Electrical showers

An electric shower heats the water as it flows, so it draws a lot of current, often between 8.5kW and 10.5kW. It needs its own circuit from the consumer unit, a cable sized for the shower's rating, RCD protection, and a pull-cord or wall isolator outside the shower area. Most of our shower work is one of three jobs. The first is replacing an old shower like for like, where we check the existing cable and protective device can take the new unit's rating. The second is upgrading to a more powerful shower, which often means a new, heavier cable back to the consumer unit. The third is a new shower where there was none, which needs a new circuit run and certified. We also repair showers that have stopped heating, keep tripping the electrics, or have a scorched isolator or terminal block. A burning smell or brown marks around the isolator switch mean the circuit is overheating and should not be used until it is checked. Every new or altered shower circuit is tested and certified. The price depends mainly on whether the existing cable can be reused or a new circuit is needed, how far the bathroom is from the consumer unit and how the cable can be routed. Send a photo of the shower's rating label, the isolator switch and the consumer unit, and tell us the kW rating of any new shower you plan to buy.