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There is a lot of confusion
and potential problems with electric showers, especially when it comes to
replacing that old inefficient model that been installed in your bathroom
for the last ** years
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Firstly showers have become
a lot more powerful (power hungry) since that old unit was installed
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The power output of a shower
is usually measured in Kw (Kilo Watts) often marked up as 8.5Kw (requires
up to 8,500 watts of power) a lot more power than the average 60 watt light
bulb.
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Old shower units would
rarely be rated above 7.5Kw
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Most old showers would have
been put in with 6mm twin and earth cable, and protected by a 32Amp fuse.
This is fine for the lower rated showers (commonly less that 7.5Kw)
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However when you browse most
D.I.Y. stores they offer a lot higher rated showers, up to and beyond
10.5Kw.
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This is where most problems
start, the shower looks a bargain at that sale price, but if its above
7.5Kw and the cable is only 6mm with a 32Amp fuse there are a lot of other
costs to take into account.
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Commonly showers above the
7.5Kw rating mark will require a larger size cable (10mm twin and earth)
and a larger fuse (40Amp) also the pull switch/Isolation switch that will
have to be rated at 40Amp or larger.
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It is not possible to say how
much extra this will cost, but this can be priced for on an individual
basis, taking into account the length of new cable (dependant on the route
from the consumer unit to the shower) new fuse (if current consumer unit
allows the larger rated fuse) any other materials and labour.
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As a general work of caution,
it is not advisable to have more than one electric showers in a domestic
property, as they are commonally around 40Amps and if you add up your
usage, 32 to 40 Amps for an average domestic cooker 40 Amps for the shower,
it doesn't leave much change from your 100 Amp domestis supply
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Finally, the other point worth noting is that
I'm not a plumber, nor would I claim to be, and although I would use basic
compression joints, there is often a requirement for a plumber to do a
professional job, which of course means additional costs.
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Not bad for a shower bought in the
sales for a very good price !
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