I’ve just bought a solar immersion controller that sends unused solar generation to the immersion circuit.

When the immersion thermostat switches off the supply to the tank the controller can then send the spare solar generation to a second circuit on which could be a heater of some kind (i.e. oil filled rad or storage heater).

The CU is in the garage and I’m planning on fitting a new socket in the house (on the other side of the wall to the CU) and connecting this to a separate circuit.
If there’s room in the CU for a new circuit I’ll do that, but if not,
can I have a new socket connected to a circuit that is currently only used by an electric shower and use this for the second heater (which at some time is going to be decommissioned)?

*I will be using a proper electrician for this job, I just need to know what is and isn’t possible.*

From memory nothing is allowed to be connected to the shower circuit. Not a sparkie though.

Just checked and Page 4 on the triton manual here confirms: http://www.slideshare.net/FirstBathrooms/t50i-installation-guide

no you cant do that pal, whats the reason you cant pull the socket of the the ring main?
Or connect the socket on the same mcb as the imm heater that way its doing them both?

whats the reason you cant pull the socket of the the ring main?
Or connect the socket on the same mcb as the imm heater that way its doing them both?

OK – glad I asked!
The idea is that the second heater will only be powered by any available surplus solar generation once the hot water has been heated – I think this can only happen if it’s on it’s own circuit (where it can be plugged in and left switched on and will only generate heat if there’s spare power).
If it was on the ring main it would be on all the time which is not the plan. If it was on the imm circuit I’d expect the hot water may never get hot as the two items would be sharing a max of 2.5Kw.

Hopefully there’s a spare slot for another circuit on the consumer unit, otherwise I’ll look at adding a second small CU.