Please ensure your electrics are up to date!!!!!!!!!

redlady_1

I have a 2 bed terrace so that sounds about right then. I have no idea about circuits though! He is phoning me back tonight to discuss times, etc, so I want to be organised

artha

We have a 10 year old Hager distribution board that is fitted with circuit breakers. Is it possible to have the circuit breakers taken out and replaced with RCDs?

baldelectrician

THESE may do, bit of a technical job though

You should use a competent person for the work, links below
In Scotland:
Individuals registered;
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/ListAC.asp
Companies
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/SearchRegCo.asp?T=Construction
In England and Wales:
http://www.competentperson.co.uk

artha

baldelectrician wrote: »

THESE may do, bit of a technical job though

You should use a competent person for the work, links below
In Scotland:
Individuals registered;
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/ListAC.asp
Companies
http://www.sbsa.gov.uk/register/SearchRegCo.asp?T=Construction
In England and Wales:
http://www.competentperson.co.uk

For something so central to safety it's not something I would attempt even if I had a reasonable idea (after research) of what was involved. Besides I assume that most of the job cost would be the replacement units (if they are suitable for the Hager Unit).

I can't see any serial/model no on the outside of the white unit with smoky grey flap but it has 14 "slots" available of which 9 are filled with breakers ranging from B6 to B40(3xB6 4xB32 2xB40) There is a master switch giving 100A and appears to be a double "lever" (sorry for my non technical terms).

A few further questions to those implicated above if anyone has the time:
Does the master switch get converted to an RCD?
Would it be advisable to get a PIR done at the same time as considering an upgrade of the unit elements?
Why would you have a combined circuit breaker (MCB?) and earth leakage trip (RCD?)> Why not just a straight RCD protecting all circuits?

Overall I'm just trying to get an idea of what is possible and what it is likely to cost so that I can use it as a benchmark to judge any quotes that I get. Thanks in anticipation of any comments

baldelectrician

If you have the cash a straight RCBO only consumer unit is the best option

A single RCD will trip if any circuit has an earth fault, a RCBO should only trip if the circuit concerned has a fault, thus providing discrimination

artha

baldelectrician wrote: »

If you have the cash a straight RCBO only consumer unit is the best option

A single RCD will trip if any circuit has an earth fault, a RCBO should only trip if the circuit concerned has a fault, thus providing discrimination

Firstly, baldelectrician, many thanks for your time.

I think I may have confused with my questions. I just wondered why you would have combined RCD/MCB on each circuit and not just an RCD on each circuit (or am I missing something?).

Are you suggesting that rather than retro fit RCDs to an existing board It may be more cost effective to go for a complete replacement of the existing board with an RCD board?

zax47

artha wrote: »

Firstly, baldelectrician, many thanks for your time.

I think I may have confused with my questions. I just wondered why you would have combined RCD/MCB on each circuit and not just an RCD on each circuit (or am I missing something?).

Are you suggesting that rather than retro fit RCDs to an existing board It may be more cost effective to go for a complete replacement of the existing board with an RCD board?

You are missing the fact that an RCD offers no over-current protection! That is why RCBO's exist - they offer the earth fault protection of an RCD combined with the over-current protection of an MCB. An MCB generally protects a single circuit, whereas an RCD generally offers earth fault protection to a number of circuits (each circuit having it's own MCB for over-current protection).

It is very poor practice to have all the circuits in a property protected by a single RCD, if a fault trips it then you loose all power. Hence just changing the CU ("consumer unit"/"distribution board"/"fuse box") main switch for an RCD is not recommended.

It is prudent to have more than one RCD per CU, splitting the circuits so that the upstairs lighting and the upstairs sockets are on separate RCDs (and the same for downstairs) - if one RCD trips then you would have some lighting still available. Generally we put upstairs lights and downstairs sockets on one RCD and vice-versa. That way if your upstairs lights trip, then chances are your bedside lights (plugged in!) still work.

Where it is necessary to add RCD protection to one or more circuits in a CU full of MCBs then the easiest way is to replace each affected MCB with an RBCO. Either that or replace the CU entirely - given that RBCOs can cost between £10 and £25 each (depending on CU type/maker) then it is often more cost effective to replace the CU if several RCBOs are needed. (although I have converted an entire CU to RCBOs on a number of occasions!)

Mary_Hartnell

Acronym................ Definition
RCBO..................... Residual Current Circuit Breaker with Overcurrent Protection

With one of these combined jobs in place; is it obvious when there is a leak to earth as against an overload caused by too many high wattage items plugged into the circuit or vice versa?

ie a fault with the circuit/equipment as against a fault by the human user?

I am thinking "Tenants".

"If you plug in four blow heaters and three tea urns, are you surprised you have blown a fuse".

Horlock

Perhaps I'm too casual, but I must say I'm not convinced by people's morbidity. Just because RCD's are amazing doesn't mean you'll die if you don't have one. It means it will hurt more if you get a shock and could die - but most folk wont. I'm not recommending that people live with dodgy unsafe equipment - just ask parents how many of them have ever had an electric shock! In general I do think in this country people are far too worried about things which almost certainly are safe (one in two people in the UK is not a pedophile - yet we act like they are, if you accidentally leave your car unlocked when you go into a supermarket it probably will still be there when you get back, if you don't have an RCD and you touch a live wire it will hurt and you'll probably decide that buying one is worthwhile).

waynehayes

Horlock wrote: »

......one in two people in the UK is not a pedophile - yet we act like they are.....

????:eek::eek: