Power showers?

[sportbunny]

I'm in the process of replacing my electric shower and wanted to put a 10.5kw shower in but my installation guy reckons I probably have 6mm wiring and therefore can only go upto 8.5kw. Is this true?

[smudge]

We look forward to the replies on this one as we are about to replace ours with a power shower oo. Can't wait to get it installed, especially after this hot, humid spell. Good luck!

[smudge]

*too

[secretspirit]

Sorry I can't give a precise answer but usually if the appliance is too high powered for the existing circuits the electrician can put in an extra trip switch on your fuse board so the system can take it.

[boognish76]

Yes, it is true. The more powerful your shower, the thicker the wiring you will need.

[Toffee]

Speaking as someone who has suffered a fire in the fusebox as a direct result of having a too highly powered new shower fitted, you can't be too careful -- and ours was fitted by an electrician.

[Tweed]

Strictly speaking you should go up to 10mm squared as typical 6mm house wiring (T&E) has a recommended maximum load capacity (according to IEE 16th ed.) of somewhere between 38 and 43 amps depending on conditions. This is a safe figure, based on continuous current flow. A 10.5kW shower at 230V runs at about 45 amps, for about 10 mins each time. Secretspirit's answer is totally incorrect. A trip switch only detects earth leakage, but the shower must be connected to one. Also, a power shower only uses a small current to operate the pump and does not heat the water.