by chris_on_tour2002 »
Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:13 am
i am not necessarily suggesting that running the shower off 5 amp lighting circuit is best practice and might even be a reg that does not permit it if you were to look hard enough. i'm just saying that's how i did it for practical reasons.
but then if ALL circuits in your house, including lighting circuits, are RCD protected then i can't see why it would be a problem. if in any doubt there would be no harm using an RCD fused spur.
only thing is if someone were to work on it they would not expect it to be spurred from the lighting loop. though the 1.5mm cable ought to be a clue and a competent person should ensure the power is isolated anyway.
the shower works fine (mostly) and mostly pleased with it. we paid the extra to get the push button operator that sits outside the cubicle so you can turn it on without getting cold and wet! well worth the extra 50 quid a great little gizmo. you can even pay an extra £100 and get a remote control so you can turn it on and set the temp from your bed before you get up! a touch exuberant for my liking.
occasionally the shower struggles, by that i mean it reduces to a trickle when trying to get to temperature. usually a switch off and on again remedies it, though occasionally i have to turn the box off to reset it to get it working again (which i do from the CU as it's easier than going up into the loft! another advantage of having it on the lighting loop is that no sockets are interrupted).
i put this minor issue down to the fact that i'm running if off a combi so i don't get fantastic pressure but it's ok. and it also means that the boost button doesn't do much - a bit of extra pressure but it's no power shower. keep meaning to contact the supplier about it to see if they can advise but frankly i can't be bothered. really just a sporadic inconvenience. overall very pleased with it.
i'd say these showers work best off a pump, but then so do most.