Electric shower switch

[Di]

I\\\'ve got a Mira shower. The 6kV electric switch seems as though it\\\'s quite difficult to switch on and off, so I think it needs changing. The instructions manual says to use a 40 amp switch but I can only find 35amp at the shops? Can I use this or does anbody know where I can get one? TA.

[ban-all-sheds]

Di wrote:

I\\\'ve got a Mira shower. The 6kV electric switch seems as though it\\\'s quite difficult to switch on and off,

I'm not surprised - anything designed to safely switch 6kV is going to be a bit of a monster. 230V is all you need in a house.

Sorry - couldn't resist - not really taking the p*ss....

Most sheds (ugh) should stock 40 or 45A switches - where have you looked?

Or you could try an online supplier like TLC or QVS, or even an online shed like Screwfix.

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[securespark]

Ban

Does Di mean switch or mcb/fuse?

I haven't seen 35A switches, but I have seen 35A protective devices.....

[ninebob]

Looks like we're talking about a pull-cord or outside-bathroom switch. 45A shouldn't be too hard to find, but Ban, did you really just recommend screwfix???

[ninebob]

Also, having re-read the oringinal post -

I assume you mean the shower is 6 kiloWATT, using 230v gives a figure of 26 amps.

So, the 35 amp switch you have seen is absolutely fine, as long as you are sure that the unit is no more than 8Kw.

[ban-all-sheds]

securespark wrote:

Ban Does Di mean switch or mcb/fuse? I haven't seen 35A switches, but I have seen 35A protective devices.....

That's a jolly good point. Especially as an MCB might be marked with a number like 6000 or 6K, referring to its short-circuit breaking capacity....

That would mean that Di has been frequently using the MCB as an isolation switch....

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I mustn't warn people that the "experts" on the plumbing forum can't be trusted to tell the truth.

[ninebob]

To clarify....

DI-

Look at the shower, or at it's instruction book. Somewhere you will see it's rating, which will either be stated in watts (anywhere between 5000 watts and 11500 watts) or otherwise termed as kilowatts, therefore anywhere between 5kw and 11.5 kilowatts. Divide the wattage by 230. The figure you come out with is the minimum (in amps) that you can use for a switch or circuit breaker.

Example: my shower here is 8.5kw (8500 watts) - divided by 230 gives me 36.95 amps. So my 40A switch and 40A breaker are fine.

[ban-all-sheds]

ninebob wrote:

Ban, did you really just recommend screwfix???

Well... in a last-resort kind of way, and I did make it clear that they are an online shed....

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I mustn't warn people that the "experts" on the plumbing forum can't be trusted to tell the truth.