Part P "Shower" or just "Shower Circuit"

[JamesA]

Is the simple connection of a power shower to the circuit notifiable?
There seems some debate if its just installing the circuit, or actually connecting the shower as well.
I want to keep the cost down and thought I could get an electrician to add the spur with the 3A fuse ready to connect to. (or new cable to the consumer unit if they really insist on this).
I could do the plumbing and literally just connect the wire into the shower at the end.

The fact you seem to be allowed to do a like-for-like replacement yourself seems to suggest you should be allowed to connect it up yourself.

(Its a Triton Thermostatic Power Shower, with installation instructions saying to connect to ring main via 3A fused spur. Current show is mixer only).

Alternatively, Is it practicle to plumb the shower in first and get the electrician to connect it while they are adding the cable.

 

[JohnW2]

Is the simple connection of a power shower to the circuit notifiable? ... Its a Triton Thermostatic Power Shower, with installation instructions saying to connect to ring main via 3A fused spur.

I'm a bit confused. Are you talking about an electric shower or a shower pump? Could you please tell us the exact name/model number of this Triton product?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Echo the husky]

John, it's a 'power shower' that's a wall mounted mixer that takes in low pressure hot and cold water, and contains an electric boost pump. Usually used as a last result as the motor/pump is noisy. There is no heating element, so only a 3A supply is required.

 

[JohnW2]

John, it's a 'power shower' that's a wall mounted mixer that takes in low pressure hot and cold water, and contains an electric boost pump. Usually used as a last result as the motor/pump is noisy. There is no heating element, so only a 3A supply is required.

Thanks. That's essentially what I was assuming, being a variant of what I referred to as a 'shower pump'.

JamesA: If, as you imply, this power shower is 'new' (rather than replacement of something similar), then it's electrical connection will be a 'notifiable' job, so really needs to be done by an electrician. However, there is nothing stopping you doing the plumbing etc., but it would make sense to talk to the electrician first in order to agree, for example, on how provision is going to be made for the wiring is going to get to the unit.

Again assuming that it is 'new', the electrical circuit which feeds the shower will need to be RCD protected.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JamesA]

"Triton Thermostatic Power Shower" is the name of the basic model# TDPS200T
Triton do say you can do the plumbing first.

It does make some sense the way John describes it.
I suppose for replacements DIY-ers can reconnect it to the same cable, or at least have a safe example of how to do it to copy.

Plumbing:
Hot/Cold water for the existing mixer bar shower are further apart at the end of the mixed bar, wheareas pipe entries for new power shower are side by side.
Rear or Top entry are options. Mine is rear entry from airing cupboard behind it.
https://www.tritonshowers.co.uk/power-showers/thermostatic-power-shower.html?guides=true

 

[JohnW2]

It does make some sense the way John describes it. I suppose for replacements DIY-ers can reconnect it to the same cable, or at least have a safe example of how to do it to copy.

Thank for the clarifications. Indeed - 'replacements' of electrical equipment, anywhere, have never been notifiable, probably for the reason you mention. There is obviously scope for some debate as to where pure 'replacement' stops - e.g. if an items is slightly relocated and/or cables have to be re-routed and/or extended.

However, if there was not a similar item present previously, or if significant amounts of new wiring is involved, then there is no doubt that installing an electrical item in a shower cubicle (or over a bath) is one of the few things which (in England) is still notifiable - and it would not make financial sense for you to DIY a small notifiable job.

However, as I said, you can do all the plumbing yourself if you so wish, although it would be advisable to speak to the electrician before you do that.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

I would say near every item in England with requires notification you could put forward an argument to show it does not need it. So I would look at it this way:-
1) If house is rented use a scheme member for all electrical work, even if not legally required, you want insurance and with DIY there could be a problem.
2) Again where people are living in the house who could do some thing daft, so local authority is likely to get involved limit work to what is clearly permitted, and don't take any chances.
3) With owner occupied forget about Part P and instead look at what is safe for you to do. If you have the test gear and knowledge to use it, then just do the job. If you don't have test gear you need to do a risk assessment, is there a high chance of getting something wrong, or if you get it wrong is there a high chance of death as a result? With work on the consumer unit there is a lot higher chance a DIY person will get it wrong, and in the bathroom any errors are more likely to be fatal.

So only you know your ability, you and no one else needs to decide if you have the skill to do a good safe job. I did have a power shower fitted at my mothers until the combi-boiler was fitted. At that point the power shower became illegal and had to be removed, power showers can only draw water from a storage vessel not directly from mains supply. You also have to insure it can't expose and heating element like the immersion heater or any back-boiler which could as a result burst. The plumbing is far harder than the electric supply, so in general if you can do plumbing correctly the connecting of electric is the easy bit.

 

[JohnW2]

3) With owner occupied forget about Part P and instead look at what is safe for you to do. If you have the test gear and knowledge to use it, then just do the job. If you don't have test gear you need to do a risk assessment, is there a high chance of getting something wrong, or if you get it wrong is there a high chance of death as a result?

Whilst I sympathise with what you're saying, I don't really think it appropriate to give such 'advice'.

With work on the consumer unit there is a lot higher chance a DIY person will get it wrong, and in the bathroom any errors are more likely to be fatal.

The work under discussion is clearly in a bathroom, so I'm not really clear as to what you are, or are not, advising the OP.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ericmark]

I am saying that it is unlikely that anyone who does not work with electrics as a living has the knowledge or equipment to inspect and test their own work. So does not really matter about Part P they should not do work in areas where there is a high risk. We can all try bending the rules, i.e. designed in 2002, but what matters is if it goes wrong are you likely to kill some one. And I would say in a bathroom yes. So forget about Part P, it's not safe.

Of course there are fully qualified electricians who want to work on their own house, they have the skill and equipment, so I see no reason why they should get a scheme member to do the work for them. Had I not considered that mothers house may have been rented out I would have done all as DIY, however since it was likely it would be rented at some time I paid for a scheme member to do the work.

 

[JohnW2]

I am saying that it is unlikely that anyone who does not work with electrics as a living has the knowledge or equipment to inspect and test their own work. So does not really matter about Part P they should not do work in areas where there is a high risk.

Pragmatically, that's true. However, as far as the law (Part P) is concerned, what you are saying would equally apply to any work (whether notifiable or not), and therefore would preclude virtually all DIY electrical work. There is nothing in the law (Part P) that says that one only has to comply with the law in relation to "areas where there is a high risk".

In any event, I think you are probably confusing the issue. Assuming that this power shower is not a 'replacement', the work is clearly notifiable (a legal requirement), and I have already told the OP that this means that it would not be financially viable to DIY it (with notification) - and the OP appears to have accepted that.

Kind Regards, John