Electric Shower fitting

Weyhey

Triton t90si shower keeps tripping. Sometimes it trips 15 mins after shower has been turned off.

It was already in the house since people moved in over 5 years ago so going to look at probably replacing with T90sr. After reading lots of threads it seems its best to get this 'fitted properly' and prices vary a lot so I have a few questions:

When looking for a fitter do I just need to double check with them that the fitting with be 'fully certified' ? What sort of cert am I looking for?

How do I know if the current shower is mains or tank fed? (It's in a part of the house that used to be a type of granny flat).

There is no pull cord for the shower but there is a mains switch outside of the bathroom - is this ok?

Any advice greatfully appreciated.

EHP

T90 is a tank fed shower. By law only a registered Electrical contractor (REC) can complete the electrical connection to the the shower and when completed the REC has to issue you with a safe electric cert 3. Be prepared to have to get the shower rewired from the fuse board 90 percent of shower replacements we complete require the cable supplying the shower to be changed from 6sq to 10sq. The main switch outside the door is ok but I would replace it when changing the shower.

Lenar3556

EHP wrote: »

T90 is a tank fed shower. By law only a registered Electrical contractor (REC) can complete the electrical connection to the the shower and when completed the REC has to issue you with a safe electric cert 3. Be prepared to have to get the shower rewired from the fuse board 90 percent of shower replacements we complete require the cable supplying the shower to be changed from 6sq to 10sq. The main switch outside the door is ok but I would replace it when changing the shower.

Direct replacement of a shower would probably come under the minor works category - no statutory requirement that the electrical element be carried out by a registered electrical contractor.

meercat

Lenar3556 wrote: »

Direct replacement of a shower would probably come under the minor works category - no statutory requirement that the electrical element be carried out by a registered electrical contractor.

That’s not correct
Only a rec is permitted to do electrical work in a bathroom.

EHP

Lenar3556 wrote: »

Direct replacement of a shower would probably come under the minor works category - no statutory requirement that the electrical element be carried out by a registered electrical contractor.

Everything within zones 1 and 2 in a bathroom fall under part 7 which make them restricted works that only a REC can complete. This has been clarified by the CRU.

listermint

Ask in the plumbing forum you'll get better understanding and response to costs.

Lenar3556

EHP wrote: »

Everything within zones 1 and 2 in a bathroom fall under part 7 which make them restricted works that only a REC can complete. This has been clarified by the CRU.

I stand corrected, and thank you!

alan4cult

Also, upgrading the cable would require accessing the board so I think this non minor works applies to any circuit here.

Weyhey

Thanks you all. Great advice as always.

tscul32

Just an add on question. Planning on the same here, replacing a T90si with a T90sr. Any ballpark for what I can expect to pay, not including the shower itself. The old one is there since before we moved in nearly 10 years ago so by the sounds of it that cabling mentioned would probably need to be replaced too.

EHP

tscul32 wrote: »

Just an add on question. Planning on the same here, replacing a T90si with a T90sr. Any ballpark for what I can expect to pay, not including the shower itself. The old one is there since before we moved in nearly 10 years ago so by the sounds of it that cabling mentioned would probably need to be replaced too.

Loads of variables but I would estimate around €500 to €600 plus Vat. Assumption would be almost a days work, 10 to 15 meters 10sq cable, rcbo and new chord switch.

tscul32

EHP wrote: »

Loads of variables but I would estimate around €500 to €600 plus Vat. Assumption would be almost a days work, 10 to 15 meters 10sq cable, rcbo and new chord switch.

Thanks - that's a lot! Is that figure much higher because of the cabling? How much would just swapping the unit be? We actually had a chord switch installed a few years ago when we replaced much of the bathroom, left the shower where it was though. But the builders said we needed a chord switch and put one in. Don't know if cabling was done at that time too. Had even forgotten about the chord.
Thanks for your help.

Sleeper12

tscul32 wrote: »

Thanks - that's a lot! Is that figure much higher because of the cabling? How much would just swapping the unit be? We actually had a chord switch installed a few years ago when we replaced much of the bathroom, left the shower where it was though. But the builders said we needed a chord switch and put one in. Don't know if cabling was done at that time too. Had even forgotten about the chord.
Thanks for your help.

Just to put that into context. Dedicated shower repair companies in the Dublin will send out plumber & electrician To do a full installation from scratch, plumbing & electrics, (not just a replacement) for 750/850 euro for the average home. This includes all materials inc shower, VAT & cert. They will get the job done in 2 to 3 hours & sometimes in hour & a half on an easy job. When you have dedicated companies doing 2 & 3 of these in a day obviously they get through it a lot quicker than someone that would do a few per year. They also get materials cheaper if buying 50 or 100 showers at a time compared to buying 1 shower from the suppliers