Shower stopped working - electrical issue?

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My shower was working fine this morning for my girlfriend. However when I went to use it after her, it seemed to have no power at all.

It is an electric shower, and it has a pull-chord power switch affixed to the bathroom ceiling as well as a power button on the shower itself.

When I pull the chord to provide power to the shower, the LED indicator on the box to which the chord is attached does not turn on any more. The first thing I thought was that the fuse has gone, so I changed it but no joy.

Oddly though, if I pull the chord so it is in the ON position, then press the ON button on the shower, the LED on the pull-chord unit lights up - but the shower itself doesn't do anything.

My limited knowledge in this area tells me that if power is getting to this unit at all, the fuse is OK, so I assume the problem is with the shower itself or the pull chord box.

Does anyone know where I might start it tracing this issue?

In case it helps, I heard that using the pull chord to turn off the shower is bad and can cause electrical problems - we don't do this so that can be ruled out.
 
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no the pull cord ( no H.. ) cannot be ruled out and is likely the cause of your problems..

as a shower is a high current use item, the joints and wires are subject to heating, so after a time the screws can work loose..
open the swith and check for signs of overheating and check for loose screws..
 
Hi ColJack

Thanks for your reply.

I meant that damage caused by turning the shower off using the cord could be ruled out rather than other issues with the box. I understand your point about heat, I will switch the power off then take a look inside and see if I see anything amiss.

Thanks

Mindzai

PS My girlfriend is a musician so that's my excuse for the H :p
 
Right I took the cover off the box and everything looks OK to me. All of the cable sleeving is intact, no sign of melting or anything else. I made sure all the grub screws were tightened properly onto the cables and tried again but nothing has changed. The LED still lights up when both the shower and the cord are on, but nothing actually happens.

Is there any way to verify whether the shower or the pull switch is at fault?
 
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Have you got a multimeter? If so you can check for voltage between L/N at the isolation switch and also at the shower. Be very careful if doing this as there will be live parts accessible.

My guess would be the pull cord though...
 
Have you got a multimeter? If so you can check for voltage between L/N at the isolation switch and also at the shower. Be very careful if doing this as there will be live parts accessible.

My guess would be the pull cord though...

No I don't - maybe the easiest thing for me to do then is just replace the pull cord and see what happens.
 
Not really.

Swapping bits here and there and hoping is the worst way to cure this fault.
 
Mindzai said:
No I don't - maybe the easiest thing for me to do then is just replace the pull cord and see what happens.
You can pick up a multimeter for under a tenner and they're a useful thing to have. Loads of places sell them (Maplins/DIY sheds etc...)

When you've got one then it'll be much easier to give advice on finding the problem. ;)
 
OK I didn't realise they were so cheap, I will pick one up and test. I have to admit I'm slightly nervous at the thought of poking around at wiring while it is live though!
 
I've also noticed the shower is either 8.5 or 9.5kW and this is on a 30amp circuit. I'm no electrician but by my reckoning those wattages equate to around 39 and 41 amps. This can't be a good thing? I assume I need to be using a shower closer to 6.5kW?
 
If you can find such a thing (I doubt it) a 6.5kW shower would be horribly pathetic.

You really should get the circuit sorted - I guess you've got rewirable fuses? A 30A one will withstand a current of over 50A indefinitely, but the cable and the connections in switches and in the fusebox will get hot.

Time to get an electrician, I think - that fusebox needs checking.
 
kind of a stupid design that then..
mark 30A wire as 50A wire, mark the 15A as 30A and the 5A as 15A
 
Yes I think time to get an electrician in. Even if the fuse won't blow I don't like the idea of running things outside of the recommended limits.

"I guess you've got rewirable fuses?"

Most of them are but the shower is on its own 30amp circuit and it uses small cylindrical fuses which slide in and out on a tray.

Can anyone advise on what would be involved in getting everything up to spec? The wiring is all 10mm so I assume that can be used?
 
new CU would be a good idea by the sounds of it if you can stretch to that..
failing that a shower CU, connected in parallel with the old CU for just the shower.
 
Thanks ColJack. I assume the 10mm wiring from the unit to the shower is fine for a shower CU like this?
 

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