2 x showers plus electric oven

[FRAN1870]

Hi folks,

We live in a large Victorian property but have recently upgraded the main CU.

I have two 8.5kw Electric showers each on their own circuit... the one is on 6mm cable with a 32amp breaker and the other on 10mm cable 40amp.

I’m currently planing the kitchen and the wife wants an electric oven and hob plus usual dishwasher and radial circuit (spark says new ring too but I’m not convinced we need that as the 20amp radial A’s been fine?)

The main CU fuse is 100amp but the cut off fuse 60amp..... I’ve got western power coming next week to hopefully upgrade the fuse to at least 80amp (hopefully 100)

Anyway I’m just wondering what people’s opinions are of running all that electric items? I know we have diversity but there’s a slim chance, once I’ve sorted the plumbing that both showers could run at the same time (or oven and shower).

Currently the range is gas fed.... should I just stick to gaz?

 

[AndyPRK]

Electric and induction hob more of an issue than oven.


See what the outcome of fuse is.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

You'd be better off running 1 shower off the domestic hot water supply (tank or combi, makes little odds- if you've got a tank then run the downstairs shower off it, you'll get better pressure, if combi then run the one nearest the boiler on it).
If your current oven is gas then I don't know why you'd want to change it- 4p/kwH for gas vs about 18p/kwH for electricity, takes a lot longer for an electric oven to get to temperature.....

 

[eveares]

takes a lot longer for an electric oven to get to temperature.....

Really My grandparents used to have an gas oven and it took about 20 minutes to get up to temperature and was slow to cook compared to my fan assisted oven.

 

[oldbutnotdead]

Really My grandparents used to have an gas oven and it took about 20 minutes to get up to temperature and was slow to cook compared to my fan assisted oven.

Was their oven a million years old- I know my mother's (bottled gas cos lived in the sticks) gas oven took about 5 mins to get to temperature vs my electric (admittedly not fan assisted) oven takes about 15- is there a Which guide to 'how long does it take this thing to warm up' rating?

 

[FRAN1870]

The good lady says that the current range gas hob is a mare to clean and wants a wipe clean .... dual fuel ones seem to be electric oven and gas hob.

I could go with two integrated gas and then a ceramic hob (it doesn’t have to be a range)

Ideally I’d want a dual fuel range with a gas over and ceramic hob

 

[AndyPRK]

Fan electric ovens don’t take long to warm up

 

[flameport]

The good lady says that the current range gas hob is a mare to clean.

Only if people allow things to boil over, or fry things in vast amounts of grease which spatters everywhere.

and wants a wipe clean

No such thing. Boiled over mess on an electric hotplate or glass surface is just as difficult to remove.

dual fuel ones seem to be electric oven and gas hob.

No demand for the opposite - gas ovens are useless.

 

[FRAN1870]

Only if people allow things to boil over, or fry things in vast amounts of grease which spatters everywhere.


No such thing. Boiled over mess on an electric hotplate or glass surface is just as difficult to remove.


No demand for the opposite - gas ovens are useless.

Thanks ... we've had both in the past and as the wife does most of the cooking I need to take her comments on board.


In honesty we might not have much choice if Western Power decide we can't have a bigger fuse than 60amp.

 

[Taylortwocities]

You could install a shower priority unit, like this
Shower Boards_1452600737.pdf

They are designed to facilitate the use of two electric showers which are being supplied from a domestic single phase supply. But not both at the same time.
This means, if you are all soapy in shower number 1, then you'll stay soapy if shower no 2 gets used.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Is there not something (other than home made) which ignores the switch if one of the showers is already on?

 

[rsgaz]

Yeah, you just need the non-priority version...

http://www.meteorelectrical.com/dis.../garo-priority-shower-board-non-priority.html

 

[FRAN1870]

3KW??? Might aswell Just stick a 13amp breaker on each one?

Joking of course ... I get the point but realistically if I can get a total of 100amp supply then I wouldn't need them right?

 

[Taylortwocities]

but realistically if I can get a total of 100amp supply then I wouldn't need them right?

Wrong

If there were only two showers then possibly, but add the electric hob+Dishwasher+wash machine+All the other stuff and you blow the supply budget (literally).

How is your hot water heated?

 

[FRAN1870]

So I need take issue with the bloke I paid to put it in then? He assured me it wouldn’t be a problem once I sort the water pressure as they “never run full rate” and “diversity etc blah” I wasn’t convinced and looks like I was right

Hot water is Worcester Bosch condenser boiler to a gravity fed HWT .... I have poor flow rates just under 10ltm on the cold and the hot is worse. To eliminate the amps problem I could change the electric in the en-suite and pump the hot to a mixer shower but I’ll still have the problem of mix / pressure drops on the cold feed if I go that route? and also to the other electric shower when someone flushes the toilet etc.

If I do this leaving one electric shower and take the 10mm cable to feed the cooker then I STILL have two high power units that have every chance of being operated at the same time? I’m a bit confused about this.

Hot water wise I’m told by a guy who works for British Gas that and unvented system might actually make matters worse so I’m a bit stumped by what to do for the whole house.

Help!