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Two high-power appliances on a single 40A RCD
Former Community Member
I have an electric shower installed on a 40A RCD, in a room adjacent to my kitchen. The shower is only used in an emergency - i.e. when our gas boiler is unable to provide hot water to our main bathroom. I would like to take a spur from this 40A connection to use for a new double oven, which is rated at 32A. Can anyone advise on a safe and legal way to do this, ensuring that only one of the two appliances can be connected at any one time?
TBH I would be quite happy with simultaneous use, as the shower is not used from one year to the next (and only when our boiler breaks down), but the kitchen fitter told me that connecting the oven and the shower on the same circuit would be illegal for him to do.
???
The important thing is that the cable is the appropriate size for the circuit breaker. That means that the cable cannot be overloaded - if you connect too much simultaneously, as DZ mentions above, the circuit breaker will trip. That's the worst that can happen, so if you are not going to use the shower whilst cooking dinner, just connect the new cooker to the existing circuit.
It may be that your kitchen fitter is a member of a competent persons scheme which limits him to kitchen work. Clearly the shower is not kitchen work.
TBH I would be quite happy with simultaneous use, as the shower is not used from one year to the next (and only when our boiler breaks down), but the kitchen fitter told me that connecting the oven and the shower on the same circuit would be illegal for him to do.
???
The important thing is that the cable is the appropriate size for the circuit breaker. That means that the cable cannot be overloaded - if you connect too much simultaneously, as DZ mentions above, the circuit breaker will trip. That's the worst that can happen, so if you are not going to use the shower whilst cooking dinner, just connect the new cooker to the existing circuit.
It may be that your kitchen fitter is a member of a competent persons scheme which limits him to kitchen work. Clearly the shower is not kitchen work.
