ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Consumer Unit (UK)

Not often I get a chance to take a picture of my work. But here is one of a recent installation I did.



I think I can remember the circuits:-

Cooker, Shower (RCBO), Kitchen Sockets (RCBO), Downstairs Sockets (RCBO), Upstairs Sockets (RCBO), Outbuilding, Immersion Heater, Freezer, Central Heating, Lights, Lights, Smoke Alarm and finally doorbell.

pauluk: new colours!

[This message has been edited by ryanjuk (edited 11-11-2004).]

[This message has been edited by ryanjuk (edited 11-19-2004).]

Tidy!

Good to see the use of individual branch circuit RCBOs. Is this on a PME system, or an old TN-S?

This installation used to be an overhead TT, but the REC came and changed it to PME (already available on the line) for free.


The PEN splitting into neutral and earth, and the live fuse.

Ryan,
That's a nice neat board you have there!.
What brand switch-gear is that in the board?.
One thing I do like is that shroud over the Phase busbar at the bottom of the equipment, that'll save some suprises!.
There's only one thing I don't like about these modular units, is the lack of room to get your hands in there to trace wiring, often times, I've bought a larger board just to have more room for wiring.
I see this board has the new single way RCBO units, they certainly save room on your DIN Rail!.

Thanks for the feedback Mike!

This is from the Sentry range, by MK.

I like the cover for the busbar, but it is a little flimsy, touch it at the left hand side, it'll fall right off at the otherside.

This is the board, 15mil MDF.

Almost all the new panels include a cover for thr busbar, yet the majority of them seem to suffer from this problem. The only reasonably solid ones are those which are held in place with a couple of small screws.

Yes,
Regarding the bare bus-bar underneath the cover, I usually wrap any bare bars with a couple of layers of insulation tape of the appropriate colour to prevent chance contacts in the future, while working on the board.

RCBOs are still rather expensive though. On a typical Irish radial installation if you used them for each branch circuit it would be ridiculously expensive.

It might be more reasonable on a UK set up where you've only a few 32A rings.

E.g. our house's distribution board :

Hager board (3 rows)

12 x 20A MCBs (Sockets & Water Heater & Heating System*)
6 x 10A MCBs (Lighting)
1 x 32A MCB (Cooker)
2 x 30mA RCD
and 1 X 63A fuse/switch disconnector. (Uses Minized fuses)
And a doorbell transformer.

* Note the heating system includes:
Boiler, Circulation pumps & pressure boosting pump for the shower.
(each of these is fused at 3 or 5Amps with local fused spurs)

Everything's RCD protected except the cooker.

Btw, I have never seen a freezer trip an RCD. Yet, I've heard several times that they do. RCDs have been required on all socket circuits since 1980 here and freezers don't seem to cause any problems.


[This message has been edited by djk (edited 11-18-2004).]