Shower pull cord switch

[samin]

Hi

My electric shower's pull cord switch suddenly jammed and doesnt respond when i pull the cord. I have just got a new one MK 50A from B&Q and tried to replace it following the same way as the old one's connections but it doesnt work. No light etc.

Untitled

• samin
• 23 Feb 2013
• 1

I have looked at the guidelines provided but they are not helpful. The switch is the same type as the old switch (photo attached) but although the switch has space for 5 cables there are only four cables avaialbe

The swtich has space for the following

Supply L
Supply N
Load L
Load N
One on the side probably called neutral

There are four cables avaialbe

Black
Brown
Red
Green & Yellow

I have just used them the same way as they were in the old switch but the whole things doest make much sense. I have changed switches for light bulbs etc before but this one seems quite complicated.

The cables were set as follows in the old switch which i have repeated now
Supply L - Left blank
Supply N - Brown
Load L - Red
Load N - Black
One on the side probably called neutral - Green and yellow

Can you please advise. Thanks

 

[EFLImpudence]

Our Scoby will be along to help very soon.

 

[Iggifer]

Hi
The cables were set as follows in the old switch which i have repeated now
Supply L - Left blank
Supply N - Brown
Load L - Red
Load N - Black

methinks you're missing a cable core, looking at the colours you have, do you not have a blue in there too?

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Our Scoby will be along to help very soon.

Don't drag me into it!!

And yes, There's a cable missing!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Can you please advise. Thanks

Yes, indeed I can.

I have looked at the guidelines provided but they are not helpful.

Look at them again.

See if you can find the part which says something like "If in doubt, consult a qualified electrician", and follow that part to the letter.

You think a double pole switch is quite complicated.

You think that a G/Y wire is a neutral.

You wire up a switch with no live supply and are bemused that nothing works.

You are so far from being competent to replace this switch that it's scary.

 

[bernardgreen]

Can you please advise. Thanks

The only sensible advice is that you call an electrician to inspect the cables and if they are suitable then he ( or she ) can connect the switch.

But from your description of how the previous switch was wired and the colours of the wires then I strongly belief the installation is in correct and very likely to be un-safe to use.

The most important wire in a shower supply is the earth wire. The shower can work without one but a fault or leak in the shower would be extremely dangerous if the earth wire was not there and connected to the earth in the consumer unit ( fuse box ).

 

[ban-all-sheds]

But from your description of how the previous switch was wired and the colours of the wires then I strongly belief the installation is in correct and very likely to be un-safe to use.

And quite likely the cables are damaged - there's distinct signs of overheating.

The most important wire in a shower supply is the earth wire. The shower can work without one but a fault or leak in the shower would be extremely dangerous if the earth wire was not there and connected to the earth in the consumer unit ( fuse box ).

Overheating on the earth terminal too - maybe the cpc was being used as a live conductor...

 

[Taylortwocities]

Its the bad rogue neutral, why is it always the neutral?????

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Its the bad rogue neutral, why is it always the neutral?????

I reckon its down to the "This is live, I'll make sure its tight, and this is neutral that takes the empty electrickey back, so its not important".
If I get a call saying the showers suddenly stopped working I always take a new switch with me. I've yet to see one where, if the shower itself isn't dead, its loose connections on the neutral that have burnt out.

 

[bernardgreen]

I have heard similar. With the neutral being zero volts it has no current and therefor there is mo need for as much care as the live.

Which of course is totally wrong,

Looking at the photo for a second time I wonder if the Live was via the switch and the Neutrals linked in the earth terminal, I can even suspect that the neutral of the shower was connected to the earth terminal and there is no Neutral back to the CU and the CPC was used for that function.