Electric shower keep cutting off

Gulmul · 24 Feb 2020

I've got a Mira Enthuse electric shower.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...Vaw0vRO5FtnkeEr0Zlw6VpBMW&cshid=1582563695478
And recently it keeps cutting off when taking showers. My showers do tend to be a little longer than normal but that wasnt an issue before.
I use it on high but the temperature is a little below medium (10 o'clock position). When the shower cuts off it trips the switch on the main circuit breaker. The shower does not have a pull cord switch in-between so I guess that is to be expected. I can lift the switch back up but then after a little while it will trip again. This is happening more and more often with the intervals between cut offs shortening. I have noticed that the top left part of the shower gets quite hot when it cuts off.

I clean the shower head regularly and I have installed a new shower hose a month ago. There is no issue withe the flow of water. So it has to be something inside the shower unit.

Also today it's tripped the switch on the far left and it doesn't seem to be letting me lift it up again. This has happened before but after a while I could lift the switch on the far left.

Can someone give me some advise on how I can fix this issue. I would hate to have to pay a repair man for s simple fix or replace the entire unit.

sparkwright · 24 Feb 2020

How old is the shower unit?

flameport · 24 Feb 2020

Gulmul said:
When the shower cuts off it trips the switch on the main circuit breaker.

Which one, and what is printed on the device that trips?

Gulmul · 24 Feb 2020

sparkwright said:
How old is the shower unit?

1 and a half years

Gulmul · 24 Feb 2020

flameport said:
Which one, and what is printed on the device that trips?

The one labelled upstairs shower trips and today the left rccb.

I noticed that the rccb was not going back up so I switch the second b32 switch from the left off and it came up. However with this off the shower does not turn on. Now I'm Im thinking the shower is maybe connected to 2 breakers.

flameport · 24 Feb 2020

32A is too low for the electric shower - even the lowest power model is 8.5kW, which is about 35 amps. The others will be even more.
The circuit breaker will be running at an overload all the time that the shower is used, which would explain why it trips after a while.

Gulmul said:
Now I'm Im thinking the shower is maybe connected to 2 breakers.

If true, that is a dangerous situation and needs to be fixed. It should be one circuit = one circuit breaker.

The devices that have tripped would not normally have any connection between them, and the layout of that consumer unit is somewhat unusual.
A look inside would certainly be interesting - switch the whole lot off before removing the cover.

Gulmul · 24 Feb 2020

Little update all breakers are on and shower is not turning on anymore. Ffs

oldbutnotdead · 24 Feb 2020

Oh dear.

First- the UPSTAIRS SHOWER breaker is inadequate for the load (as stated by others)-no wonder it trips out after a while.

Second, in that same block of breakers on the right of the board there appears to be one marked DOWNSTAIRS SHOWER (with a 40A MCB on it). Do you really have 2 electric showers?

Third, those unlabelled MCBs really ought to be switched OFF- if there is nothing connected to them then why leave them on. If something is connected then they should be marked as such

Fourth, if that left-hand RCD is controlling the UPSTAIRS SHOWER then there is something very wrong with your installation- do please isolate the whole lot (ideally via the isolator between the meter and the CU), remove the lid and show us what is going on.

EDIT Not having a pull switch isolator is not causing the fault so don't worry about that.
EDIT 2 Time for your multimeter and some fault finding then (though first please safely lift the lid on the CU and post some pics)

Gulmul · 27 Mar 2020

oldbutnotdead said:
Oh dear.

First- the UPSTAIRS SHOWER breaker is inadequate for the load (as stated by others)-no wonder it trips out after a while.

Second, in that same block of breakers on the right of the board there appears to be one marked DOWNSTAIRS SHOWER (with a 40A MCB on it). Do you really have 2 electric showers?

Third, those unlabelled MCBs really ought to be switched OFF- if there is nothing connected to them then why leave them on. If something is connected then they should be marked as such

Fourth, if that left-hand RCD is controlling the UPSTAIRS SHOWER then there is something very wrong with your installation- do please isolate the whole lot (ideally via the isolator between the meter and the CU), remove the lid and show us what is going on.

EDIT Not having a pull switch isolator is not causing the fault so don't worry about that.
EDIT 2 Time for your multimeter and some fault finding then (though first please safely lift the lid on the CU and post some pics)

Sorry for the later reply. I have taken the cover off and taken pictures. Can't really make sense of anything. Also, when I was turning all the switches off the one labelled upstairs shower would not fall all the way. It was stuck half way. It goes up but not all the way down.

I was reading online and was wondering if changing the TCO might fix the issue. But I'm a little out of my depth when it comes to electrics. So would need guidance before attempting anything.

oldbutnotdead · 27 Mar 2020

First thing- did you isolate the supply to your consumer unit? (Knocking all the breakers and rcds off still leaves live parts accessible when the lid is off)

Second, the cable in the breaker marked UPSTAIRS SHOWER looks too small to run your shower- it looks like 2.5mm, for your shower 6mm would be a minimum, 10mm might be required (depends on length of run and installation method)

Third, you've probably cooked that UPSTAIRS SHOWER breaker with your frequent (daily) overloading.

Fourth, you may (low odds but possible) have knackered your shower by repeatedly subjecting it to power fail conditions.

Fifth- unlikely you have 2 breakers serving 1 appliance- if you did then the shower would work (maybe briefly) if either circuit breaker was on

Sixth, given the poor design of the installation and your lack of knowledge about electricity i'd suggest you get an electrician in to verify what is actually installed and what is required to maje your shower work safely

Seventh, do you have a downstairs electric shower as well as the upstairs one?

GarethW · 27 Mar 2020

There's a fair bit of heat damage on that MCB

GarethW · 27 Mar 2020

And what's going on with the two cables on that 40 AMP MCB ?

flameport · 27 Mar 2020

Gulmul said:
I was reading online and was wondering if changing the TCO might fix the issue.

It will not. The shower isn't the problem.

The consumer unit is a piece of cheap tat that has been installed poorly by someone who had little or no idea what they were doing.
It has multiple problems.
You can't fix this yourself.

flameport · 27 Mar 2020

Just some of the problems contained in that untidy mess:
1 - many examples of single insulated wires outside the consumer unit
2 - black wire connected to the earth bar, which is either a neutral or something that has burnt. Main earth conductor appears undersized, unclear which if any are bonding conductors but they are undersized as well.
3 - bare copper exposed outside of terminal (multiple examples)
4 - CPCs poorly terminated and in the wrong order relative to the circuits. Same for the neutrals.
5 - all 3 neutral bars in use which implies some circuits have no RCD protection, probably the 2 socket circuits at the right side
6 - 40A MCB supplies multiple circuits, overload is likely
7 - Shower MCB incorrect rating and damaged by overheating
8 - incoming tails taped up which suggests the insulation is damaged
9 - circuit not labelled on cover, but has wiring connected

Gulmul · 27 Mar 2020

oldbutnotdead said:
First thing- did you isolate the supply to your consumer unit? (Knocking all the breakers and rcds off still leaves live parts accessible when the lid is off)

Second, the cable in the breaker marked UPSTAIRS SHOWER looks too small to run your shower- it looks like 2.5mm, for your shower 6mm would be a minimum, 10mm might be required (depends on length of run and installation method)

Third, you've probably cooked that UPSTAIRS SHOWER breaker with your frequent (daily) overloading.

Fourth, you may (low odds but possible) have knackered your shower by repeatedly subjecting it to power fail conditions.

Fifth- unlikely you have 2 breakers serving 1 appliance- if you did then the shower would work (maybe briefly) if either circuit breaker was on

Sixth, given the poor design of the installation and your lack of knowledge about electricity i'd suggest you get an electrician in to verify what is actually installed and what is required to maje your shower work safely

Seventh, do you have a downstairs electric shower as well as the upstairs one?

Yes I do have a downstairs shower.

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