Shower Consumer Unit???

[Greenie9657]

Good Afternoon,

Why would anyone fit a dedicated shower CU??

Im curretly an Air Engineer in the military but ive got plans that when i leave the mob to become a Spark so im just after information. I know you would run a 10mm cable from a suitable MCB so why the extra CU? Is it for just another way of isulation?

Also if you used this dedicated CU would that mean the 10mm from the main CU wouldnt have to be RCD protected?

Thanks

 

[EFLImpudence]

The extra CU is to give RCD protection where it does not exist in the main CU.

If it does exist, then no need.

Also if you used this dedicated CU would that mean the 10mm from the main CU wouldnt have to be RCD protected?

Not if the cable is visible.


It doesn't have to be 10mm² per se.

 

[Greenie9657]

The extra CU is to give RCD protection where it does not exist in the main CU.

If it does exist, then no need.

Also if you used this dedicated CU would that mean the 10mm from the main CU wouldnt have to be RCD protected?

Not if the cable is visible.


It doesn't have to be 10mm² per se.

Thanks EFLI. I know the cable can be bigger or smaller it was just a size i picked.

 

[ericmark]

Also some old consumer units can't take a 40 or 45 amp MCB and also consumer units may be full, so using a Henley block one can get the extra power and or extra ways required.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Not if the cable is visible.

The maker of electric shower that I have seen requires an RCD
All circuits in a bathroom must now be RCD protected

So the cabvle route, buried or visible is not a factor.

An RCD is required. End of.

 

[JohnW2]

Not if the cable is visible.

The maker of electric shower that I have seen requires an RCD ... All circuits in a bathroom must now be RCD protected ... So the cabvle route, buried or visible is not a factor. An RCD is required. End of.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, I assumed that the mini-CU was going to contain an RCD to protect the shower (I've never seen a 'shower CU' without an RCD) and that the OP was asking whether it would then be OK for the cable from the CU to that mini-CU/RCD to not be RCD protected.

If my interpretation was correct, then I think EFLIs answer was right - that RCD protection of that cable would only be required if it was required by virtue of the cable being buried in a wall, wouldn't it?

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

OP was only asking about the cable from original CU to shower CU which by definition will contain an RCD.

 

[Greenie9657]

OP was only asking about the cable from original CU to shower CU which by definition will contain an RCD.

Indeed, I should of stated that the shower CU was RCD. Silly me.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It wouldn't be a shower CU without one.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

OP was only asking about the cable from original CU to shower CU which by definition will contain an RCD.

Ah, but where will the shower CU be?

 

[JohnW2]

OP was only asking about the cable from original CU to shower CU which by definition will contain an RCD.

Ah, but where will the shower CU be?

The answer to that is surely not relevant to the OP's question which EFLI was addressing - namely about the need (or not) for RCD protection of the cable between the main CU and the shower CU (wherever that might be), is it?

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yes.

If it's in the bathroom then the circuit supplying it will need RCD protection.

If it's outside then it may not.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes. If it's in the bathroom then the circuit supplying it will need RCD protection. If it's outside then it may not.

Fair enough. It hadn't even occurred to me that anyone would put a CU in a bathroom!

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

But "not if visible" is still a correct answer.

Surely, it is not suitable for installation IN a bathroom.

 

[JohnW2]

But "not if visible" is still a correct answer.

BAS's point seems to be that if the CU itself were IN a bathroom (which I would think very unlikely) then the cable supplying it would be part of a 'circuit in the bathroom', hence requiring RCD protection per current regs.

Surely, it is not suitable for installation IN a bathroom.

Quite. As I wrote to BAS, I hadn't even considered the possibility! However, daft though it would be, I suppose that someone who was hell-bent on doing it would probably be able to find a CU which was suitable for installation in a bathroom (so long as it was not in 'zones')!

Kind Regards, John