Electric Shower Pump - Unsafe Connection??

[rafbloke]

Hi,

I am brand new to the forum, and this is my first post so I hope I don't cause to many raised eyebrows with my ignorance.

I bought a house late last year and there is an electric shower pump installed under the bath to boost water pressure to the shower head. The pump developed a leak a few weeks ago and when I removed the bath side panel to investigate the pump did not appear to be safely connected to the electrical supply. The pump is a Salamander design and it comes with about 6 feet of flex connected to a moulded on plug. The previous owner had connected this to the mains via a long extension cord which was routed up the interior wall into the loft, and then through a hole in the ceiling to a plug socket in the airing cupboard. The trailing socket was sitting in a puddle of water and I am pretty sure this is not the way it is supposed to be connected.

I would be grateful if someone could give me an idea of how to make this safe. I don't have the money to get someone in to fix but I don't really want to dissappear in a puff of smoke whilst taking a shower. Any advice would be really appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ricicle]

Ideally the connection for the pump needs to be nearby and definately via a 30mA RCD.

First and foremost though sort the leak out and ensure the RCD is in place before using the pump again. The RCD could be at the mains already but must be of the rating above.

 

[rafbloke]

Thanks ricicle.

I have received a replacement pump so the leak is fixed. My plan, before thinking of asking for some proper advice, was to run some 2.5mm2 two core & earth cable from a junction box, to replace the extension cable. All the circuits in the house are protected by circuit breakers at the consumer unit. I was also planning on installing a switched fused connection unit into the circuit close to the junction box to enable the pump to be switched off if required.

Is this an OK fix? If so, what is the best & safest way to make the connection between the 2 core & earth cable and the pump?

Thanks again.

 

[Steve]

All the circuits in the house are protected by circuit breakers at the consumer unit.

This may be, but we want to know if theres an RCD. The RCD usually protects several circuits, an RCD has a test button on it and is bigger.

If the individual breakers have test buttons, they have RCD built into them, but this is rare as its expensive. More normal to find just one or two.

A circuit breaker (MCB) is a fancy fuse and provides no more protection than a fuse. An RCD could save your life. A fuse or MCB almost definitely wouldnt.

 

[Steve]

If so, what is the best & safest way to make the connection between the 2 core & earth cable and the pump?

Thanks again.

Via a switched fused connection unit with a flex outlet

 

[STI]

An RCD (as well as a CIRCUIT BREAKER) is essential. Or a combined RCD AND CIRCUIT BREAKER a RCBO

 

[rafbloke]

Steve & STI, thanks for the heads up on the RCD requirement. I have checked at the consumer unit and whilst the main switch is RCD protected the individual circuits only have MCB's.

My cunning plan then is to take a spur off a 13A socket in my airing cupboard and, via a RCD Connection Unit (http://www.alertelectrical.com/prod...&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=google-base-feed), run some cable through to the pump.

Last stupid question, if I use a switched fused connection unit with a flex outlet, is this safe to install on surface mounted patress box under the bath? It will be mounted on a stud wall below the cavity where the pipework comes down from the roof and as high up as I can reach. Do I need to take any special precautions to prevent water ingress (although I hope this will be extremely unlikely!)?

As always, all advice is gratefully received.

Cheers.

 

[Steve]

If the mainswitch is an RCD, you're covered, but its a clumsy way to provide RCD protection. It is a single point of failure and a bad idea. But you dont need an RCD FCU.

 

[ricicle]

Is the main switch RCD rated at 30mA ?

 

[rafbloke]

Yes - it's 30mA.

 

[ricicle]

There is no need to fit an additional 30mA RCD then. Fit one if you wish but it won't necessarily trip before the main one does.

 

[sparkwright]

You could fit the switched fused spur outside of the bathroom, and connect the pump flex to your new cable via a waterproof junction box.

 

[rafbloke]

Guys,

Thanks for all the great advice.

OK, here is my final plan then - if anything is hopelessly wrong please let me know before I disappear in a bright flash .

I'm going to run a spur from a socket in the airing cupboard (this is outside the bathroom), through a RCD FCU to a waterproof junction box. The junction box will be located under the bath, fixed to a suitable wall as high as possible to avoid any accidental spashes, etc. I will then hard wire the flex from the pump into the junction box.

I would prefer to use the RCD FCU for my own peace of mind, and they are not that expensive.

Cheers.