Consumer Unit Question - Electric Shower

[junglistmatty]

At some point before we bought the house, the previous owners had the bathroom renovated and I assume they replaced an electric shower with a boiler-fed shower; I have a couple of questions:

1. In the hallway on the wall outside the bathroom there is a 1-gang blanking plate covering some terminated wires? It looks like there is some sort of small plastic thing pushed onto the cable ends which are covered in electrical tape. Is this safe?

2. In the consumer unit, I noticed there's a switch labelled "Shower", should that switch have been removed when the electric shower was removed and replaced with a boiler-fed shower?

 

[securespark]

It looks like they have left the cable as it is in the consumer unit and terminated the conductors at the switch position outside the bathroom.

I have done the same thing here in our en-suite. We had an electric shower but when the en-suite was upgraded, we took that away and replaced it with a boiler-fed thermostatic shower unit. I left the cable in-situ so that in future it can be used if desired.

As long as the cables are safely terminated, I can't see an issue. You could disconnect at the CU if you wanted to.

 

[junglistmatty]

Thanks - If it's safe it's not a big problem for us; my wife doesn't like having an unsightly blanking plate about 2/3 of the way up the wall in the middle of the hallway landing

If I have the switch removed from the CU, can the cable be left in situ and the blanking plate covered up? I assume you can label the cable ends as "NOT USED" (or something) in case someone comes along and discovers a random cable in the wall?

 

[EFLImpudence]

If I have the switch removed from the CU, can the cable be left in situ and the blanking plate covered up?

No.
The switch is irrelevant.

What do you mean by cover up the blanking plate - with what?

If you want to remove the blanking plate and bury the cable in the wall, then you must disconnect the cable from the CU.

I assume you can label the cable ends as "NOT USED" (or something) in case someone comes along and discovers a random cable in the wall?

Well, how do you propose to do that not knowing where a person might discover the cable?

You should, at both ends of the cable, connect all three wires together in one terminal block so that it is obvious that it is not being - and cannot be - used.

 

[junglistmatty]

If you want to remove the blanking plate and bury the cable in the wall, then you must disconnect the cable from the CU.

Thanks, this is what I meant -- If the cable is disconnected at the CU (and it's wires connected in a terminal block), can the MCB can then be removed from the CU?

Well, how do you propose to do that not knowing where a person might discover the cable?

You should, at both ends of the cable, connect all three wires together in one terminal block so that it is obvious that it is not being - and cannot be - used.

Thanks, that clearly answers my question (how do you safely indicate a cable is not being used).

 

[EFLImpudence]

Thanks, this is what I meant -- If the cable is disconnected at the CU (and it's wires connected in a terminal block), can the MCB can then be removed from the CU?

It could but there is no point; you would have to fit a blank.

Just change the label to "Spare".

Thanks, that clearly answers my question (how do you safely indicate a cable is not being used).

Well, if someone looks at the ends, they will see the wires joined together.

If someone were to drill through the cable in the wall along its length, then they could use a multimeter to show that the wires are not live and all connected together.

Of course if the cable is not buried in the wall anywhere but just runs through the loft then you can remove it.

 

[Risteard]

It looks like they have left the cable as it is in the consumer unit and terminated the conductors at the switch position outside the bathroom.

I have done the same thing here in our en-suite. We had an electric shower but when the en-suite was upgraded, we took that away and replaced it with a boiler-fed thermostatic shower unit. I left the cable in-situ so that in future it can be used if desired.

As long as the cables are safely terminated, I can't see an issue. You could disconnect at the CU if you wanted to.

Although if left connected, then presuming that it is in a galvanised flush backbox then the cpc absolutely must be connected to the backbox.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Note that at the CU, you must remove both the live and the neutral to fully disconnect the circuit.

 

[Risteard]

Note that at the CU, you must remove both the live and the neutral to fully disconnect the circuit.

Live and live.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It was for a DIYer who likely doesn't speak electric gobbledegook.

'Line' is a stupid word to use.

Why did they change it? At least 'phase' was sensible.

 

[Risteard]

It was for a DIYer who likely doesn't speak electric gobbledegook.

'Line' is a stupid word to use.

Why did they change it? At least 'phase' was sensible.

I prefer the term phase.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I prefer the term phase.

It’s just a phase you’re going through…