Trumpy,
Thanks for the run-down on typical circuit arrangements (it answers the question I posed in another thread!). How many lighting circuits and general-purpose radial receptacle circuits would be found in the average NZ house?
Chris,
I echo the question above -- What exactly did you find to be the problem with the RCBO? I've come across them occasionally and not had problems beyond those one would normally associate with an RCD. All the RCBOs I've seen have a switched neutral, by the way.
C-H,
The only real problem I see with the "breaks every rule in the (U.K.) book" arrangement you described is that under our current Regs. it would be hard to combine the lights and sockets on the same circuit. Standard lampholders may not be wired to a circuit rated over 16A, but the lowest rated receptacle circuit arrangement recognized by the IEE Regs. is a 20A radial type (assuming it feeds more than one socket).
I certainly don't see any safety problem with your arrangement, and as we've already mentioned, the kitchen is the area which has the greatest current demand these days. A 16A radial circuit for other areas should be adequate, and still allows a 3kW heater to be run on it if necessary.
I'm afraid that the British IEE is so attached to the ring circuit that they sometimes don't seem to realize that other arrangement are perfectly acceptable.
On the voltage drop question, 4% is also specified as the maximum acceptable drop here, as measured from service entrance to farthest point of utilization under full load. In combination with the accepted supply voltage tolerance of 6%, it insures that the voltage available at any outlet will be no more than 10% below nominal.
[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 09-25-2002).]
