Shower Upgrade Advice

[chris104]

Hi all,

We originally had a shower which was 6KW and ran off 6mm cable to an old 30amp rewireable fuse (Wylex 804ivy). then i installed a 8.5KW shower in it's place knowing that putting it on high mode will likely go past the 30amp mark so to this day we've always kept it on economy mode to be safe than sorry. but now we want hotter showers so want to use the high mode.

So after doing alot of research i've come up with this and wondered if you experts can just double check what i have planned is ok.

Because money is low we can't afford to replace our old Wylex 804ivy with a newer consumer unit so i thought a seperate RCBO consumer unit just for the shower would suffice. now to save some money i will be buying the 40amp RCBO unit, 8 metres of 10mm cable and a new 45amp isolator pull cord myself.

Once i've bought all these i will personally replace the 10mm cable and the 45amp isolator and then hire a qualified electrician to fit the both the mains and shower tails to the RCBO and sign off the work. which shouldn't cost too much?

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

If you are planning to engage an electrician, and hoping that he will do his part of the documentation (you will be signing for the design and part of the installation) then you should consult him before you do anything else.

 

[chris104]

Thanks for you reply.

I understand where your coming from as i know in an ideal situation a professional would prefer to do everything themselves so they know have peace of mind but my intervention is clearly just to cut costs best i can and i had hoped someone else would see it as a quick easy job but the documentation is something i'm not familiar with at all, so cannot comment.

Let's say i do find an electrician willing to go ahead with what i have planned, what sort of price would i be expecting to pay? i'm guessing no more than an hours work?

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

now to save some money i will be buying the 40amp RCBO unit, 8 metres of 10mm cable and a new 45amp isolator pull cord myself.

Get a 50amp Crabtree pull cord. About the best you can get.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Let's say i do find an electrician willing to go ahead with what i have planned, what sort of price would i be expecting to pay? i'm guessing no more than an hours work?

Can only be determined by seeing the site.
There's an hour's work in documentation, certification and notifying the local authority.

Yoiu'll need to find a couple of local REGISTERED electricians to give you a price.
Find a local one at http://www.electricsaferegister.co.uk

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Once i've bought all these i will personally replace the 10mm cable and the 45amp isolator and then hire a qualified electrician to fit the both the mains and shower tails to the RCBO and sign off the work. which shouldn't cost too much?

Firstly you've missed some materials - how will the new CU be supplied?

Secondly, this work is notifiable, so before you start you are required to appoint a registered third-party certifier. And you really should - the last thing you want is to forge ahead and then find that nobody wants to touch it because you did something wrong or missed something or because it's too late for them to check properly.

TTC has linked to one place to look - you should read these:

http://www.electricaltimes.co.uk/news/article.asp?articleid=6874

http://www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/posts/electrical-safety-register-electricsafe

as there is another similarly-named organisation.

And there's also the original http://www.competentperson.co.uk



Probably best to check all 3 places to ensure the widest coverage.

 

[JohnD]

the documentation is something i'm not familiar with at all

I mention it because the work you describe is Notifiable under Building Regulations, so not to be attempted incorrecly.

 

[chris104]

I do appreciate all your advice people, clearly there's alot more to this that needs covering.

By the way the RCBO CU will be connected from the mains via a henley box with new 25mm tails. sorry i forgot to say. also i'll look into that 50amp isolator suggested.

What i was originally planning to do is start the work but leave everything exposed before i put the floorboards back down, then an electrician can check over exactly what had been done. but in reality it might not be the best route so advice is needed which most of you guys suggest so i'll check through the many sites provided (thanks!) and find a professional to confirm things with.

Thanks everyone!