Bristan power shower causing nuisance power tripping ?

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Have an odd problem probably relating to a Bristan 1000 power shower, but I am not certain if that is the source of the problem.

After long showers or 2 showers in a row have been taken, there sometimes occurs a short circuit which trips the fuse shortly AFTER the shower has been turned off - and weirdly enough this does not always happen either. The fact that it does not happen during showers sort of rules out water getting near electrics causing it.
It is a nuisance though, as the short circuit resets several timers in the house that are on the same circuit.

Reason could be complex but perhaps someone on here recognises this problem ? Trying to avoid paying electricians a fortune for investgations before they actually fix the problem - if they can find it.

Was not sure in which category to place this post, hence I opted for general. If I knew what the reason was exactly I wouldn't have had to post it!
 
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It is a nuisance though, as the short circuit resets several timers in the house that are on the same circuit.

I think you are describing RCD tripping (I hope) as there shouldn't be any other items on a shower cct.

Has the trip switch got a reset button on it?

And oh yes it is a nuisance but the device is doing it's job a protecting against a fault and possible an electric shock.

A little more info would be useful

Trying to avoid paying electricians a fortune for investgations before they actually fix the problem - if they can find it.

All professional electricians will have the appropriate test kit and knowledge/experience to be able diagnose the fault following a quick inspection and a few tests.

If I can't find the fault for a customer I don't charge
 
DESL,

He said it was a Power Shower, not an Electric Shower.
Most Power Showers are less than 3A, so it may have even been tagged on the lighting circuit with a transformer in the loft.

What we need to know is, what circuit is it on and what fuse type or rcd is tripping.
Also what type of power shower is it.
 
Thanks for your replies. As you might guess I am not the the most technical person, but I'll do my best to explain what I think is the situation (obviously did not do the installation myself so I have to go with what I see really).

The RCD has a reset button. I have the feeling it is tagged on a lighting circuit and indeed there are some more electricals in the loft.

Power shower in question is this one:
http://homesupply.co.uk/bristan_thermostatic_power_shower_1000=HYPOWSHX10W.htm

Let me know what else needs to be cleared up and I'll post back.
 
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So you are saying it is the RCD that trips, not a fuse or an MCB? What is written on the thing that trips (all letters and numbers please)

And it happens after the shower has been used?

look for signs of water leak or spray or drips getting to the electrical parts.

also look for a drip round the shower enclosure or from the shower drain getting under the floor and moistening anything electrical under there. Or soaking into the wall and making a socket or switch damp in the wall.

What are the things that go off when it trips? Sockets? Lights? Cooker? Boiler? Immersion heater?

Can you post a photo of your consumer unit (fusebox) indicating the thing that trips?
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=99672
 
May even be the transformer or motor breaking down under load.
Transformer or motor cold when you start your shower, then as you take your shower the transformer or motor gets hotter and hotter which coincides with the end of your shower until the leakage exceeds the trip rating and puts the trip out.

Does it trip if you run the shower for a short period only.
 
May even be the transformer or motor breaking down under load.
Transformer or motor cold when you start your shower, then as you take your shower the transformer or motor gets hotter and hotter which coincides with the end of your shower until the leakage exceeds the trip rating and puts the trip out.

Does it trip if you run the shower for a short period only.

You might have a point here, but can you tell me what you mean with 'until the leakage exceeds the trip rating ' ?

Indeed it does hardly ever happen if the shower runs for a short period.
 
So you are saying it is the RCD that trips, not a fuse or an MCB? What is written on the thing that trips (all letters and numbers please)
See pictures below.

And it happens after the shower has been used?
Yes, this is the reason why I sort of exclude some of the possibilities you gave below. The plumber which installed the power shower had a look at that and concluded that the trip switch must be (over?)sensitive and that an electrician should correct this problem. However, a second opinion by an electrician did not exclude the possibilities below. I disagreed with that, knowing that you can empty the warm water out if the boiler completely before a trip occurs; proves that is not a water leakage issue really. But after running it for such a long time a trip is almost guaranteed shortly after the shower is switched off. Surely it would have more chance of leaking to electrical parts during a long shower, but this does not happen at all.

look for signs of water leak or spray or drips getting to the electrical parts.

also look for a drip round the shower enclosure or from the shower drain getting under the floor and moistening anything electrical under there. Or soaking into the wall and making a socket or switch damp in the wall.
What are the things that go off when it trips? Sockets? Lights? Cooker? Boiler? Immersion heater?
Not 100% sure, but a lot (not mains though), such as heating timer, some/most if not all sockets (fridge/freezer/alarm clocks/telephone etc. are cut off power).
Sometimes the RCD switch does not allow you to push it up again straight away - repeating attempts a few times usually works eventually. I suspect some relation with the 'sockets' switch on the extreme left. Sometimes I have to put that switch down before the rcd can be switched up - often the rcd then trips again if the extreme left sockets switch is switched up after that. In time it allows you to have but switched up though.

Can you post a photo of your consumer unit (fusebox) indicating the thing that trips?
Sure, see below. The switch that trips is the one that has RCD written below it. I suspect that the suggestion in the other post could be correct - overheating pump/tranformator; but why a power trip after a shower then and not during ??
rcd1.jpg

PB140949.jpg
 
One possible reason for tripping as the pump is turned off would be the back EMF ( a high voltage spike ) generated when the power is removed from the pump. On its own this spike should not have enough energy to trip an RCD but if the RCD has a below trip un-balance from another fault the spike induced un-balance together with the existing un-balance may be enough to trip the RCD.
 
If it were me I'd just change the shower unit. You'll probably end up doing that anyway.
The fault is probably something daft like this:

When the shower is operating water is pumping out of the hose. When you switch off then the hose is full of water. That water may be siphoning back down the hose into the shower and shorting neutral to earth.

If it were shorting the live then you'd probably hear a louder 'pop' unless it was just a minute leakage current.

Try emptying the hose after a shower and see if it makes a difference.
 
I have not fitted this make before, does it have an integral transformer or is it a remote transformer for the unit.

After running the shower, letting it trip, isolate, have you then checked inside to see if you do have any water or moisture inside the unit.

I see the the unit is on your socket circuits, have you tried un-plugging all appliances and turning fused spurs off, then trying the shower and see what happens.
It could be as already stated that you may already have a small leakage in your installation and at times the shower contributes to accumulative leakage.

The Rcd could also be tripping prematurely, has your electrician tested for this.
 
a running motor will also be warm, and spinning.

Maybe the heat evaporates water drips to keep it dry, until it is turned off and the drips can accumulate. Maybe the centrifugal force spins water off and stops it getting inside, who knows?

But a water leak is still a likely cause, and a very common source of RCD trips..

Have you examines the pump and connections for signs of damp?

"Sometimes the RCD switch does not allow you to push it up again straight away - repeating attempts a few times usually works eventually" this is also more typical of a damp-related problem than of a surge or spike from the motor.
 
It could turn out to be a faulty RCD! Dont worry, I have a faulty Hager RCD too! This one wont trip at all! :LOL:

DSC01071.jpg
 
I have recently had a similar problem with my shower. I found the casue to be when I was turning the heat up on the shower it was causing the water vessel in the shower to have too much steam (pressure) and it casued the vessel to burst open, hence water spraying everywhere and shorting the electrics.
Not saying this is your problem but if you get access to your shower vessel it is easily to see.
 
a running motor will also be warm, and spinning.

Maybe the heat evaporates water drips to keep it dry, until it is turned off and the drips can accumulate. Maybe the centrifugal force spins water off and stops it getting inside, who knows?

But a water leak is still a likely cause, and a very common source of RCD trips..

Have you examines the pump and connections for signs of damp?

"Sometimes the RCD switch does not allow you to push it up again straight away - repeating attempts a few times usually works eventually" this is also more typical of a damp-related problem than of a surge or spike from the motor.

John,
I don't think the motor will be spinning, once the power is removed the water against the impeller blades would act as a break.

The motors in these units are normally sealed 12V and ingress of water unless it's getting on the pcb would need to be bad.
Most exposed parts inside are either insulated or have a plastic shield over them.

It will be interesting to see if it still does it after he has removed all his plugs and switched off any fused spurs.
 

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