Fitting a shower

[peterduckett]

I have been looking into having an electric shower fitted 9.8KW and need to run a new cable from the CU to the shower (old shower is just a pump and off ring main)

Now i need to get a spark in to do this as i will need 10mm cable running 3 meters in a wall possibly in cavity
(is this a problem as this is already done for other circuits?)
4 meters in attic probably clipped to the joist to raise it above insulation as much as possible

My main problem is my consumer unit is an old 60amp 6way which is full. Also I'm pretty sure the service fuse is also 60amp as it states on the holder.
so I need a new consumer unit or Shower CU
(There is already on individual one for the cooker though the input have been feed directly into the meter along with the meter tails guessing this is a problem)

Now the questions

I'm guessing I need a new consumer unit or would be advisable, can I have a bigger one installed with I the intention of migrating the circuits later.

How easy is it to get British Gas to to up the fuse and install an isolation switch into the meter tails as i don't fancy trying to organise the fuse being pulled and put back in. Is their a charge?

Do they test the circuit when they do this as i'm guessing they could condemn this

Any Advise much appreciated

 

[Aragorn84]

How to you mean the cooker is connected to the meter directly?

Do you mean that there are two tails coming out of the meter, with one set going to the main box and the other going to the Cooker CU?

A pic might help here.

The usual approach would be one set of tails from the meter to a service block, then split to each CU from there, but the shower CU fitted here has just been connected directly to the meter as i think your describing.

If there are two tails (and subject to them being correctly fitted and of the correct size etc) then one approach might be to remove the existing cooker CU, and fit a larger unit, to which you can then connect both the shower and the cooker to.

 

[peterduckett]

If there are two tails (and subject to them being correctly fitted and of the correct size etc) then one approach might be to remove the existing cooker CU, and fit a larger unit, to which you can then connect both the shower and the cooker to.

At work so cant post picture at the moment but what looks like has happened the the previous owner (was a sparky go figure) has forced the additional tails into the meter along side the existing meter tails (I.e same hole and it don't look big enough as i can see exposed copper)

sounds like an approach i wish to take fit henley blocks to two consumer units for the immediate future but how much does an isolator cost to fit? and also I'm guessing i would need to get a spark in as i guess they would not be too happy about the meter tails and probably wont connect the cooker back up

 

[Aragorn84]

Just get a spark to fit the isolator and do it all at the same time.

I think its a bit of an unwritten rule that they'll just pull the service fuse and get on with it instead of messing around waiting on the DNO to come and remove the fuse.

I'm sure someone else will be able to confirm that either way.

 

[kkynaston]

as i can see exposed copperp

Can you get us a picture of the fuseboards? Sounds like you need a sparky in to sort out the tails at the very least before you even think of anything else.

Unfortunately if you have seen work like this at the meter then it might be an idea to get a PIR of the whole installation.