What is the correct fuse rating to cope this lot?!?

[Cordless Crazy]

Am installing a new Aqualisa Digital shower and it calls to be protected by a 3A fuse.

Simple enough you may say, but I am also having the same switch isolate

2No downlighters in the shower and 2 mirror demisting pads. I have installed a fused switched spur outside the bathroom which will supply all of the above via a pull cord switch in the bathroom, the idea being that I know when the mirror pads/shower supplyis on by simply seeing the lights on in the shower!!

My question is: does the fuse need to be bigger to cater for the extra load?

Requirements as follows:

2No. 35w downlighters 1No. large mirror pad 100w 1No. small mirror pad 25w

[Frank Erskine]

No problem at all - that lot totals less than 200W, which is under 1A.

[dennis]

If you fit a bigger fuse you are no longer protecting it with a 3A fuse. If a device states it *needs* a 3A fuse then that's what you should fit.

You need to know how much current the shower takes before you will know if a

3A can supply that and the others. I would imagine it takes very little and you will be OK but you need the figures to be sure.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Mains 35W downlighters will tease a 3A fuse. You'll probably end up replacing it every time one dies. You might choose some better lighting for the room instead.

[Owain]

If these are treated as lighting points then each point should be considered 100W minimum. So that's 400W.

3A at 240V is 720W, so provided the shower isn't more than about 300W you'll be fine.

You have considered RCD / equipotential bonding / IP ratings and zones?

Owain

[David Hansen]

On Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:05:55 +0000 someone who may be Cordless Crazy wrote this:-

You don't say what the load of this is.

If I was doing this I might well provide 3A fuses for the shower, mirror pads and each downlighter. Then they might discriminate with the 13A fuse I would put in the connection unit.

[Cordless Crazy]

Have checked out the spec for the shower and it states power consumption is 5 watts in the idle position and 20 watts peak during valve positioning (tis a simple electronic mixer). Does this help in establishing whether the 3A fuse is ok?

[dennis]

so it uses next to nothing then. I think you will be fine running it all from a 3A fuse. However as a previous poster has said sometimes the halogen lamps can take out a 3A fuse when they blow so you may want to put in two fuses one for the lights and one for the shower. If the wiring has been done I would just put in a 3A and see what happens when the bulb blows next year.