9.5 KW shower

[miffy]

new to this forum and I would like some help PLEASE!

I have had a new 9.5Kw shower installed by my bathroom fitter. He ran a piece of 10mm cable from the shower to the 45amp switch

He then told me that the original shower was wired in 6mm cable from the fuse board to the switch, "this is DANGEROUS to run your new shower with" he said.

I then contacted a local electrician who informed me that because the run is only about 10Mtrs from the fuse box and run through the floor void, the 6mm2 cable would be suficiant but I would have to replace the 30amp wired fuse in my wylex board with a 40amp MCB or an RCD for safety.

We have just bought the house and had the hole house re-decorated top to bottom and the bathroom was the last room to be done We only changed the shower because the other packed up. We don't want to start chasing walls and re decorating if we can help it.

Who is right who is wrong the bathroom fitter or the electrician

Please help before i pay out more money

 

[andy]

depends on length. but 6mm is usualy OK for 9.5KW, providing it isnt thru insulation.

go with the electrician. after all, he knows more about electricity than a fitter

 

[breezer]

but it will limit the size /choice of shower you can have when this one gives up

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Your shower will be drawing 40 amps or so, and 6mm cable in free air is rated at 47A. This rating comes down if it's buried or insulated, though, and as you talk about chasing the walls that implies it is buried..

But if your electrician has checked it (and assuming he wasn't a cowboy) he'll have taken this into account.

He's right about the 40A MCB, and you need an RCD as well - get him to come and fit a separate shower unit.

The next time you decorate, take the opportunity to replace the cable with 10mm² cable, so that next time you replace the shower you can have a bigger one if you want.

Wow - look at that - covered both the points that were made while I was typing this...

 

[breezer]

Wow - look at that - covered both the points that were made while I was typing this...

you type too slow

 

[ban-all-sheds]

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[ban-all-sheds]

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