Help tripping electric shower!

[KeepingitReal2]

So yesterday had a shower and noticed after using it a leak from ceiling below. It is a stand up double shower with electric unit. I noticed leak on ceiling below immediately after shower but that stopped and dried out soon after. No more leaking or wet patch.

I then tried to turn shower on after noticing leak and it keeps tripping the fuse board (only tried once). I've since had plumber round who cannot identify visible leak and even poured water down the shower drain to see if there was any leak onto the ceiling but no water has come through.

Plumber has left his number as I've called out home emergency via insurance who are sending electricians but plumber feels I'll need to remove ceiling where we spotted leak and inspect. Shower me while will not stay on and keeps tripping electrical system.

Any ideas please?....

yes, there's a leak.

if it is tripping the shower circuit (what is printed on the thing that is tripping? All the words and numbers please) then the leak might be inside the shower casing, in which case the plumber should have found it.

If it is tripping an RCD covering several circuits, then the water might be getting into something else, probably a light fitting in the ceiling beneath the bathroom. Poke a hole in the ceiling where you think the water might be with a skewer or similar and put a bucket to catch the water that runs out through the hole. If you don't, the plaster will get soaked and fall down.

I suppose you're going to say the bathroom floor can't come up because it is tiled or laminated or something.

photos of the shower and pipework might help.

Hi Piglet thank you so much for your reply... I'm going to take some photos but an emergency electrician has just appeared.

He has said he thinks the shower tank is shorted to earth and suspects a release valve has dumped water down the wall and feels the shower unit needs replacing.

He thinks that's the reason why it was not a huge amount of water that came down the wall and why when the plumber poured the water down shower tray drain nothing happened as in no water leaked into ceiling.

I've checked the water the plumber poured now 4 hours later and about 20 litres has not caused any wet patches on the ceiling. Ceiling is completely dry.

Some pictures

I'm a bit surprised the release pipe vents into the wall. I'd expect it to gush out of the bottom and fall into the tray.

Maybe change that when you get a replacement. It's not usually worthwhile trying to mend electric showers. The electrician can tell you (by examining the supply cable and MCB, and finding out if the cable passes through insulation), the maximum power you can have.