Two showers running off one supply

[LiamPope]

If you can only use one shower at a time...

WHY THE HELL HAVE TWO IN THE FIRST PLACE?

Would you have two cars, but alternately tax/insure them, say six months per year each?

Wire them up properly!!

 

[bernardgreen]

won't work..
as soon as one contactor is switched on, the other one can't be as the switch contacts are broken.. ( and the contactor is latched on.. )

you'd need an off switch..

You are correct. I should not design and print while eating chicken and quaffing red wine.

 

[bernardgreen]

Or just have one shower that is big enough for two.....

 

[spark1]

Chris.
If you have had this second shower fitted then get the idiot back who did it and get him/her to do it properly and safely.
if this bodge job was part of the existing electrics when you aquired the property then contact a qualified Electrician to....
A. wire in a seperate circuit for the second shower.{ RCD protected }
B. Check out the wiring for the first shower.[Install RCD if non fitted]
C. Check out the condition of the fusebox supplying these showers
D. Check ouit the Main Earthing System
E. Check out the Protective Equipotential Bonding system.
F. Check out the size/ condition of the suppliers Main Fuse

..When all tht is satisfactorily taken care of you will need from the Electrician..

1. An Electrical Installation Certificate [ On completion of the work ]
2. A Building Notice Compliance Certificate { within 30 days

.......Dont use the Showers until you have completed all of the above.
except maybe 2.

 

[chriselevate]

Oh joy!

So any idea how much work/cost that will all come to?

I've not got anyone to do the work so it'll be straight to yellow pages or the likes in order to find someone willing to do it.

I'm also pretty desperate to get the work done so I can get on with the rest of the work so I can't really be hanging around waiting for this one to get sorted.

Doh!!!! What a dilema!

Here's a couple of photos of what I'm faced with.....

Here's the cable which is run from the original shower.....


and here's my consumer unit.....


Hope that helps?!

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[chriselevate]

Forget the idea of preventing them both being used at once.

I'm happy to take a new circuit for the second shower. Trouble is I don't know what sort of flex to use... I guess screwfix will sell it on a 100m reel?

I might run a few checks first just to make sure that it's not run seperately onto the consumer board..... it might be?!?

Cheers

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[skenk]

I found this recently:

http://www.voltimum.ie/news/8162/in...e-of-Priority-Non-Priority-Shower-Boards.html

It's from the Irish voltimum site. I'm trying to get one over here, not managed yet but still working on it (my latest info from ABB Ireland says I should be able to order it from ABB Ireland from a wholesaler here selling ABB . . .)

No need for pull switches or owt (as far as I can tell)

I don't know why it isn't easier to get hold of this kind of thing, i'd have thought they would be a great seller. Nobody I called in the UK had heard of this but when I called ABB Ireland the guy knew exactly what I was on about and was like 'ahh yeah good isn't it' as though I was the 4th person that day trying to get one.

Cost as yet unknown

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[LiamPope]

There is no frustration proof way of preventing both showers being used at the same time. The closest you could get would be a system using water flow switches, but still not frustration proof.

Crazy idea - give it up now.

What about a complex system of interlocks which prevents simultaneous access to the two bathrooms? Then you can leave the shower wiring as-is.



[childish]hee hee he[/childish]

 

[chriselevate]

Hi,

I've just had a look at my consumer unit and it looks like both showers and my cooker are protected by an RCD..... here's the photo....



What do you think?

Ok... so the mains water is in the loft dropping down to the first shower and then along to the second shower so perhaps not holding enough pressure to run two showers at the same time but if they have been electrically installed like this it looks like they won't burn the gouse down due to the wrong wiring doesn't it?

Like I said.... the wiring has been done by the previous owners so I don't know who he used but it does look like I was wrong and the two showers are on different circuots doesn't it?

Cheers

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[chriselevate]

not helping me guys

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

What about a complex system of interlocks which prevents simultaneous access to the two bathrooms?

So both doors are on automatic door closers and as soon as a door is opened this music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShGrtA17mSg&feature=related is blasted around the house for the duration of the shower.

Nice idea, but i think that you may be in for it with trading standards - unfit for purpose - audible alert suggests person is in bath, whereas they are in fact having a shower

Chris,

I suggest getting a spark in.

I can tell exactly from the photo, but it looks like the rcd protecting the 2 showers is rating 80A, is this correct?
Thats very border line and given the cyclic nature of the heating this rcd would be subjected to, i would be concerned that the rcd might weld after a few years.

Also, again, can't really tell, but do i see signs of burning just under the 50A mcb? If this is correct, get someone in, fairly pronto!