Why do my lights dim when i turn on the electric shower even though it has its own circuit breaker?
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Answers:
in essence there isn't sufficent power to supply the shower and other appliances coming into your doemstc supply.
A shower draws around 8..12 Kw (a heck of a lot of power, a kettle is around 2..3 Kw). so when you turn it on other devices will suffer reduced current, if there is insufficent.available.
it doens't matter if its on its own circuit (and it should be), you are being limited by whats coming into the house.
Where I live we get a consistent drop in voltage from 220 to around 200v for 2 hours each night at 10:30, which gives similar symptoms to waht you are suggesting.
Needless to say the power grid deny its a supply fault or a problem.
I dont know but this has happened in every house ive ever been in, is it not just normal??
Even though the shower has it's own circut, you are reducing the overall amperage available to the whole house.
Cos it's more sexy??
when you turn your shower on, its the equivalent of flicking on the electric chair... showers draw LOTS of current, almost to the maximum capacity of the wiring, this sucks the power away from everything else for a second... and its normal...
mines is the same i thought it was normal
The shower must have a pump motor that draws a lot of current when it starts and then tapers off when it gets up to speed. When a lot of current goes through a small resistance, it causes a voltage drop that reduces the voltage available to the lights in your house. You may have a resistive connection between your breaker panel and the transformer that feeds your house. If the dimming is very significant, I would have it checked by an electrician, because electric current flowing through a resistance causes heat. Could be a fire hazard.
A number of possibilities:
1. The house supply cable is too small. There are still some old houses with 10sq mm supply. Many still have 16sq mm which may be a little strained, depending on distance and other loading.
2. Incoming supply is poorly connected to the consumer unit. Screws may need tightening to ensure a good connection.
3. There may be other high load appliances in use in the house. Candidates are cooker, immersion heater and electric heating.
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