The shower cord no longer switches off and there has been a smell of burning. The wiring looks a little bit burnt in the box.Can I just buy a replacement fitting and wire it in? Thanks

A bathroom/shower is classed as a special location undr the 17 th edition wiring regulations and therefore any works should be carried out by an electrician who can certify the work under part P. regards Terry.

I would be calling on a qualified electrician to investigate why its burning. always better to be safe than sorry.

If the shower circuit cable is burnt it really should be tested by an electrician to ensure taht the overall insulation resistance between each conductor is good enough for the circuit to remain in use. if the insulation is badly damaged it may need to be rewired if it fails such a test. Whilst a competent DIY-er could probably change the switch for a new one, strictly speaking a Minor Electrical Works Certificate should be issued by the electrician who changes the switch and ensures that its safe for continued use.

if theres enough cable cut the cables back a bit and then wire to new fitting make sure all connections are tight as loose connections are dangerous

No, please do not try to repair this yourself. If the cables are blackened there is a problem that needs checking by a part P qualified electrician. All works in bathrooms are reportable. Kind Regards Nick

Only a stupid Handyman will tell you to try and get this done yourself. The size of the cable need to be confirmed first you need to know why the cable is burning down. A diffrent part of the cable may be burning down your house at the same time. My God - this site really expose the quality of Handymen who call themselfs electrican.

Sarah , in a word NO is the answer . This sounds like the switch has burnt out and would need replacing by somebody qualified to do so . The question is why is the wiring burnt , chances are the size of the cable is not adaquate for the size of the shower it is suppling . The larger the shower (KW rating) the larger the diameter of the cable required and also the larger the fuse/mcb required to protect that circuit . there are many factors to be considered which is why you should employ the services of a qualified person even if its just for advice . Thanks wayne soppitt ( WPS Electrical Services ) .

I would suggest an electrician as a shower switch can be tricky to change due to the size of the cables,also it is very important the cables are connected correctly and are tight otherwise you will have the same problem. Also an electrician will be able to tell you why the fault has occurred,it may be possible the cable was loose which has resulted in it burning in the switch or there is also a possibilty the shower is to powerful for the cable installed - ie: a 9.5kw shower on a 6.0 t+e cable will result in the same problem you have at the minute. Thanks David @ Woodfield Electrical :-)

hi there there could be two possible reasons why the fitting and wire is burnt 1 there may have been a loose connection. this causes overheating at the connections 2 the cable powering the shower may be of insufficient in size this would also cause overheating my advise is is to get an electrician, you rather pay around £40- £70 than to put yourself in danger the problem is caused due to a problem and you need to have the problem looked at. changing the fitting may only hide the danger but not solve it regards israr

with the power off. check to see if the terminals are loose which would explain the arching in the box. if they are all tight the there will be another reason and it's time to get a full elec test carried out

Yes, however best get this checked out incase there is a fault in your wiring. e.g bare cable. kind regards Gary 2 Core Electrics

no you need to have the system checked by a local electrician for any faults for your own safety

yes straight forward exchange try to get the same fitting then you wont have to change the back box good luck john

Hi Sarah, in my opinion you should get the installation looked at by a local 'qualified' electrician. As others have stated, it may simply be a case of 'arcing' when connections are loose but there could be other problems, the most likely and often seen when coming out to similar call outs, is that a shower that has too large a rating is being used with a cable that is too small, sometimes this is coupled with an mcb in the consumer unit that has too high a rating so it doesn't cut out when the problem arises. I would urge you to take the safety first approach and get it checked out, the electrician can test the cabling and make sure that the rest of it is not compromised and check the ratings of all the equipment (shower, cable, mcb) to ensure that they are all suited for the job. I hope this helps, Simon.