Shower wiring

[peaksoft]

A plumber fitted a Gainsborugh 10.5 shower for me in November, and it started dripping badly last month.

The plumber referred me back to B&Q, who supplied it, who referred me to Gainsborough, who guaranteed it, who finally sent an employee to replace it today.

He phoned me to say he couldn't replace it because the original had been wired with 6mm cable instead of 10mm.

I've looked at the on-line installation instructions, and there doesn't seem to be any mention of this.

Is he right to refuse to replace it?

 

[RMS]

Sorry to say but yes. A shower of this size(Kw) will require more than a 6mm2 to supply it regardless of the length of cable run.

 

[Steve]

If the instructions made no mention of the fact it should be wired in 10mm² cable, then you might have a case. However, the person who fitted it should have been competent, and I bet the instructions said this too. The person who fitted this clearly wasn't competant enough to design a circuit properly.

However, what has the leak got to do with how its wired?

 

[RMS]

Maybe the can exchange for a 8.5kw shower. Worth a try?

 

[peaksoft]

However, what has the leak got to do with how its wired?

Nothing - to be fair, the Gainsborough man has left a replacement shower. He just said he wasn't allowed to fit it.

That seems to leave me to persuade the first plumber to come back and fit it. I think I'm entering the land of Fat Chances.

 

[Adam_151]

6mm² is compliant very very occasionsly, unfortunatly its not very likely to be the case in a house (clipped direct to surface, going no where near insulation, other cables etc), The shower manual will probably state that it should be installed in accordance to BS7671

Personally I'd never consider installing a shower of that size on 6mm even if it was compliant, much better to use 10mm and have headroom (same goes for immer. heaters on 1.5mm etc)