Electics - Consumer Box Question

Krav · 14 May 2011 at 5:45PM

Hello,

The 2-floor house has a Wylex consumer box which is of the split load type. The problem is the electrican put all sockets (upstairs and downstairs) on one RCD and the lights (upstairs and downstairs) on the other (basically a light and socket split). I would have preferred it to be alternated as when there is a faulty light, the whole top and bottom floor are in darkness.

The house was rewired and a NICEC cert issued a few months ago. I wonder if the setup by the electrican is normal? I queried it after we had an RCD trip, but the certs have all the MCBs and RCDs labelled so the electrian was reluctant to go back and change it, so I guess if I want it change, I need to get someone else to do it and re-issue a cert?

Any opinions? Can the MCBs be swapped around on the consumer box (thus invalidating the existing cert)? Do new certs need to be issued? Is it a big job and how much do you think it may cost?

WestonDave · 14 May 2011 at 6:17PM

Interesting one for the up to date electricians - our unit which was installed 2007 doesn't have the lights on a RCD. The first few MCB's in the unit are not RCD protected so cover things like the lights, smoke detectors etc, and then beyond the RCD are circuits for the sockets etc. So if a light blows and takes the MCB down, it takes the floor out but not the whole house. Does sound a bit like poor circuit design to me but then I'm only a home owner and my days of wiring my own house ended a good few years back, so I'm not up to speed on current requirements.

Incidentally the electricians that did ours put a emergency light with a rechargeable battery above our consumer unit in the under stairs cupboard so if all the lights (or even all the power) go off downstairs we can still see the consumer unit. If the downstairs lighting circuit is off for whatever reason the light automatically comes on.

Graham3232 · 14 May 2011 at 7:23PM

Hi,
It is normal to split the circuits in a house between the RCDs i.e. upstairs lights, downstairs sockets and vice versa etc. I feel your electrician should have done this and under the NICEIC there will be a warranty. It’s a dead easy five minute job to change the lighting circuits over so they are on alternate RCDs. The electrician should really do this as you have already paid for the job to be done properly. The original cert could easily be altered to show this change.

What else is on the RCD with the lights as it is very unusual for lights to trip an RCD?

Also although not a requirement an emergency light above the consumer unit and even on the stairs is a very good idea and you can buy them for around £15. Saves fumbling around in the dark!