Yes that. There's no need to isolate the shower between uses, it doesn't use any power on standby.
Shower pull cord blowing fuse in consumer unit - pics
- Thread starter MattB83
- Start date
Sponsored Links
Hahaha!
Only for the last 30 years!
Show us some photos of your consumer unit (fusebox) please.
This is a rented house, is it?
I've got a Wylex rewireable fusebox and installed such MCBs. When the flat above sprang a leak which got into my lighting circuit, it was a darn site easier to flick the MCB back on than to rewire a fuse. (You do need to use the complete unit, i.e. you need to use a screwdriver to remove the "back panel".)
Cheers - I'm assuming this is a straightforward process of knocking the power off and removing and replacing each back panel in turn. I wondered about the 30A fuse as the closest switch seems to be a 32A.
Sponsored Links
Yes, 32A replaces the old 30A fuse.
6A breaker replaces 5A fuse.
6A breaker replaces 5A fuse.
it may help a lot.
They are an alternative to a fuse.
Buying them for an old fusebox is a total waste of money.
They are not an upgrade, they are not safer, they do not provide any additional protection of any kind.
Their only 'benefit' is that they can be reset more easily then replacing a fuse - but as fuses should fail rarely or never, that is not a benefit either.
The fuse shown previously has obvious signs of overheating, which will have overheated the the connections in the fusebox itself.
Unless your shower is 7kW or less, a 30A fuse or 32A circuit breaker is not suitable.
From an internet search it looks like 9.5kW. what size fuse should it be?
Sir will be wanting a 40A OPD for that one. Sir is also on sketchy ground if it is wired in 6mm- cable installation method is critical (worst case is running in the middle of loft insulation)
It's probably around 30 years old.
It's a metalclad, and has the original RCD so, by the standards of the time, it was probably a better quality installation than average.
But times have moved on, and @flameport makes correct points. Save up for an all-round modernisation.
In the past, I have had a similar ones with the MCBs, and it was more convenient on the very rare occasions that an electric iron had a flex that wore out and shorted (I don't remember any other fault that caused a trip*), and in those days, inspection reports would often say that rewireable fuses were unsuitable (because they didn't trust users not to use thick wire, as happened in your home). Cartridge fuses are inconvenient because householders seldom have a spare set of new ones and are tempted to make dangerous bodges.
If there is any risk that some numbskull might make a bodge with a bit of wire again, MCBs will probably avoid it.
Note also that your RCD is rated at 63A max for the whole house, so if you have an electric shower and some electric heaters or an electric cooker, it might be overloaded and damaged. As far as I can see your CU was built for max 30A/32A fuses/MCBs so it was not designed for an electric shower with a load greater than 7.5kW, and a modern electric shower will typically need more than that. Hence your fuse blowing and the contacts being overheated. Another factor driving you towards a rewire. If funds are short, you could start by upgrading the shower circuit and putting it as the only circuit in a new, additional CU with space for other circuits to be migrated later.
*although in those days, the old incandescent "filament" bulbs could cause the lighting circuits to trip, especially if it was a spotlight.
It's a metalclad, and has the original RCD so, by the standards of the time, it was probably a better quality installation than average.
But times have moved on, and @flameport makes correct points. Save up for an all-round modernisation.
In the past, I have had a similar ones with the MCBs, and it was more convenient on the very rare occasions that an electric iron had a flex that wore out and shorted (I don't remember any other fault that caused a trip*), and in those days, inspection reports would often say that rewireable fuses were unsuitable (because they didn't trust users not to use thick wire, as happened in your home). Cartridge fuses are inconvenient because householders seldom have a spare set of new ones and are tempted to make dangerous bodges.
If there is any risk that some numbskull might make a bodge with a bit of wire again, MCBs will probably avoid it.
Note also that your RCD is rated at 63A max for the whole house, so if you have an electric shower and some electric heaters or an electric cooker, it might be overloaded and damaged. As far as I can see your CU was built for max 30A/32A fuses/MCBs so it was not designed for an electric shower with a load greater than 7.5kW, and a modern electric shower will typically need more than that. Hence your fuse blowing and the contacts being overheated. Another factor driving you towards a rewire. If funds are short, you could start by upgrading the shower circuit and putting it as the only circuit in a new, additional CU with space for other circuits to be migrated later.
*although in those days, the old incandescent "filament" bulbs could cause the lighting circuits to trip, especially if it was a spotlight.
The No.3 fuse shows signs of overheating on the outside of the case, and the cable from it appears to be burnt.
New consumer unit time.
New consumer unit time.
That is shocking, bet he carries a roll of Tin foil around with him to. Old trick people use in emergency, however it could create a bigger emergency.
Also not sure which fuse you have it connected to but none of those cables even look like a 6mm. Definately need to establish for certain the kw rating of shower It will say probably on the inside of shower. Then confirm the cable size installed also. Even worse if its a long run or well insulated.
Also not sure which fuse you have it connected to but none of those cables even look like a 6mm. Definately need to establish for certain the kw rating of shower It will say probably on the inside of shower. Then confirm the cable size installed also. Even worse if its a long run or well insulated.
Last edited:
It's probably around 30 years old.
It's a metalclad, and has the original RCD so, by the standards of the time, it was probably a better quality installation than average.
But times have moved on, and @flameport makes correct points. Save up for an all-round modernisation.
In the past, I have had a similar ones with the MCBs, and it was more convenient on the very rare occasions that an electric iron had a flex that wore out and shorted (I don't remember any other fault that caused a trip*), and in those days, inspection reports would often say that rewireable fuses were unsuitable (because they didn't trust users not to use thick wire, as happened in your home). Cartridge fuses are inconvenient because householders seldom have a spare set of new ones and are tempted to make dangerous bodges.
If there is any risk that some numbskull might make a bodge with a bit of wire again, MCBs will probably avoid it.
Note also that your RCD is rated at 63A max for the whole house, so if you have an electric shower and some electric heaters or an electric cooker, it might be overloaded and damaged. As far as I can see your CU was built for max 30A/32A fuses/MCBs so it was not designed for an electric shower with a load greater than 7.5kW, and a modern electric shower will typically need more than that. Hence your fuse blowing and the contacts being overheated. Another factor driving you towards a rewire. If funds are short, you could start by upgrading the shower circuit and putting it as the only circuit in a new, additional CU with space for other circuits to be migrated later.
*although in those days, the old incandescent "filament" bulbs could cause the lighting circuits to trip, especially if it was a spotlight.
Thanks for all that information. Interestingly we had an electrician in when we first moved in and I was asking about a rewire which he said we didn't need, but suggested a new consumer unit and 10mm earth cable. If we got a new consumer unit, would the whole shower circuit need to be changed rather than just switched over to the new unit? The shower itself is pretty ancient - I'm guessing from the info the previous owners gave me about 12 years old. Assuming we've got away with it for 2 years because we don't ever use it on anything like max heat?
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
