Fitting a different shower - not enough cable

[BRgirl87]

Hello everyone,

My partner has just bought a new shower without telling me, and has ripped the old one out (along with half the wall and most of the tiles around it!) and stuck the new one up to discover there is not enough cable to reach the shower.

The cable comes down from the attic, and needs about 10 more inches to reach. He says he can put a junction box in the attic underneath the insulation to extend the cable that way. Even then the cable is going to be bent about 180 degrees to come back up into the shower.

I guess my question is - is this safe? It just screams fire hazard/electrocution hazard to me.

Is it best to get an electrician in to do it or is he correct in what he's saying?

Thanks so much for your time.

(By the way, when I first moved in, this man connected two cables with insulation tape to make a longer cable to the TV/lamp/stereo etc, which terrified me! - luckily he doesn't do that anymore!)

 

[riveralt]

The best option would be to call an electrician to assist.

The second best option would be to run new properly sized cable from the dual pole isolator switch to the shower thus avoiding any junctions boxes hidden under insulation and the potential overheating problems that may cause.

The isolator is normally a pull cord (sometimes with neon light) attached to the ceiling.

Before doing so though, your partner needs to be sure that the shower he has put up has the correct sized cable to it and is protected by the correct sized MCB and where appropriate an RCD - as per manufacturers instructions. If that is not understood then option one applies.

 

[flameport]

A junction box could be used, but it is a poor solution.
Better to replace the length of cable between the isolator switch and the shower.

If the tiles have been removed, the wall will need to be retiled before the new shower is fitted - the shower goes on top of the tiles, do NOT fit the shower and then attempt to tile round it!
If not enough cable to reach the new shower, then presumably the water pipe won't reach either. Can't understand why the cable needs to be bent 180 degrees?
Cables should not be concealed under insulation - they will overheat, junction box or not.

Frankly, the whole lot sounds like a shoddy mess.

 

[Taylortwocities]

First off. Is the new shower the same power rating as the old one? If it is more powerful then you may need a whole new circuit.

If it is the same (or less) then the first thing you need is an RCD in the circuit.
If there is to be a join it must be in an accessible place. If it is a junction box it must be big enough to handle the LARGE currents required by an instant electric shower.
You won't find one of those in Homebase.

So. To try and help.
Questions
1. What is the power rating of the new shower?
2. What was the power rating odf the old shower
3. What is the value of the circuit breaker that feeds the shower?
4. Is the circuit protected by an RCD?

That'll be enough for a Saturday night. There will be more Qs following from your reply.

 

[BRgirl87]

Thank you for the quick answers!

We do have a pull cord so I will let him know about that option.

We had an 8.5kw shower, and are replacing it with an 8.5kw shower (which was fitted by a qualified electrician when they re-wired the house 2 years ago) so I believe the cable is the correct size. It is all connected to a pull cord and the main fusebox (with a trip switch).

The water pipe has fit in perfectly as that comes up from underneath.

As the cable comes from the ceiling, and needs to be fitted from underneath the shower, it will have to be bent back to fit.

I agree - it is a shoddy mess, which is why i'm trying my hardest to make him see sense and get a qualified electrician in.

Thank you again!

 

[ricicle]

Electrical bodge + water = possible electrocution = possible death

 

[johnnojob]

Just get a qualfied person to fit it and expect a hefty bill or fit a similar unit.
getting this wrong will result in a death.
Last time i saw a shower/bathroom death was due to a shower with electrics not sealed/secured to the wall.I hope you understand.

onwards and upwards.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

We had an 8.5kw shower, and are replacing it with an 8.5kw shower (which was fitted by a qualified electrician when they re-wired the house 2 years ago)

Why are you replacing a 2-year old shower with one that's no more powerful?

 

[BRgirl87]

@ban-all-sheds - sorry I haven't worded my initial post very well, the shower is much older than 2 years old, but when the house was re-wired the electricians re-fitted it. It stopped working and we were told to replace it with the same power to avoid re-wiring to the fusebox.

Luckily my partner seems to be backing down and is gonna call a few qualified people for quotes, much to my relief!

Thank you again for all your answers, I appreciate it and its nice to know that I wasn't overreacting with my worries about the safety aspect!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

the shower is much older than 2 years old, but when the house was re-wired the electricians re-fitted it

Shame you didn't have them install a cable large enough to take a more powerful shower.

They weren't very conscientious if they didn't suggest that.

 

[scousespark]

the shower is much older than 2 years old, but when the house was re-wired the electricians re-fitted it

Shame you didn't have them install a cable large enough to take a more powerful shower.

They weren't very conscientious if they didn't suggest that.

I fit the cable for the load in front of me, not a guess at a future load.
The electrician has done his job.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

No, he hasn't, not properly.

To not even ask during a rewire if the shower circuit should have a degree of future proofing?

If you don't then you are not doing your job properly, i.e. bringing all of your expertise to bear, and advising your clients accordingly.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[EFLImpudence]

We had an 8.5kw shower, and are replacing it with an 8.5kw shower

OP doesn't want a bigger shower, anyway - just a longer cable.

 

[martinxxxxxx]

8.5Kw showers are rubbish and I would never price for or fit a cable less than 10mm for a shower.

If you are an expert that has been hired for your expertise then you ought to share that expertise with your customer.

In fairness the there is a reason not to; and that is if you're subbing to a builder and have no contact with the end user, in which case you can only really do what you are told. As it would be unprofessional to approach their customer directly. But even so I would make the point to the person ordering the work.