Author Topic: A question for a Leccy Techie  (Read 1002 times)

Phil

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #15 on: Aug 13, 2018, 03:29:15 PM »
2016.  Plus we have separate 16a MCB's for lighting circuits and a 50a MCB covering all the power MCB's

Mike.X

Was all the wiring done in 2016?

Presumably you have two lighting circuits.
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sparky

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #16 on: Aug 13, 2018, 03:32:22 PM »
Phil, Surely, other than a cooker, which would have its own dedicated circuit and MCB, any other normal  appliance, even if hard wired,  must be connected through a fused spur,  rather than straight off the ring. with it own appropriate size cartridge fuse .which should fail before the 32amp MCB tripped. I have never come across anything connected to a ring without it being sub fused.

sparky

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #17 on: Aug 13, 2018, 03:36:39 PM »
xetog, Are you sure the 50 amp breaker is an MCB, and not an RCB.?

Phil

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #18 on: Aug 13, 2018, 03:37:32 PM »
Phil, Surely, other than a cooker, which would have its own dedicated circuit and MCB, any other normal  appliance, even if hard wired,  must be connected through a fused spur,  rather than straight off the ring. with it own appropriate size cartridge fuse .which should fail before the 32amp MCB tripped. I have never come across anything connected to a ring without it being sub fused.

Good point, I was thinking about the non-fused hard-wire outlets such as the cooker type outlets.

Xetog's installation is interesting.
"I've stopped arguing with idiots. They will only bring me down to their level and beat me with experience.”

Paraphrased from George Carlin

sparky

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #19 on: Aug 13, 2018, 03:43:10 PM »
Phil, yeah I was not sure if my brain was failing me as it does on so many other things nowadays,  ;D ;D ;D 

Phil

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #20 on: Aug 13, 2018, 03:46:04 PM »
Phil, yeah I was not sure if my brain was failing me as it does on so many other things nowadays,  ;D ;D ;D

No, it was my brain fade.

 ;D
"I've stopped arguing with idiots. They will only bring me down to their level and beat me with experience.”

Paraphrased from George Carlin

xetog

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #21 on: Aug 13, 2018, 04:14:49 PM »

The dist box is way above my head and difficult to see, but it probably is, just a mistype., but it's definitely 50a.


Mike.X
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BazzerPontefract

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #22 on: Aug 13, 2018, 04:31:49 PM »
The dist box is way above my head and difficult to see, but it probably is, just a mistype., but it's definitely 50a.


Mike.X
Mike X
You've probably got a split circuit breaker, all the power sockets will have an RCB (residual current breaker - earth leakage trip) whilst the lighting circuits don't.  So when your bulbs fail it does not trip out the lighting - you don't want to be wandering around the house with the lighting out.

Traveller

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #23 on: Aug 13, 2018, 04:57:38 PM »
My house was rewired in 2005.  It has a split consumer unit with an RCD supplying 3 power rings (upstairs, downstairs and kitchen. On the non  RCD side is a 32 Amp cooker spur, a 20Amp spur to the outside utility room (which has its own consumer unit) and two lighting rings. 
You'll have had your tea.

Phil

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #24 on: Aug 13, 2018, 05:52:24 PM »
My house was rewired in 2005.  It has a split consumer unit with an RCD supplying 3 power rings (upstairs, downstairs and kitchen. On the non  RCD side is a 32 Amp cooker spur, a 20Amp spur to the outside utility room (which has its own consumer unit) and two lighting rings.

That's pre the 2008 17th Edition which now requires a split load dual RCD consumer unit with RCD protection for all circuits including lighting.

I've not yet read the 18th Edition to see what changes have been made.
"I've stopped arguing with idiots. They will only bring me down to their level and beat me with experience.”

Paraphrased from George Carlin

sparky

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #25 on: Aug 13, 2018, 08:03:06 PM »
Gawd That shows my age, I worked to the 13/14 edition regs.

Phil

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #26 on: Aug 13, 2018, 09:25:11 PM »
On the non  RCD side is a 32 Amp cooker spur, a 20Amp spur to the outside utility room (which has its own consumer unit) and two lighting rings.

When you say that you have a spur from your main consumer unit going into another consumer unit, do you mean the incoming mains tails were split with a Henley block & new 16 mm tails (or 25 mm tails depending of the distance) fed to the utility room consumer unit or does it come straight off a spare MCB in the main consumer unit?

Are there appliances in the outside utility room?
"I've stopped arguing with idiots. They will only bring me down to their level and beat me with experience.”

Paraphrased from George Carlin

Traveller

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #27 on: Aug 14, 2018, 07:56:46 AM »
Yes it comes off a spare MCB and at some point disappears into an underground armoured cable which re-appears in the utility room consumer unit.  It has an RCD,  16A MCB feeding the sockets for the freezers and a 6A MCB for the lights.  Somewhat surprised at coming off an MCB in the main consumer unit, but possibly done for convenience.
You'll have had your tea.

Phil

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Re: A question for a Leccy Techie
« Reply #28 on: Aug 14, 2018, 09:31:13 AM »
Yes it comes off a spare MCB and at some point disappears into an underground armoured cable which re-appears in the utility room consumer unit.  It has an RCD,  16A MCB feeding the sockets for the freezers and a 6A MCB for the lights.  Somewhat surprised at coming off an MCB in the main consumer unit, but possibly done for convenience.

That's acceptable since the installation uses armoured cable & it has an RCD.

However, if it was me, I'd ditch the RCD in the utility consumer unit & fit it into the non-RCD side of the main consumer unit as that is now non-compliant under the present regulations which state that all circuits must have RCD protection, especially the cooker.

That would meet the 17th / 18th Edition regulations.
"I've stopped arguing with idiots. They will only bring me down to their level and beat me with experience.”

Paraphrased from George Carlin