Switch fuse for shower...

[MattChan]

We have a power shower that is wired in to an FCU with 3A fuse in the loft.

This is fed by a 10mm2 T+E cable back to a switch fuse in the garage with a 50A breaker in it.

The switch fuse is fed by about 50cm of 10mm2 T+E directly in to the output side of main switch with integrated RCD on a consumer unit.

This doesn't seem ideal to me as the length of 10mm2 between the consumer unit and switch fuse is only protected by the service fuse.

Was this ever an acceptable thing to do or is it as much of a bodge as Im guessing?

 

[flyingsparks]

Your right, it's a bodge. You need an electrician to sort it out properly..

 

[Iggifer]

10mm feeding a 3a fcu? What does it supply now? A shower pump?

 

[MattChan]

Thabks for the reply, so Im guessing solutions are:
1. Henley blocks to split meter tails and replace the switch fuse with a consumer unit with its own RCD protection.
2. Replace the existing consumer unit with a new one with more ways to bring the circuit from the switch fuse in to the same unit. At the same time getting rid of the entire place being plunged in to darkness when the RCD trips as it does at the moment...

 

[MattChan]

10mm feeding a 3a fcu? What does it supply now? A shower pump?

Yeah I think they must have had an electric shower and then changed it to a pump at a later date. Its just an aqualisa pump on there now!

 

[EFLImpudence]

The switch fuse is fed by about 50cm of 10mm2 T+E directly in to the output side of main switch with integrated RCD on a consumer unit.

If you mean the RCD is the main switch and the old shower circuit runs from the load side (the same as all the other circuits) to the 50A MCB , then I don't see anything wrong.

I know others don't like this method but there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[MattChan]

EFLI that is correct.

It is exactly as the other circuits are, except that rather than using the bus bars within the confines of the CU it comes out of the enclosure on the 10mm2 T+E

 

[RF Lighting]

This arrangement whilst not the most elegant is compliant with the regs.

 

[MattChan]

Thanks for the info RF. Thinking about it is it kind of like the ability to have a 2.5mm unfused spur of off a 2.5mm 32A protected ring? Basically you are relying on the cable run being short, unlikely to be damaged and the current limiting device at the other end protecting the cable from being over loaded in normal conditions?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Thinking about it is it kind of like the ability to have a 2.5mm unfused spur of off a 2.5mm 32A protected ring?Basically you are relying on the cable run being short, unlikely to be damaged

Yes.

and the current limiting device at the other end protecting the cable from being over loaded in normal conditions?

That's it.