the cable myself from the distribution board to the en-suite. I am not a sparky, and I will not be installing the cable, nor touch the distribution unit, I will leave it in situ ready for the sparky to do his bit. The cable will come up through the garage ceiling then into the loft, back down into the en-suite.

The question is what cable should I get to cover all possible shower types that we may get? And if I clip to beams in the loft, is that acceptable? Or will this break some rules etc?

Forgive a basic question, but as I say, I am not a sparky.

 

[Andy78]

By the time an electrician has shown you how to do this they could have run it themselves.
If you do it without the guidance of the electrician who will be connecting it up then you run the risk of leaving yourself with a job no electrician is interested in connecting up for you.
Just the get the install done by a professional.

 

[telectrix]

depends on the rating of the shower and installation method. choice is between 6mm and 10mm. if in doubt install 10mm. but for what it costs, let the electrician do the calcs. and install the cable.cost a few quid more, but then you'll have a certificate and a warranty on the installation.

 

[DPG]

I would speak to the sparky who will be connecting the cable up to see if he is happy for you to route the cable yourself. Don't forget it is his name that will be going on the installation certificate and so he will be responsible for it.

 

[DPG]

Think we all posted at same time there!

 

[Pete999]

Hello All,

I am looking to have an electric shower installed into our en-suite. I am trying to reduce costs where I can, and one way is for me to run the cable myself from the distribution board to the en-suite. I am not a sparky, and I will not be installing the cable, nor touch the distribution unit, I will leave it in situ ready for the sparky to do his bit. The cable will come up through the garage ceiling then into the loft, back down into the en-suite.

The question is what cable should I get to cover all possible shower types that we may get? And if I clip to beams in the loft, is that acceptable? Or will this break some rules etc?

Forgive a basic question, but as I say, I am not a sparky.

What KW rating is the new shower? a better idea would be to put the job out to tender get some quote, chose your Sparky, and ask him if he is OK with you running the cable, he will be able to determine the size of cable required, there will not be many Sparky's out there who relish the thought of rummaging around in an insulated loft, all you can do is ask, it will the Sparky who is signing the installation Certificate, so ideally he should be inspecting the install at all stages.

 

[Scotty501]

Thanks for fast replies, I was just thinking If I ordered and ran the T&E it would save some labour and head-aches for the sparky.

 

[Andy78]

Thanks for fast replies, I was just thinking If I ordered and ran the T&E it would save some labour and head-aches for the sparky.

If it does, then you would need to agree this beforehand with the electrician.
I would refuse to entertain such a job myself if called to connect up and provide a certificate. This work is legally notifiable to building control and needs to be done properly from the start.

 

[DPG]

Thanks for fast replies, I was just thinking If I ordered and ran the T&E it would save some labour and head-aches for the sparky.

See what he says. If he's happy with it then no problems. Let us know.

 

[Darkwood]

I would expect the sparky could get the cable at a better price through trade, trying to yourself may cost you more even after he puts on his/her percentage, also the route you chose may not be suitable if if you have loft insulation, so I would bring in the electrician to assess the job, if he is happy to allow you to install the cable run then so be it but you may struggle with anyone willing to sign off when others have done the cable run as others have said, they need to be confident the cable isn't damaged, stretch or out of prescribed zones and unless they do this themselves it is likely they will not entertain the home owner doing the work unless they are there to oversee it, if that was the case then it would be quicker for an electrician to install it than it would for you to pay them to watch you do it.... conclusion would be that you are digging a hole for yourself here just to try save a few pounds and especially regarding a shower circuit which are very heavy loads that are common causes of shock and fires in our industry, so please take the advice given and discuss options with the electrician to see if they are happy to let you do some of the donkey work.

 

[Octopus]

I put my hourly rate up when customers want to supply parts and charge for any down time caused by their errors.

Plus non warranty on these parts

 

[telectrix]

as above. your sparky will buy cable on a 100m drum and use what's needed. if you buy it by a specified length ( e.g. 15m) it will cost you twice as much, and if you allow for error in measuring, you'll either have it too short, or 3-4m for the scrap.

 

[The Ghost]

As a matter of interest you say from the garage ceiling to the loft. Is this a bungalow then?

 

[Octopus]

Would you turn up at a volvo garage and give them Halfords parts to fit?

 

[Adam W]

Perhaps ironically the least helpful thing you could do is to try to 'help'.
The electrician should know what they're doing and will have a certain way of doing things - trying to chivvy them along will most likely throw the project into confusion, which is never a good place to be.

 

[Dave OCD]

With the current weather I'd be delighted if any customers offered to go in the loft.

 

[Rpa07]

Just to get them out of the way whilst you make a cup of tea and have a sit down!

With the current weather I'd be delighted if any customers offered to go in the loft.