Installing a shower in the Greek Islands

[Pavlos]

I own a small house on an Island just off the coast of Athens, & am looking at installing an Electric shower. The local expert said 4mm cable will be fine!!!! at his point I decided I would bring my own kit from the UK. My plan is to install 10mm cable from a 40amp MCB & use a British shower. I just bought a Neptune Solo 8.5 Kw but speaking to the tech dept of Neptune they say it won't work on 220v I find this hard to believe & am tempted to purchase a Greek shower. Any comments please? also my water supply is from a rainwater collector tank in the garden & withdrawal is via a pump. The pressure appears about average, will this affect the shower. Finnally I was thinking of using a junction box to spur off a 3Kw water heater for the small outbuilding kitchen is this allowed?

 

[Qedelec]

Advice from this forum could be potentialy dangerous as reguilations and systems vary from country to country. You would be better off posting in the 'electrics outside the UK' forum

 

[Steve]

I own a small house on an Island just off the coast of Athens, & am looking at installing an Electric shower. The local expert said 4mm cable will be fine!!!! at his point I decided I would bring my own kit from the UK. My plan is to install 10mm cable from a 40amp MCB & use a British shower. I just bought a Neptune Solo 8.5 Kw but speaking to the tech dept of Neptune they say it won't work on 220v I find this hard to believe & am tempted to purchase a Greek shower. Any comments please? also my water supply is from a rainwater collector tank in the garden & withdrawal is via a pump. The pressure appears about average, will this affect the shower. Finnally I was thinking of using a junction box to spur off a 3Kw water heater for the small outbuilding kitchen is this allowed?

which is it to be???? that shower needs a dedicated circuit, wherever it is fitted in the world. It MIGHT work on 220v, draws just under 40A. But if the voltage goes much lower it might also conk out. risky stuff.

 

[securespark]

In the instructions it will tell you about pressure - check your flow rate and see if it is acceptable.

 

[Moss5]

You can measure water pressure using this: -
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp;jsessionid=4S0VHFN04KG2ICSTHZOSFFQ?id=82412&ts=50182
Flow-rate can be measured at a tap using a bucket and stop-watch to calculate Litres/minute, but, after adding the resistance to flow (of the electric shower) you will have a reduced flow-rate.
No problem with 220V AC to a resistance heater designed for 240V AC. It just reduces power from 8.5kW to 7.2kW. That may not be a problem if your cold water temperature is not near freezing.
You need 9.8kW to raise water temperature by 20C at a flow-rate of 7 litres a minute (quite a poor showering flow).
The next problem is the power available from the main supply cable.
40A for the shower + 15A for the water heater + the rest of the house.
Ask your neighbours how they heat their water. If they use bottled gas (Butane) because electricity is too expensive, then this is the way to go.
Even if your electric supply can cope with the amperage, you may find that you are on a higher charging tariff.
Sorry if this all sounds negative, just trying to prepare you for the real situation. We have good infrastructure in UK, our methods do not always travel well.

 

[Moss5]

PS - If you have bought your shower, just connect it to a garden hose and see if you are happy with the flow.
I would even make a temporary 40A connection in the garden and suck-it-and-see.
My other concern was your dependence on power-supply for running water. Is it worth having a store at high level?
The Greeks in Cyprus all seem to have ugly solar heating on the roof.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I would even make a temporary 40A connection in the garden.

That sounds a bit iffy to me....

 

[Steve]

I would even make a temporary 40A connection in the garden.

That sounds a bit iffy to me....

was gonna say . . .

 

[Moss5]

If you are frightened of electricity, don't do it.
If you regard it as a tool to be used, use it safely.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

If you regard it as a tool to be used, use it safely.

I would even make a temporary 40A connection in the garden

If you regard it as a tool to be used, use it safely.

I would even make a temporary 40A connection in the garden

If you regard it as a tool to be used, use it safely.

I would even make a temporary 40A connection in the garden

If you regard it as a tool to be used, use it safely.

I would even make a temporary 40A connection in the garden

If you regard it as a tool to be used, use it safely.

I would even make a temporary 40A connection in the garden

Sorry - doesn't matter how many times I try, I can't get my head round it.