Proper way to connect shower in consumer unit.

[Stivino]

I had a second shower fitted into an en suite. The spark cheated when he connected it up in the consumer unit by connecting it to the cooker switch. (on the basis that I have a gas cooker and don't need that one). He taped up the cooker wires in the unit.
I wasn't happy with that and mentioned it to a guy at work, adding that I wanted an other electrician to put it right for me. He said he knew one, and brought him to my place.
It turned out he was an apprentice and I'm not convinced he knew any better than the other guy. He connected my cooker socket back up but, he's connected the new shower on the same side as the lighting circuits. I queried him but he said it was ok as long as he put the earth on the same side.
Last night was the first time that shower was used since and, it kept tripping the breaker on the socket side killing all the sockets in the house.
He's supposed to be coming back to fit a new circuit breaker. Obviously I can't tell him how to do it but I'd like to be able to know that it's right.
Anyone got any helpful advice?

 

[Chivers7]

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Main_Index/Showers_Index/Shower_Supply_Unit/index.html You could supply your shower with a seperate supply unit, click on the link. I'm not sure what set up you have you may need a Henley block fitted to do this (unless you already have one)

 

[Adam_151]

There is only one earth block, its the neutral which has to be placed 'on the same side' (of the RCD) , and it sounds like this is what he hasn't done

Showers ought to be on the RCD side (not the side with lights), but as long as the cooker control unit doesn't have a socket then that should be alright on the non-RCD side (the side with the lights)

 

[Stivino]

Thanks for your replies. Just checked, the cooker outlet (which I don't use) is behind my gas cooker. The switch for that is behind my bread bin, there is also a socket on the same thing the cooker switch is on. Why does that make a difference?

 

[electronicsuk]

Thanks for your replies. Just checked, the cooker outlet (which I don't use) is behind my gas cooker. The switch for that is behind my bread bin, there is also a socket on the same thing the cooker switch is on. Why does that make a difference?

Because the regs state that any outlet capable of supplying equipment outdoors (or words to that affect) must be RCD protected. Seen as your cooket outlet is downstairs there's certainly the potential for it to supply outdoor equipment, and as such it must be RCD protected.

If I were in your position, I would want both the shower and cooker outlet to be on the RCD side of the consumer unit. No way of advising the correct size breakers without knowing more about the installation.

 

[JohnD]

If he's an apprentice, and cocked it up once, you may like to think about getting a better electrician in next time. Sadly you don't know if he's just about completed his training and experience, or is very new. You could politely ask if he can get one of his seniors to come and have a look at it for you. It ought also to be tested, and the instruments cost hundreds of pounds, so he will probably not have his own but at work will be checked by someone else.

Otherwise keep asking around friends and neighbours for someone they recommend, and ask then what qualifications and memberships they have.

In England and Wales we can ask them if they're members of a self-certification scheme (and we can check it) which is a reasonable way of checking qualification, this is because some work (including fitting consumer units, new circuits, and most work in kitchens and bathrooms, is notifiable by law. I don't know if there's an equivalent in Scotland.

Yes, the Shower Neutral and the shower phase should both be on the same side of the CU, and if I had to choose, I would put the shower on the RCD in preference to the cooker.


Cookers are better not an an RCD, as they cause nuisance tripping, and in this case it is better not to have a plug socket on the cooker switch.

 

[Stivino]

The cooker is and has always been on the same side as the ring mains. It's the new shower he's put on the side with the lights.
It's not important to me if the cooker is wired or not because I have a gas cooker and the 13A socket that goes with it is inaccessible. So, to me they are useless. However, I'd like to put this house on the market next year so, I want everything to work, safely.
Re certified tradesmen.
I had a "certified" plumber fit an essex coupling (I think that's what it was called) to my hot water cylinder. It leaked from day one.
The "certified" heating engineer that fitted my heating put a serious kink in the 8mm pipe that feeds the rad in my living room. You should have heard the racket the water made as it squeezed though the narrowed section. Despite my protestations, I was told the noise was normal. It was me who found the kink accidentally when doing another job under the floor.
It was a "certified" electrician who didn't tighten the big red cable that feeds my consumer unit when the house was rewired. I had a burning smell coming from that area whenever the immersion was on. Scottish power disconnected me until it was rectified.
When the glazier came to my house, he asked ME if I had any putty.
When the brickie came to fill in the hole left by the plumber after he had knocked a hole in the wall to fit a new drain for the washing mashine, he asked ME if I had any cement and small stones for pebbledash.
I'm a tradesman too and from what I've seen, certification means jack ****.

 

[Stivino]

Cracked it, he had left the neutral on the other side. I've swopped things back to how they were and it's working fine.

 

[equitum]

A positive of being "certified" is that the tradesman is traceable. As you will have an electrical installation and a minor works certificate for the shower installation and subsequent alteration you are in a position to complain to their accredied body , e.g. niceic, eca.