Triton Entice 10.5Kw Electric Shower

[drew1103]

Here's one for you plumbers and sparks out there. I have the above shower fitted in my home. Over the past few weeks, we have been having difficulty in regulating the temp of the water to allow it to be used comfortably. This morning, whilst getting a shower, the unit began to smoke and there was a smell of burning coming from it. I isolated it, removed the cover and checked inside. Initially I thought the power circuit board had burned out, however, I saw that the neutral wire from the mains into the shower was blackened and melted where it enters the shower. The terminal block fitted to the unit is also charred. Could the PCB which draws the power from the mains be faulty and caused the shower to draw more current than required?

[LCDMAN]

Loose connection=high resistance=heating=burning. As a sparky I'd bet a testicle the Neutral wasn't tightened properly. Usually happens in the ceiling switch, the wires loosen when forced in, must change two burnt switches a week on average.

[drew1103]

Sounds feasible, but the cable hasn't been touched since the shower was fitted about 2 years ago. Can it work loose?

[LCDMAN]

Yes it can, especially if it wasn't exactly tight in the first place. That's why we can't use screw connections ("junction boxes") in no-access areas (hidden) where they aren't accessible for inspection and maintenance.

[ivor4781]

had that on my Gainsborough 12 kw shower fortunately i managed to replace the damaged cable and connectors

[drew1103]

To be honest, now I think about it, I replaced the neon mains switch for the shower, which is on the landing a few months ago, I wonder if I've disturbed the cable? I'll check tomorrow. Thanks for the advice.

[drew1103]

Checked the common connections, removed the cable, put it back, tightened securely and ran the shower for several minutes. No issues so far.