In article ,
"Vass" writes:
Very hot!
I have found the 45w pull switch in the bathroom gets very hot
while the shower is in use
Installed about a year ago, proper cable from RDC to switch then on to
shower
shower was new then too.
Should it really get this hot?
Oh, and this week it won't turn off anymore
but if I change the switch (expensive little buggers aint they)
will this happen again? whats the cause?

The shower draws a very high current, the highest of any of your
domestic appliances. All the connections need to be of the highest
quality. Any connection which isn't will generate heat. The heat
itself leads to deterioration of the connection making it rapidly
worse, generating even more heat. The bad connection could be one
of the cable connections, or it could be the switch contact. One
can often cause the other by conducting heat. Eventually you can
get a fire.

A shower switch is one switch where you really must buy a good
quality one. It will have better contacts, and better cable
connections than the cheap end of the range. If the cable has
got hot (which it probably has), it may need replacing too.
If you're lucky, there will be enough slack to cut the damaged
ends off and pull more through. You really want to avoid joining
this cable if possible, as that just introduces further points
where it might overheat. Make sure the copper conductors are
bright and shiney before you insert them into the terminals,
and do the screws up tight. It would be a good idea to check
the state of all the other connections on that circuit too,
including retightening the screws, and to recheck the tightness
of the new connections after a month or so.

--
Andrew Gabriel