Use 45A Ceiling Pull Cord Switch on Wall ?

[DH]

Hello,

I need three 45A/230VAC UK/IE wall switches for 2kW bathroom downflow heaters. The original unit pull cord switches failed and are unreplaceable. I plan instead to install wall switches at the junction boxes beside the heaters. I have 45A ceiling pull cord switches with neon indicators and on/off indicators. Can these be mounted on the wall instead of the ceiling with the cords making 90 deg. turns at the exits without operational issues such as excess cord wear ?

I noticed on display at B&Q what appears to be a wall mounted equivalent with a larger radius of curvature at the exit hole for the cord, however none were in stock, there was no price or part number, and no future stock information was available. If anyone knows where these can be purchased online I would appreciate the information.

Thank You,

D. Hughes

[Ian Stirling]

Probably not - the cords will eventually fray. You can get IP65 switches, that are totally sealed, to go beside the heater.

[Christian McArdle]

No. Besides, this would give you no advantage over a standard wall switch. They were permitted because the electrics are mounted in a different zone. By wall mounting, this is no longer the case, as they are mounted lower down the wall.

What zone are you attempting to mount these switches in? Are you zone 2 or lower?

These days, in most cases (i.e. zone 3+) you could use a standard 20A DP wall switch for a 2kW fan anyway. I presume you've sorted out the overcurrent protection elsewhere (i.e. through a remotely mounted FCU, an unswitched socket, or suitably sized MCB). Also, ensure the circuit is RCD protected.

I would use something like:

wouldn't normally use a 45A for this, as they are much stiffer in use.

Alternatively, if the FCU is adjacent to the heater, I would swap for a switched version.

Christian.

[DH]

I was wrong about the heater switch current rating, it was 16A, and the wall fuse was 13A. Before I read your message I went ahead and purchased 45A switch units, the kind used in a kitchen, in order to guarantee a level of waterproofing. I plan on using inline fuse holders for the 13A 3AG fuses behind the switch plate, which does mean having to switch off the main current breaker and remove the plate in order to replace a fuse. The height is just inside zone 1.

The switch you reference is less stiff, however is BS 3676 rated for bathroom use ?

When I arrived in the house the cord switches of two of the three heaters would not switch to the on position. The third downflow heater did work, however after a few weeks the switch became progressively more difficult to switch, and then failed completely in the off position, just like the others. I removed the switch, opened it, and found that a small plastic cylinder that transmitted force to the center of the current carrying metal switch plate had melted at the plate end, progressively reducing its length until it was no longer long enough to operate. The switch plate was badly burnt at the switch side. I have not examined the other two switches however I suspect that they failed the same way, i.e., a systematic fault. The manufacturer had no switch replacements for the 1998 heaters, nor for the more modern equivalents.

D.Hughes

Christian McArdle wrote: