Help! Smoke is coming out my shower!

[SiHunt]

There is a smell of burning when I use my shower, and today smoke was coming out.

I'm wondering if this is since I changed a spare part in it some weeks ago, perhaps I left a connection or a wire loose? If so, would it fix the problem to open up the case and have a look to see if a stray wire might be tucked back in somewhere?

Or is this something I definately need to get a plumber to look at, and is it likely that I'll need a new shower?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Si.

 

[JohnD]

It might happen if you have a wire that was not firmly connected to its terminal. However, once a wire has got very hot, the copper is damaged by the heat and the connection will come loose again in time.

What did you recently do to the shower?

Has it got an RCD on the circuit?

 

[SiHunt]

I'm not sure about the RCD. I've never heard of one before!

I was recently replacing a valve. There is a small rubber overflow valve in the shower which is designed to burst if the showerhead gets blocked, to prevent water from building up inside the shower. Replacing it was simple, but I had to pull a few bits out to get at it, so it's possible I didn't put something back tidily.

If the wire is burnt out, can I just replace the wire or would the whole shower have to be replaced?

Si.

 

[JohnD]

If you can identify the overheated wire, you will usually find that the copper has been discoloured with heat, and possibly burnt away. So too may be the terminal. The plastic insulation may be melted. You need to cut away the discoloured part and remake the connection using fresh bright copper. If the plastic insulation has been melted you need to replace it with new plastic sleeving.

It is very important that the shower case is sealed so that no water can get to the electrical parts.

If the damage is extensive and you cannot repair it safely it may be more economical to have a new shower than to have the old one repaired.

An RCD is an electrical safety device that cuts the power in the event of an electrical fault to earth. They are widely fitted to electric shower circuits as the risks of an electric shock when you are wet and possibly touching metal pipes is worrying. You may have seen small RCD adaptors that people use with lawn mowers and other outdoor tools; but for a shower a device is usually fitted in, or next to, the consumer unit (fuse box). You can recognise it because it looks something like a large plastic switch with a push-to-test button on it.

 

[SiHunt]

Thanks for all your advice John. I know a friendly local plumber so I have asked for him to come and take a look tomorrow morning - I'm sure he'll know the best thing to do.

I find it worrying that I don't seem to have one of these RCD's (or the power would have cut out) - the shower is only a couple of years old.

Si.