my bathroom shower, and the bathroom light do not have rcd's.

[jon ccc]

Hi
I have found out that my house does not have any rcd's or rcbo's in the mains fuse box. so i need to get it replaced in may 2016, when i will have the spare cash.

reading up on the matter, i was concerned that my bathroom shower and the bathroom light do not have rcd's.
[the fuse in the mains fuse box protecting the shower is 32a, im assuming the pullcord switch for the shower is 45amp. the shower is 8.5kw triton madrid 2.]


my questions:
1. as a temporary measure to protect against surges etc. i wanted to know if i could add an rcbo to the shower circuit and an rcbo to the bathroom light circuit [put in the loft above, and not in the mains fuse board].
2. the bathroom light is a pendant type, with the bulb hanging about 2.20 metre from the floor, and 1.30metre from the shower. ive read that this is not best practise. could you link me to the right type of bathlight for the current electrical regulations

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi
I have found out that my house does not have any rcd's or rcbo's in the mains fuse box. so i need to get it replaced in may 2016, when i will have the spare cash.

When you say "need", what do you actually mean?

[the fuse in the mains fuse box protecting the shower is 32a, im assuming the pullcord switch for the shower is 45amp. the shower is 8.5kw triton madrid 2.]

32A is not large enough for an 8.5kW shower.

And it's possible that neither is the cable - you should get it looked at.

as a temporary measure to protect against surges etc. i wanted to know if i could add an rcbo to the shower circuit and an rcbo to the bathroom light circuit [put in the loft above, and not in the mains fuse board].

1. An RCBO does not provide any different "surge protection" than an MCB.
2. What kind of "surges" do you think you might experience anyway?
3. How would you install RCBOs outside a CU?
4. Why do you want to install them outside the CU?

the bathroom light is a pendant type, with the bulb hanging about 2.20 metre from the floor, and 1.30metre from the shower. ive read that this is not best practise. could you link me to the right type of bathlight for the current electrical regulations

www.bing.com/search?q=bathroom+lighting

 

[jon ccc]

• An RCBO does not provide any different "surge protection" than an MCB.
  
  
  
• What kind of "surges" do you think you might experience anyway?

thanks for replying.
would the rcbo protect against electrical shocks [ i read on this forum that the electicity from the pendant bathlight could spark or arc to someone in the shower]?
i wanted a temporary fix against possible electric shocks that i read could happen, without an rcd for the bathroom circuits.

 

[endecotp]

If you're going to replace the entire consumer unit in May, just leave it for now.

 

[Taylortwocities]

i read on this forum that the electicity from the pendant bathlight could spark or arc to someone in the shower

On this forum?? Please link to the post, it cannot originate from anybody that knows what they are talking about!
You need several thousands of volts to jump even the smallest gap, so there is nothing to concern yourself about.
If you have a pendant lamp in the bathroom, you might like to think about changing it for something that is suitable for use in the bathroom. But it is not going to suddenly bite you unless you stand in the shower remove the lamp and stuff your fingers into the socket!

i wanted a temporary fix against possible electric shocks that i read could happen

The use of RCDs is a supplementary protection against electric shock. There are lterally millions of houses, with existing installations, that do not have RCD protection on any circuit, including bathrooms. We do not read of the wholesale electrocution of innocent bathroom-users.

You are worrying unnecessarily. If you are planning to bring your electrical installation to meet the current Wiring Regulations in May then that is great - there's little point doing anything before then

 

[ban-all-sheds]

would the rcbo protect against electrical shocks

It would certainly provide a lot more protection than just an MCB.

But how and why would you install one outside the CU?

[ i read on this forum that the electicity from the pendant bathlight could spark or arc to someone in the shower]?

Not unless there is something wrong with it and they reach out and touch it.

i wanted a temporary fix against possible electric shocks that i read could happen, without an rcd for the bathroom circuits.

Lack of an RCD won't cause an electric shock.

The undersized MCB and possibly undersized cable is a more pressing concern.

 

[sparkwright]

Send pictures of your current consumer unit if you can.

You never know, we may see something that will be a cheap quick fix to your problem.

I have to say i don't like the idea of a shower that's not got RCD protection - though possibly at the time it was installed it may have been ok.

Are you certain there's no RCD at the mains protection, perhaps disguised as a main switch or something?

 

[jon ccc]

thanks folks for your help.
glad to know i was being over cautious. i will just arrange for an electrician to change the consumer unit and install a bath light in may 2016.
regarding the arcing post, i read it a month or two ago, so cant find it.


the shower cable is approx 1cm wide. this is consumer unit photo, i didnt set the camera date.
[i inherited the house from a parent, the electrics were last updated to my knowledge in the early 1980s. the triton shower was installed about six years ago]

 

[ban-all-sheds]

the shower cable is approx 1cm wide.

Hmm.

If it's 4mm², it might be OK, depending on how it's installed. But the MCB is too low a rating.

If it's 2.5mm² it is definitely not OK.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:flatpvccables

http://www.batt.co.uk/upload/files/4d5.pdf

http://electrical.theiet.org/wiring-matters/28/appendix4.cfm?type=pdf

http://itshosting.me/aaes/twin-and-earth-te/