Is it meant to do this?

Discuss Is it meant to do this? in the Electricians' Talk area at ElectriciansForums.net

C

cripster

I'm in the kitchen making an ovenhousing. The wife is upstairs with the boy. Wife says to boy "Shower time". Boy goes in to bathroom, wife turns shower on. I'm still in the kitchen and am aware of a flash, I put it down to car headlights going past my kitchen window. Few seconds later the wife shouts "For cooking chips! the showers stopped!". I go up to investigate and indeed the shower has stopped. I check pull cord and notice no neon light. I go back downstairs. I go through the kitchen/garage door and am aware of a burning smell. I locate shower fuse box and find this.... 67111_10151232497298961_661773446_n.jpg ... I have been told that existing cable is too small for a shower. I have replaced wire with 10mm. I have also been told as new cable constitutes a new install I now need to have an 'RCBO' fitted to conform with 'part p'. How do I know or could someone suggest a decent 'RCBO'. AND does this mean I need a new fuse box or does new 'RCBO' negate the need? Shower is a Showerforce 10.4 (10.4kw)... If it still works. I must add that whie disconnecting 'old' cable from pullcord end, I noticed that the insulation had disintergrated and I guess thats what shorted out causing minor explosion.

Cheers

Cripster

P.S. I'm just doing the 'donkey work' a sparky mate will connect and test and certify the dangerous stuff.
 
You would be better off getting an electrician in. Fitting an RCBO means you would have to have that little fuse box replaced because the RCBO's are mounted on a DIN rail. In answer to your title, no, it isn't meant to do that ;)
 
That's been burning for some time by the looks of it that hasn't just happened with a single flash!! The flash you saw, was the final straw and took the fuse apart!!

The cable feeding the Switch fuse is visibly undersized and the cable leaving the switch fuse is even smaller...lol!! Do you really need an answer to your thread title?? lol!!
 
Nope. It happend in a flash. I'd been in and out the garage all day and everything was hunky dory. The cable feeding the switch actually comes from the 'in feed' of another fuse box next to the switch. You recommend that be changed too then?
 
To give you the 'whole picture' as it were. Here is the 'whole picture'. Please excuse the mess but we did have a minor explosion! ...

Fuse boxes.jpg

(The fuse thats missing is for the cooker... thats a whole new thread for a later date )

Oh, and the 'explosion' actually knocked the box off the wall, I put it back to take the photo :/
 
cripster said:
Nope. It happend in a flash. I'd been in and out the garage all day and everything was hunky dory. The cable feeding the switch actually comes from the 'in feed' of another fuse box next to the switch. You recommend that be changed too then?
Click to expand...

I can assure you, it didn't happen in a single flash!!, And it wasn't all hunky dory before that flash either!!


Get yourself a Double Pole RCBO and enclosure to replace the burnt out switch fuse!!
 
Re your questions, can't tell without being there.
Must have been one hell of a bang!
Had a cable spontaneously blow up under my hall floor once, could see the flash in the next room through the floorboard gaps and the noise...!!!
 
E54 is trying to say that this was probably sizzling away quite nicely within the CU for some time, and no you wouldn't notice it, because most people never do, the amount that i see where i pop the cover off boards and something is burnt, no one is ever the wiser. and it would have been fine earlier, because you wernt using the shower.

I would replace both of the boards with a new CU for peace of mind for you and your family, you probably don't need to worry about the one on the left as id guess that's for storage heaters.
 
High Tower said:
No i mean the main cover that covers all of the guts, this burning almost certainly started at one of the terminals.
Click to expand...

Ah. Sense is in the making. Do you think sizzling due to underated cable or lack of insulation discoverd inside pullcord... or just old, tired cable. House was built in T'70's.
 
conversation i had with a builder today went something like this...............



you can't put that shower in the bathroom.

why not?

because it's 10.8kw and your cable's only 6 mill' squared.

so what?

so you need a bigger cable or a smaller shower.

why?

because the shower you've got has a FLC of over 45A, and your cable is only rated at 38A.

it'll be alright.

no it won't.

'course it will.

well, why did you ask me then?

because i wanted your advice.

so why are you arguing with me then?

i'm not, you're just wrong. everyone knows a shower's wired in 6mm cable.

see you later.
 
shagbite said:
conversation i had with a builder today went something like this...............



you can't put that shower in the bathroom.

why not?

because it's 10.8kw and your cable's only 6 mill' squared.

so what?

so you need a bigger cable or a smaller shower.

why?

because the shower you've got has a FLC of over 45A, and your cable is only rated at 38A.

it'll be alright.

no it won't.

'course it will.

well, why did you ask me then?

because i wanted your advice.

so why are you arguing with me then?

i'm not, you're just wrong. everyone knows a shower's wired in 6mm cable.

see you later.
Click to expand...

Nooooob head
 
Crisper, with the greatest respect, if your electrician "mate" is going to connect it all up, test it, fill out the EIC and notify the install to LBC as his work, I would strongly suggest that you take his advice and not a public forums'.
When people come on here asking for advice stating that an electrician will get involved "at the end", it normally means there isn't one.
 
copper???? too expensive. when a 2" nail will do the job just as well.
 
shagbite said:
conversation i had with a builder today went something like this...............



you can't put that shower in the bathroom.

why not?

because it's 10.8kw and your cable's only 6 mill' squared.

so what?

so you need a bigger cable or a smaller shower.

why?

because the shower you've got has a FLC of over 45A, and your cable is only rated at 38A.

it'll be alright.

no it won't.

'course it will.

well, why did you ask me then?

because i wanted your advice.

so why are you arguing with me then?

i'm not, you're just wrong. everyone knows a shower's wired in 6mm cable.

see you later.
Click to expand...

WOW!!! ............ Talk about Deja Vu - this is almost exactly the same conversation I had last week with my builder mate who I have been trying to help!!

Looks like some folk just can't or won't be helped.
 
I think what we all come across is the fact that builders/plumbers/tilers etc. are all doing electrical work that they shouldn't. When they get a chance to confirm (ask) if what they have been doing is ok, and we say it isn't, they simply get upset and argumentative because they know they're in the wrong but can't do anything about it now.
Sooo many other trades think that it's all easy and straightforward because they've watched a sparky carry out a particular job, they just rush blindly into getting it to work, then job done.
 
get rid of those horrible 3036 fuse boards and replace all 3 with a nice split load, RCD board.

might aswell RCD all circuits if its suitable, much safer than your current setup..
 
shocking_eg said:
get rid of those horrible 3036 fuse boards and replace all 3 with a nice split load, RCD board.

might aswell RCD all circuits if its suitable, much safer than your current setup..
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. ( >for the pessimists< My imaginary 'sparky' mate, who is not currently overseas dodging bullets for 'Queen and country. And will not be doing the legal stuff when he comes back on R&R has basically said the same. The reason I'm on here is to get an idea of what to 'fix to walls' and 'proper' cabling so when/if he gets back, he doesn't have to fish about doing the 'donkey work'... he deserves a rest after all ;))... Thanks 'shocking_eg' ... appreciate your time.
 
cripster said:
My thoughts exactly. ( >for the pessimists< My imaginary 'sparky' mate, who is not currently overseas dodging bullets for 'Queen and country. And will not be doing the legal stuff when he comes back on R&R has basically said the same. The reason I'm on here is to get an idea of what to 'fix to walls' and 'proper' cabling so when/if he gets back, he doesn't have to fish about doing the 'donkey work'... he deserves a rest after all ;))... Thanks 'shocking_eg' ... appreciate your time.
Click to expand...

No worries mate. Don't take any notice of some of the above "pee" takers lol

How have you got your shower back on for the meantime then ?
 
al fresco job?

29a.jpg
 
shocking_eg said:
No worries mate. Don't take any notice of some of the above "pee" takers lol

How have you got your shower back on for the meantime then ?
Click to expand...

I haven't... Back to 'Bath nights' lol. And being a Paramedic, getting covered in other peoples 'pieces', its times like this you really do miss the shower! Still, the bubbles are fun!
 
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