It may sound horrific to some, but the UK commonly uses electric showers to heat the water instantly at the point of use. We do have hot water tanks or central heating systems, but it's just much more efficient to touch a button and shower under hot water in seconds.
There's a very low accident rate, with the few incidents involving very bad installations.
The one in this video is pretty old. Between 25 to 30 years old, with very retro electronics. I'm not a fan of electronics in showers at all. They just introduce reliability issues.
In this case though, the electronics were working fine right up to the end.
Time to get Ralfy my brother a new shower. (Without electronic controls.)
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
http://www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of YouTube's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

15 thoughts on “Teardown of a british electric shower that went bang.”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Danny Dougin says:

    Isn't water and electricity a bad combination?? Anyway I think the host is extremely cute!

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kev O'Dowd says:

    Used to fit loads of Triton showers years ago.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars first last says:

    On an intellectual level, I understand that is a very safe unit with many safeguards to keep bad things from happening. On a purely instinctual level having electricity that close to water bothers be so dang much. I think I will stick with a natural gas water heater, thank you

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars tomdave42 says:

    You're right I'm an American and that whole assembly, that unit freaks me out! Here in America we don't mix electricity with our water especially in our shower or bath. In North America we turn that heater water and a whole house sense one big hot water heater supplies hot water to every hot water tap. We do have electric hot water heaters but what I seen in this video is kind of frightening to me and what I am accustomed to and what I'm accustomed to installing. North American building code doesn't let water get near electricity very often

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Curt Wuollet says:

    I'll pass on that idea. An isolation failure would make it a nearly ideal electrocution machine in a cast iron tub. I wouldn't trust it with even distilled water. Also the flow rate does not qualify as a US shower.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mark Miller says:

    Those things terrify me..

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Robin Sattahip says:

    Your brother is lucky he wasn't electrocuted. Glad he's ok.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Robin Sattahip says:

    The first time I ever saw one of those was on a trip to Britain in 1993. Beats the American way of running the water a minute or more waiting for the hot from the central water heater to get there. Also, you don't have to worry about using all the hot water. Now I use one in Thailand but it scares me because it wasn't even grounded when I moved in. I had to drive a metal rod into the ground and run a ground wire.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars psirvent8 says:

    Hi clive,
    I just found that some of these units, believe it or not made by apparently reputable German, French etc… manufacturers and sold in physical plumbing stores here in France do in fact have bare heating elements just like the "suicide showers" found in Brazil.
    I'm currently doing my personal investigation on this subject but still how can this be safe and/or legal in developed European countries ?

    Again I'm talking about proper, compliant units, not chinese knockoffs or whatever.

    But I must also point out that before seeing your video about the suicide shower, first I was not aware of them existing but also I was assuming that you simply cannot put a bare heating coil directly in water because it would in a nutshell be way too hazardous !
    And to be fair I think at least some instant water heaters/western-compliant electric showers do have sheathed elements but from what I just read it's not the case.

    Unfortunately I can't afford to purchase one just to take it to bits, otherwise I would, just out of curiosity do it and try to find what safety mechanisms are present and ultimately what makes these "instant water heaters" as we call them here safer than the "suicide" showers found in Latin America.

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Francis Brown says:

    I had a shower that failed in a similar way. Think it was Mira one. Was not possible to find a replacement unit with the same pipe positions, but I did fix it by buying an old stock spare part.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Darius Hunter says:

    Hmm yeah What is wrong with a normal tap and hot water tank? XD

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Travis says:

    dam they used straight up Eaton vales… thats top of the line high quality stuff..

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars rocketboysmc says:

    had something similar happen.the cause in my case was the ice had formed in the pipes and when it entered the unit it broke everyting and water was coming out from the unit after a loud clunk!

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mission Outdoors Channel says:

    As a general rule I never take ⚡220 volts⚡ with me to the shower 🚿!
    ☠️👻☠️
    Hahaha😂

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars John says:

    If.. installed properly – relatively safe 😳 🤔 😄

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.