Steam Shower cable and MCB

Tazer · 14 Jul 2010

Hi

Ive recently purchased a 8KW steam shower which will be installed in the next month or two.

I need to run new power cable from the fuse box as well as purchase a new MCB. Wanted to find out what sort of cable I will need to purchase and what MCB rating needs to be installed.

Thanks

ColJack · 14 Jul 2010

are you aware of Part P of the building regulations and the requirement to notify the LABC ( and pay the fees ) for the work you are intending to do?

it will most likely work out cheaper to get a registered sparky in to do it for you..
they will likely be able to source the cable and breaker cheaper than you can as well.

ban-all-sheds · 14 Jul 2010

Tazer said:
I need to run new power cable from the fuse box as well as purchase a new MCB. Wanted to find out what sort of cable I will need to purchase and what MCB rating needs to be installed.

Tazer · 15 Jul 2010

Yes, thats right. Sparky starts on Monday to feed the cables into the Fusebox.

As hes on holiday, he told me to purchase the equipment so everythings ready for Monday. He wrote it down on a piece of paper but as the house is like a building site I cant remember what he wrote down.

So dont worry, Sparky will finish the work as hes the same guy who did the wiring in the Loft.

Any ideas of what type of MCB and cable I need to purchase for a 8kw Steam shower

ban-all-sheds · 15 Jul 2010

mbga9pgf · 15 Jul 2010

Tazer said:
Hi

Ive recently purchased a 8KW steam shower which will be installed in the next month or two.

I need to run new power cable from the fuse box as well as purchase a new MCB. Wanted to find out what sort of cable I will need to purchase and what MCB rating needs to be installed.

Thanks

Couple of questions:

What does the manual say about the 8Kw rating, is that at 230 or 240V?

Do you have a 30ma RCD installed on your CU?

How long is the run going to be from the fuse to the shower switch then from there to your shower?
How will the leccy route the cable? Clipped to joist? Under 100mm or less of insulation or under more than 100mm of cable?

What cable are you using? Pvc twin and earth etc?

do you understand safe zones in wet rooms?

Is he part P notified? If he isnt, he shouldnt be doing any new installations in the wet room....

Tazer · 15 Jul 2010

The steam generators power is:

Electrical Supply 230v 1N~ + 400v 3N~

Its a new CU so at the moment the slot is empty.

The run of the cable will be about 4.5/5 meters max. CU installed under the stairs and the Steam Generator will be installed in the side extension of the house. The cable will be clipped to joists from under the stairs for about 1m on the 1st floor floorboards. Then run for another few meters onto of the open joists.

I have a dedicated switch which came with the steam generator and the cable length is about 3-4m. This is the control/ temp switch

Hence why Im asking if I should purchase 2.5 twin or do I need to purchase something like a 6mm etc.

Yes Part P has been notified, once complete the sparky gives me a certificate which I then take back to sign off building regs etc etc.

ban-all-sheds · 15 Jul 2010

Tazer said:
Hence why Im asking if I should purchase 2.5 twin or do I need to purchase something like a 6mm etc.

Give me strength....

Tazer · 15 Jul 2010

dude

Thanks for the links which youve sent quite a few times.

And yes I have gone through them and tried to work out what I need. Theres loads of calculations.

I managed to do the first one 8kw, 230v which give me a rating of 34.78
The rest I dont understand.

OwainDIYer · 15 Jul 2010

Tazer said:
Yes, thats right. Sparky starts on Monday to feed the cables into the Fusebox.

As hes on holiday, he told me to purchase the equipment so everythings ready for Monday. He wrote it down on a piece of paper but as the house is like a building site I cant remember what he wrote down.

Well, you'll really have to ask him then. We aren't psychic and we don't know what calculations he did.

And get him to buy the bits, then if it doesn't work he can't blame the bits you bought for causing a problem. Single point of responsibility saves arguments later.

ban-all-sheds · 15 Jul 2010

Tazer said:
The rest I dont understand.

Then wait for your electrician.

He'll have the cable he needs in his van, and even if he doesn't have an MCB you can pop off to the nearest wholesalers and get one while he's installing the cable.

Job done, no holdups, and no risk of people here making a decision with which he disagrees.

flameport · 15 Jul 2010

Tazer said:
As hes on holiday, he told me to purchase the equipment so everythings ready for Monday.

This story makes a regular appearance on these forums, with variations such as 'moved to Australia' and 'did half the job then disappeared'.

There are only 2 possible realities with this:

1. The electrician never existed, and the person is doing all of the work themselves. If this is the case, it would save everyone a lot of time if this was stated in the first place.

2. The electrician is useless, since why would any competent tradesperson expect their customer to buy all of the materials?
It is very likely that the wrong things would be purchased, or the wrong quantities, and even if they were correct, will probably cost the customer far more than the electrician (or whoever) would have paid for them.
Customers buying fancy light fittings or kitchen appliances is one thing, but cable, consumer units and other basic items?
Even if the electrician did not have the required cables, these are standard items available at any wholesaler and could be picked up immediately before the job.

Would a bricklayer expect their customer to purchase all of the bricks, sand and cement?
Would a decorator expect their customer to purchase all of the caulk, primer, undercoat and paint?

Tazer · 15 Jul 2010

yes Ive had brick layers in and Plasters and I had to BUY all materials before they started the job.

Same with the electrican, for the loft job he did, I had to BUY all the material which he installed.

So I really dont understand what the issue is here and why the hell would I be making up things like builder on holiday or this and that.

I came here to ask a simple question and not to get an ear bashing or accusations.

Thanks for your help but I guess I know where this is ending!

ban-all-sheds · 15 Jul 2010

Tazer said:
yes Ive had brick layers in and Plasters and I had to BUY all materials before they started the job.

Same with the electrican, for the loft job he did, I had to BUY all the material which he installed.

These are the classic signs of unreliable tradesmen with financial problems. They've lost their credit at the wholesalers, their cash flow has dried up, and they limp from one job to the next getting their customers to buy their materials for them.

They can finally collapse at any time.

Did you choose them because they were the cheapest?

As flameport says, it's going to cost you money - you'd never be able to buy as cheaply as a (proper) electrician.

So I really dont understand what the issue is here and why the hell would I be making up things like builder on holiday or this and that.

People do, trust me.

I came here to ask a simple question and not to get an ear bashing or accusations.

Thanks for your help but I guess I know where this is ending!

Well - you didn't actually get an ear-bashing, and you did get the right answer to your simple question, so you shouldn't be too disappointed. That it wasn't the answer you wanted isn't the fault of anyone here. Your electrician is responsible for the design, which means he's responsible for the choice of cable and the choice of MCB. If you've lost his shopping list you'll just have to wait for him to give you a new one.

Oh - and BTW:

Tazer said:
Yes Part P has been notified, once complete the sparky gives me a certificate which I then take back to sign off building regs etc etc.

This means he's not registered, so your choice of electrician has added a few £'00 in LABC fees to the bill.

Tazer · 15 Jul 2010

Builders Ive used before in the surgery and other places. Theyve always been reliable and done good work with me.

The electrician is the first, didnt really shop around

And the plumbers, dont go down that round, worst mistake i made in my life. a 2 week job in plumbing 2 bathrooms has now taken over 4 months and theres still leaks.

Yes your right, it wasnt the answer I was after but looks like i will have to wait. As i work during the week, Im not around hence why i wanted to buy everything in over the weekend.

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Steam Shower cable and MCB

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