air bath safety

[mickshaz]

i am considering putting in an airbath in my bathroom, this requires electricity (3amp) for a pump and (13 amp) for a heater.
I am not opposed to paying for professional to fit it but just have concerns of the obvious electricity / water dangers, Could any one assure me of how safe they can be made to use?
thanks to anyone who could reassure me
Mick

 

[Steve]

Use an RCD. These are commonly known as lifesaving devices. They work by monitoring the live and neutral (feed and return if you like) on the circuit. If there is an imbalance between L and N, it will shut off the supply. Such an imbalance may be for example when someone is gettin an electric shock - current is leaking from the circuit.

Do you have an electric shower? Just the same sort of risk, only with higher powered element (50 amp) and more seperation.

 

[mickshaz]

thanks alot for that

would this require a seperate spur from the main?

As a bonus all the pipe work to the bathroom is plastic (i have been told that this is preferable)

mick

 

[Steve]

If you have modern electrics, the whole house may already be RCD protected. Look in the main consumer unit, there may be a double-wide module with a "test" button. This is an RCD. This will control some or all of your circuits.

 

[Lectrician]

Hopefully not all.......

And if it does control all, it could well be a 100mA or larger one......Not appropriate

It must be a 30mA RCD for this application.

 

[mickshaz]

thank you for your response ....it is very much appreciated..

there is a rcd on the main fuse box but none of the individual fuses are rcd

would it be benificial to replace the fuse on the spur i use with rcd?

if so, a 30 mA?

mick

 

[AMEdinburgh]

I put a in genuine Airbath in 1995 at the same time as a full replumb (end fed copper) and rewire with a split RCB board. I'm a DIYer but had supervision from a professional electrican. We have both the 13A water heater and and the 3A air pump you describe. It has worked flawlessly since then and never tripped. We fill the bath from one of our Worcester 350s and it takes 8 minutes to fill by which the water heater has brought the hot "top up" up to temperature. We have the bathroom light switch, the air pump and the heater on three MK pull cords from a 12 foot ceiling. The water heater is under the bath behind the cover panel and the compressor is within a closed doorway into the hall, so we're well away from anything live.