8.5 kw shower pull switch cables melted

[nicholas221078]

Hi all.
Been to my mother in law s amd she said when she tried using her shower it blew the mcb.
I put the shower in 7 yrs ago with 10 mm t&e.
In the last year the council have been and put in a new consumer unit. After looking the cables that come through the ceiling to the pull switch have melted the insulation and fused together causing the short .
The work got signed off By an electrician 7 yrs ago and the council signed it off a year ago.
She did say the pull switch had been playing up.
Can the pull switch cause the wires to get hot and melt of its fairy
There's not a lot of room For the cables to enter the switch box , I'm wondering if thye have chafed on something while the council were doing there work.
Can the wires be chopped in the loft and a junction box used For running a new piece of cable to the switch and then another to run to the shower.
Cheers

 

[Aragorn84]

It could have been a bad pull switch, or it could have been a loose connection. Cant really tell at this point after its all melted. Pull switches do have a finite life though, especially if they're constantly turned on and off. IMO they should just be left on, the shower unit itself has perfectly good controls built right into it.

Personally i'd want to avoid jointing the cable if possible. If theres enough slack to just cut off the melted part and re-terminate then do that, otherwise replace the cable unless its going to prove very difficult or disruptive.

If you do joint the cable, the junction box must remain accessible.

 

[nicholas221078]

Untitled

• nicholas221078
• 7 Mar 2015
• 1

 

[EFLImpudence]

Is that burnt?

It looks like tape.

Can you take another picture when disconnected?

 

[nicholas221078]

It could have been a bad pull switch, or it could have been a loose connection. Cant really tell at this point after its all melted. Pull switches do have a finite life though, especially if they're constantly turned on and off. IMO they should just be left on, the shower unit itself has perfectly good controls built right into it.

Personally i'd want to avoid jointing the cable if possible. If theres enough slack to just cut off the melted part and re-terminate then do that, otherwise replace the cable unless its going to prove very difficult or disruptive.

If you do joint the cable, the junction box must remain accessible.

Hi Thankyou.
She can't afford to have the cables replaced as the one to the fuse box would need an electrician . Walls digging out etc. She's a pensioner.
There's not enough slack to cut and terminate .the junction boxes would be accessible on a joist in the loft.
Would this be ok.
The pic I uploaded had insulation tape where I separated the cables that part is between the roof and loft .
It's not in use even tho I put tape on. It's off at the Fuse box

 

[EFLImpudence]

They usually burn next to the terminal because of loose connections.
Yours do not look like that.

If you have to use a junction box you will need two 45A ones (or more).
Get some like this to ensure really good connections.