Dangers of DIY installations

Only last week one of our team noticed an odd smell and a strange noise coming from her electric shower at home. As it only lasted a few seconds she thought nothing of it. As the week progressed, the noise, the lack of power in the shower and the smell became more prominent until she decided that further investigation was needed. By first isolating the shower’s circuit then removing the front panel casing, our team member was met with the following sight.

Much to her horror, the wires had burnt through burning the inside of the front panel in the process. As she didn’t know if the previous homeowner had fitted the unit or if professional had done it, it was important to get a trained electrician to rectify the problem.

This kind of burn out is quite common in home fitted / DIY installations and emphasises the importance of getting a qualified domestic installer to correctly fit a shower unit in a property.

One recent question on the Electrical Training Forum was on this exact topic. Phil Collingwood asked, ‘Do I need to be a qualified electrician to replace an electric shower?’ In short, to undertake the installation of electric showers you need to be a competent registered person complying with ‘Part P’ of the building regulations. Read the full electrical training forum discussion on electric showers.

To obtain the required Part P qualification, you need to complete a full week course such as the Logic Part P, Full Scope VRQ Level 2 Training Course held by PASS Training in Stockton. This is an essential qualification for anyone wanting to undertake domestic installation work and comply with building regulation legislation.