Shower in new build house, wire thickness?

Hi Steven

All wiring has to comply with 17th edition. The size of the cable would normally be matched to the rating of the appliance. Cable is sized according to the cross sectional area (csa) of one conductor. The standardised sizes of T&E in the UK are 1.0mm2, 1.5mm2, 2.5mm2, 4.0mm2, 6.0mm2, 10.0mm2 and 16.0mm2.

Shower circuits would normally be wired in 6.0mm2 or 10.0mm2 and I would have thought preference for 10.0mm2 on new builds. (It would be highly unlikely that the wire is 16.0mm2).

If you can see sufficient of the grey sheath the size is usually embossed on it. The rating of the shower will be on a label inside the unit.

As for preference of shower electric versus combi, personally I prefer combi as it gives a reasonable pressure. Electric showers can be improved with the addition of a pump but the rating of the shower would need to be high (I would say 9.0kW plus) to ensure it can heat the water fast enough on a pump. Without a pump the electric shower is reliant on the cold water pressure entering the property. Higher wattage showers (above 9.0kW heat the water more efficiently but need properly designed circuits to allow higher rated units to be installed. The highest rated shower, 10.5kW is usually classedas a 50A circuit.

Regards

Likely to be

 

since when have you been able to use a pump on an electric shower up ???

 

I assumed you could, Chris. Triton sell one that has a built-in pump so I just assumed you could. S'pose I could be wrong. I am sometimes.

 

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/products.jsp?id=41109&ts=34545

Tank fed, and has pump inside unit Un.

 

JP: is that really you? If so, why have you had to re-register here?


Lucia x

 

I think it is the real JP Lucia as I notice he refered to unphased as UN, I think most of us here shorten it to UP?

 

That’s not an electric shower. It’s a power shower, which is a totally different thing.

 

*
pumped shower, tank fed 9.5 kw

[Edited by: admin]

 

I would think the integral pump shower such as Wally mentions has an accurately matched pump/flow/element combination. I reckon a standard shower pump would probably pass too much water for the available heat source, only a guess as i've never tried putting a pump on an electric shower!

 

That's a dear price for a redring, but I guess they don't sell many and so they got you by the balls.

 

Hi Lucia and Sen. Tried signing in a while back with JP. using my E-Mail address which is my Screwfix account E-Mail and it would not work (it use to) So I just used my other E-Mail address and wrote out new account details and it all works fine now. Anyway I wish you both a very pleasant afternoon.

 

you cant pump lectric showers you nuggets, obviously one designed with a pump in it is a different matter but have you seen the size of the ugly *

[Edited by: admin]

 

Wouldn't say that there ugly WK. Extremely practical, and they give a good flow rate. Very happy with the one I fitted in my bathroom.

 

Don't know why admin has knocked my link off, didn't think screwfix sold this type of shower

 

you can fit a pump to feed an electric shower or multiple electric showers if you wish.

pump has to be negative head i believe

you cant fit pump ont mains water tho must be tank fed