Electric Shower Tripping the Electrics
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Post a job — we'll find you an engineer →An electric shower that trips the electrics has a potentially dangerous fault. Do not continue to use the shower and reset the trip repeatedly. Call a qualified electrician or Part P plumber-electrician to investigate.
An electric shower tripping the RCD or RCBO is a sign of a serious electrical fault — typically water ingress into the shower unit, a failed heating element, or a wiring fault. The trip is a safety mechanism preventing electrocution. Do not repeatedly reset and use the shower until the fault has been found.
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Most likely cause & what to check
Note when the trip occurs — at the moment of switching on, after a few minutes of use, or randomly during use. Each pattern suggests a different fault: tripping on switch-on suggests a dead short; tripping after use suggests a thermal or element fault; random tripping suggests water ingress or an intermittent fault.
Check the shower unit for signs of water ingress — remove the cover and look for water stains, corrosion, or visible moisture on the circuit board or heating element. If water has got in, the unit needs replacing.
A qualified electrician will use an insulation resistance tester (megger) to test the shower cable and unit insulation. A low insulation reading confirms a fault in the element or wiring.
The most common internal fault is a failed heating element — the element's insulation breaks down and current leaks to earth, tripping the RCD. Element replacement is possible on some shower models (£20–60 for the part) but on older units, full replacement is often more cost-effective.
If the shower unit tests OK but the trip still occurs, the fault may be in the supply cable — particularly at the shower head entry point where the cable enters the unit and can be pinched or damp.
An electrician will also check that the correct protection device is fitted at the consumer unit — a 30mA RCD or RCBO is required for shower circuits under current regulations.
Typical repair costs: element replacement £100–180; full shower unit replacement £150–350 including parts and labour.
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