I'm expecting you all to throw your hands up in the air when you hear my amateurish questions. However here goes,, but some background first.. I have the above shower which was fitted by a pro 3 years ago.The shower is aok.... But remote from the shower room and on the landing I have a lit on/off 2gang 2pole 45amp switch fitted and this has seized up in the ON position but it still works.. Anyway I decided to replace it and discovered that the old cables were a bit charred,so I pulled some more of the feed and load cables through and cut back to good and re-terminated them... I replaced the old switch(a generic type) with a Volex 45A 2gang 2pole with neon light.. Now call me old fashioned but I would have thought that when the switch was OFF that the neon light would be off too and vica-versa ,but no, it is on all the time but it works the shower.. Have I done something wrong or is that how it's supposed to be?... the thought has crossed my mind that maybe I have connected the feed to the load in the switch connections but I'm frightened to try them the other way around in case I reinvent break-dancing again like I did in the 60's when I tried to switch on a live socket in the pitch black whilst having a slash in a Victorian mansion.. Anyway any help would be much appreciated... regards JJ
Mira Sport 9.9 Shower
- Thread starter JanJanis60
- Start date
Sponsored Links
P
Paul_C
That's almost certainly what's happened. The incoming supply should go to the pair of terminals marked IN, LINE, SUPPLY, FEED, or similar. The shower connects to the other pair marked OUT, LOAD, or similar. If you switch them around, you'll get exactly the symptoms you have where the switch turns the shower on and off but the warning light stays on all the time.
It shouldn't have just crossed your mind.... it should have lingered there, as that will be exactly what you have done..... supply and load connections the wrong way around
EDIT: Its probably worth pointing out that as well as cutting back to undamaged copper, you need to nip these connections up well or it will just burn out again... a good tip whenever working with multistrand cables is to tighten it, give the conductor a wiggle to allow the strands to settle and then nip it up now its settled out
Well, unless the neon is wired to the supply side by mistake then you have wired the switch incorrectly. The neon light should illuminate only when the switch is in the on position. Some of the switches have fly leads that connect to the neon. It is quite possible that they are wired to the supply by mistake though that is something that you should have checked!
A different subject - What was the cause of the wiring getting hot before you modified the wiring/replaced the switch? What is the size (CSA) of the cable?
A different subject - What was the cause of the wiring getting hot before you modified the wiring/replaced the switch? What is the size (CSA) of the cable?
Sponsored Links
As Spike said "wheel oil beef hooked"... Thankyou so much chaps...best wishes JJ
It shouldn't have just crossed your mind.... it should have lingered there, as that will be exactly what you have done..... supply and load connections the wrong way around
Yes but what about my question about the cables running hot? The neon is just wrong, the hot cables could burn your house down!
What is the CSA of the cable?
Good thought,,, I will have a look in the morning...JJ
You need to do two things:
1) check the size of the cable - the Cross Sectional Area (CSA) is it 10mm or 6mm?
2) You need to have a look at the old switch and see (confirm) if it was a loose connection causing the heating.
This is far more important then the neon issue.
Firstly thanks for your interest and help,,,, The cable is 6mm protected by a 30amp fuse in a bog-standard fuse box i.e no RCB... I have fished the old switch out of the dustbin and I can see that both of the N connections are blackened and cracked.. When I initially removed it I could see that the black N wiring was heat damaged exposing the core in places and giving off a slight 'fishy' smell..I have now (correctly) wired the new switch, used the shower successfully and afterwards removed the fuse checking the wiring for any signs of heat..thankfully there was'nt any,,, Am I ok now? or is there a problem with the 6mm cable and a 9.9kw shower (the installer said it was ok just)... regards JJ.....ps especially as the shower isnt likely to be used on its max heat setting..
The cable should be okay but 10mm would be better. However, the manufacturers instructions for this shower state that the MCB should 45Amps and recommends that it is additionally protected by an 30mA RCD.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
