I’ve noticed that the electric supply fluctuates, especially at this time of year when everyone is making tea (or other hot drinks and food) do you think that this might also be contributing to the shower cutting out Judd? Just a thought…
I shouldn’t think so - all the appliances would be affected if that were the case.
Yes But! Yes But! wouldn’t a faulty pull switch reduce the current even more…?
Do you think the flashing light before cut out suggests that overheating is taking place?
Yes. That’s what I’ve said all along. You can bet it’s the switch burning out that’s causing the problem. The switch will tend to arc as the current increases - using the shower on high, for example, but the switch can’t manage that much power going through it.
It’s best to get it looked at ASAP, as leaving it too long will cause damage to the cable and insulation, making the task of replacing the switch more difficult.
Yes I agree Judd, and considering replacing the switch would have been the cheapest option, and the first place I would have looked…
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This is a long shot, but have you paid your water bill?
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Yes - we’re got an electrician coming to do it in the morning.
Fingers crossed. 
@ Harbal!!
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The electrician has been & gone. He showed me the wire that had burned out.
I’m very relieved that the problem has been solved.
Thanks to everybody who helped me. 
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You want to consider leaving your pull-switch on all the time - less wear and tear because switches tend to arc when switched off under load. I installed my pull-switch twenty years ago, and it’s never been switched off. The switch is there purely for isolation if work is needed on the shower unit proper.
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We have just always turned the power off after using the shower - same as we turn all the switches off at night - kettle, microwave, TV etc.
However I will take your advice Judd & leave it on to save wear and tear.
Just out of curiosity it would be interesting to know if anybody else turns the power off after use or if they leave it on permanently.
Apart from the pull cord switch Carol, you should have an isolator switch with a red neon light on it. I think that would be a more efficient way of turning the power off instead of the pull cord.
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??? - you don’t need both. Pull switch inside the bathroom, or wall-mounted switch outside the bathroom. A pull switch will have a neon light on it already, and on some types, a flag or other indication to say whether the switch is on or off.
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I have had to replace lots of pull cord switches, and have visited many places that have an isolator on the outside of the bathroom that contains more ‘Meaty’ contacts. Perhaps Carol might be better of removing the pull cord switch and replacing it with an isolator on the outside of the bathroom. Especially if the rating of the shower is close to the rating of the switch. Some modern showers have a very high consumption.
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that would equate to about 42 amps if I’m not mistaken…
More important, is the size of the cable supplying the shower. Some DIYers or tradesmen/people, will replace a shower unit with a larger kilowatt rating without first checking what cable is fitted. The most popular size cable is 6.0mm, which is rated at 34 amps which is good for an 8.5kW shower, tops. Provided of course that the cable isn’t covered by loft insulation, which will reduce the rating by half. A 40/45amp pull-switch backed up by a 40MCB is more than adequate.
Would be interesting to know what size shower Carol has had fitted?
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This is my old shower - I don’t know what size it is???
The new one is exactly the same. My son in law said he couldn’t fit it for me unless I had the same one, so I did. I think it was because of the wall fittings & drilling etc…
I just took a pic of my new one.
As you see it’s exactly the same as my old one. I don’t know what you mean by ‘size’
The rating of that shower is 9.8kw Carol. That would equate to approximately 39 amps.
It’s awfully close to the max handling capacity of a 40 amp rated pull switch. I think 6.00 mm square cable would be would also be struggling to handle such a load, I don’t know what Judd thinks?
A 6.0 mm cable will be barely adequate for a continuous load of that size, especially if run through insulated lofts or walls. Fortunately, because the duration of showers is short (unless you’re like one of my granddaughters), the cable should be okay. As OGF says, I’d be more concerned with the pull-switch and circuit breaker, which could heat up during use.
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