Finding an electrician...
Discussion
The electric shower has started going through 30A fuses like they're going out of fashion, so I need to find a decent local spark.
Any recommendations in the Bromley area, or failing that, suggestions on what qualifications / professional associations to look for?
Have asked on a local mailing list and got a couple of names and numbers but I know nothing about them so a tad nervous, especially when you read so much about new building regs for electric work.
Given that the shower was fine for years, then when I replaced the fuse once, for a month or two, then after the next fuse, about 5 minutes - it's obviously something that has worn down. There's a hot electrical appliance smell (that sort of fishy smell somebody was describing in a different thread), so I suspect a failing component (switch / connector / consumer unit (separate one for shower for some reason)), or possibly the wire is not rated high enough. 30A fuse, so that would allow a 7KW shower without grief. Cabling looks really chunky, like cooker (50A) wire, so I suspect it's rated high enough. Smell seems to centre around consumer unit and fuse has been very very hot when removed, so maybe something in there....
Thoughts?
Edited :
It's a Triton Jade, and initial googles suggest 8.5 and 9.5 kW flavours
wouldn't this blow the fuse straight away?
www.showerdoc.co.uk/shower-spares/triton/jade.html
>> Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Tuesday 29th November 18:15
Any recommendations in the Bromley area, or failing that, suggestions on what qualifications / professional associations to look for?
Have asked on a local mailing list and got a couple of names and numbers but I know nothing about them so a tad nervous, especially when you read so much about new building regs for electric work.
Given that the shower was fine for years, then when I replaced the fuse once, for a month or two, then after the next fuse, about 5 minutes - it's obviously something that has worn down. There's a hot electrical appliance smell (that sort of fishy smell somebody was describing in a different thread), so I suspect a failing component (switch / connector / consumer unit (separate one for shower for some reason)), or possibly the wire is not rated high enough. 30A fuse, so that would allow a 7KW shower without grief. Cabling looks really chunky, like cooker (50A) wire, so I suspect it's rated high enough. Smell seems to centre around consumer unit and fuse has been very very hot when removed, so maybe something in there....
Thoughts?
Edited :
It's a Triton Jade, and initial googles suggest 8.5 and 9.5 kW flavours
wouldn't this blow the fuse straight away? www.showerdoc.co.uk/shower-spares/triton/jade.html
>> Edited by NiceCupOfTea on Tuesday 29th November 18:15
Once a shower starts to 'go in fault' just bin it and fit a new one. You may be able to repair it but this is a safety approved item. An appliance that mixes water with electricity has the capacity to become a very dangerous device when faulty. In 5 years the technology has moved on a lot.
For the sake of £100-200 is it worth it?
As regards electricians, you are looking for a sparks with 16th edition, Part 'P'. They will be able to saign off your new installation so you are all above board and squeaky clean (pun intended
).
You wouldn' fit cheap crappy pads on your performance car, so spend the money as your a long time dead
For the sake of £100-200 is it worth it?
As regards electricians, you are looking for a sparks with 16th edition, Part 'P'. They will be able to saign off your new installation so you are all above board and squeaky clean (pun intended
). You wouldn' fit cheap crappy pads on your performance car, so spend the money as your a long time dead
Completely off topic Im afraid but I was in a club last week enjoying a few late sherberts when a couple of girls wandered up to the bar and commented on the scarf I was wearing (I hadnt been there long and hadnt removed it), anyway, the stalky short haired platinum blonde turned out to be a sparky...What a cracker of an excuse to take her number i thought 
ultimasimon said:
Once a shower starts to 'go in fault' just bin it and fit a new one. You may be able to repair it but this is a safety approved item. An appliance that mixes water with electricity has the capacity to become a very dangerous device when faulty... You wouldn' fit cheap crappy pads on your performance car, so spend the money as your a long time dead
Sounds like you actually have fuses, not circuit breakers? Fuses are notoriously inaccurate devices and generally take considerably more than their rated current before they actually blow as opposed to just not lasting very long. However, overloading them does make them get hot, and the heat is conducted down the connections to cook the material of the fuseholder.
Given that you have what sounds like a fairly old installation, are you also without an RCD? One fairly common failure mode for enclosed elements is for the insulation to gradually stop insulating and become more and more conductive especially when hot. This would cause an earth leak and if you don't have an RCD it'd carry on until it got bad enough to blow the fuse. Not good... Remarkably, and stupidly, the regulations do not insist on an RCD for a shower. Personally, I do insist...
Doesn't necessarily follow. I once replaced an immersion heater that had been blowing fuses with increasing frequency and overheating connections. I was only asked to replace it because it had got to the stage of no longer being usable to heat the water. It turned out that the outer cladding had corroded through completely and the element was in direct contact with the water, electrolysing it in the hot water tank.
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