New shower with existing 6mm cable

[westolly]

Hi i'm really sorry but can someone please confirm is the maximum kw for a shower with a 6mm cable an 8.5kw or can we go higher.

 

[davy_owen_88]

Give us info on the cable run (insulation, conduit, trunking, distance etc.) and we can give you more accurate advice.

 

[Steve]

why are you sorry?

 

[mikej2005]

Hi i'm really sorry but can someone please confirm is the maximum kw for a shower with a 6mm cable an 8.5kw or can we go higher.

Some advice here : http://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/wps/...e+To+Water+Systems/Electric/Electric+Showers/

"The size of cable required is determined by the kW rating of the shower, the distance between the shower and the consumer unit and the way the cable is to be fitted.

The minimum size will be 6mm2 but in some cases 10mm2 or larger will be required. For showers rated above 8kW a minimum cable size of 10mm2 is strongly recommended"

 

[mikej2005]

...and : http://www.plumbingpages.com/featurepages/StritonInstadvice.cfm

"The cable size must also be considered, depending on the product and site conditions. It is now recognised as good practice to install 9.5kw and 10.5kw rated showers on a minimum cable size of 10 mm squared."

Amazing what a quick Google search will show up !

The 9.5kw electric shower at my last house was on a 6mm2 cable, but it looks like it might be better to play it safe these days and stick to the 8.5kw shower you mention. Either that or upgrade your cable which might be preferable as I can't imagine that the flow rate from an 8.5kw shower will be that great.

 

[securespark]

My general rule of thumb is up to 8.5 on 6, anything more is 10.