First off, great forum, and thanks to all involved for making it so entertaining and informative. I always get a good feeling when people with expert knowledge have the enthusiasm and generosity to share it.
I need to replace an electric shower, and am looking to get it done as cheaply as possible on the grounds that we are selling the flat (just coincidence that the shower should fail while we are doing the place up - we wouldn't have bothered, otherwise).
I have a very rudimentary grasp of plumbing and electrical wiring, and would not dream of attempting this job myself. However, I am also keen not to be "blinded by science" by anyone I get in to do it.
Through reading other posts here, I have picked up on the importance of having the right cabling, and I am trying to find out what the maximum power rating of the new shower could be with the existing cabling. I am assuming the existing cabling was adequate for the existing shower, as it did last for more than eleven years (it was there when we moved in).
The failed shower is a Triton T80, and the specification label on the bottom of the unit is too scaled up to be legible. I rang Triton and they said, based on its age, that it is probably a 7kW or 8kW model. I'm happy to have a more powerful one to replace it, and want to know how high I can go with the existing cabling. I gather from other posts that the length of the cabling is an issue, which brings me (at long last) to the crux of the matter.
As well as the usual on/off switch on the unit itself, the shower is controlled by a cooker-type switch (you know, like a big red light switch) sited on the wall outside the bathroom. I'd be surprised if the distance from this switch to the shower unit was even 1m. (N.B. The neon indicator on this switch still comes on when it is switched on, so I am reasonably confident that it is only the shower unit that has failed.)
So, if we did get a more powerful shower needing more substantial cable, is it only the cable from switch to shower that needs replacing, or also the cable from the mains fuse box to the switch? This would obviously have a bearing on the cost of the job, and consequently on whether I splash out on a more powerful replacement, or something equivalent to the old T80.
I need to replace an electric shower, and am looking to get it done as cheaply as possible on the grounds that we are selling the flat (just coincidence that the shower should fail while we are doing the place up - we wouldn't have bothered, otherwise).
I have a very rudimentary grasp of plumbing and electrical wiring, and would not dream of attempting this job myself. However, I am also keen not to be "blinded by science" by anyone I get in to do it.
Through reading other posts here, I have picked up on the importance of having the right cabling, and I am trying to find out what the maximum power rating of the new shower could be with the existing cabling. I am assuming the existing cabling was adequate for the existing shower, as it did last for more than eleven years (it was there when we moved in).
The failed shower is a Triton T80, and the specification label on the bottom of the unit is too scaled up to be legible. I rang Triton and they said, based on its age, that it is probably a 7kW or 8kW model. I'm happy to have a more powerful one to replace it, and want to know how high I can go with the existing cabling. I gather from other posts that the length of the cabling is an issue, which brings me (at long last) to the crux of the matter.
As well as the usual on/off switch on the unit itself, the shower is controlled by a cooker-type switch (you know, like a big red light switch) sited on the wall outside the bathroom. I'd be surprised if the distance from this switch to the shower unit was even 1m. (N.B. The neon indicator on this switch still comes on when it is switched on, so I am reasonably confident that it is only the shower unit that has failed.)
So, if we did get a more powerful shower needing more substantial cable, is it only the cable from switch to shower that needs replacing, or also the cable from the mains fuse box to the switch? This would obviously have a bearing on the cost of the job, and consequently on whether I splash out on a more powerful replacement, or something equivalent to the old T80.