What's new
Pinball info

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Consumer unit with no earth!

If you're going to buy cheap, buy something like British General.
 
i presume it’s assumed you run your earth direct to your sockets / appliances. if this is an extension off main house supply then it would need to go via an rcd in your main fusebox.
personally i’d use a proper one, with earth terminal strip and installed with rcbo’s for each circuit, then power it via an mcb in your main house fusebox


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It will be hooked up to the garage main box which has 2 breakers one for lights and one for sockets, which in turn connects to the house mains which just last year had a new breaker box fitted and the garage has it's own trip
 
so add a third circuit in garage to power this. will need an rcb or an mcb if you use armoured cable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Not using armoured cable, garage is 4 feet away from garage so might run wire in the air acroos to cabin but garage board is a good 10 metres from cabin. Was planning to run 2.5mm wire from either the main box or one of the sockets which is much closer say a 3 metre run?

Thanks Ronnie
 
No earth/CPC sounds odd to me and I guess you'll know for sure what is meant by this when you open it up. But I agree that with so many good deals on BG, MK, Crabtree, etc around it's barely worth going with a lesser/unknown brand...……….but that's water under the bridge here. If you're running in a single 2.5mm T&E then you will by definition have an earth (assuming it tests ok to source) and won't cater to too much amp loading anyway if you work to wiring regs. Potentially quite a difference running from a subsidiary consumer unit vs a spur off a socket.
 
Just a note - If you are running a single 2.5mm T&E spur then that will be limited to being fused at 13a.... which in theory will only be enough to run 3ish pins...(On startup)...Excluding anything else that may be running (heater for example).
 
I don't think any pins will be in the cabin! Maybe one, lights maybe a jukebox video game small heater etc
 
ronnie63 said:
Not using armoured cable, garage is 4 feet away from garage so might run wire in the air acroos to cabin but garage board is a good 10 metres from cabin. Was planning to run 2.5mm wire from either the main box or one of the sockets which is much closer say a 3 metre run?

Thanks Ronnie
Click to expand...

if it’s outside use armoured cable. if it’s inside a garage and not in trunking, use armoured cable. it will not be safe to come off an existing socket. it must come from the garage or main house unit and have it’s own mcb or rcb breaker so you can easily isolate it


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Right need to rethink this! I have an MK shower unit but think it will be rated too high for the cabin power, it has 1 x 63 amp RCD and 1 x MCB?
 
Also if I were to use armored cable from garage consumer unit would I be better going for 4mm to match the size feeding the garage?
 
Thinking about it the garage is fed with a beefier wire but it's not armoured! it goes underground in a pvc pipe from the house! Not by me it was a sparky when the garage was built
 
ronnie63 said:
Thinking about it the garage is fed with a beefier wire but it's not armoured! it goes underground in a pvc pipe from the house! Not by me it was a sparky when the garage was built
Click to expand...

Doesnt need to be if in a pipe....
 
Presumably you mean a MK consumer unit and not a shower unit? Planning a new circuit or circuit extension is straightforward if you know what you are doing but judging from this thread I'd suggest for your own peace of mind/safety that you get help from a from a local qualified/experienced electrician rather than rely on tech input here.........…but it's your choice.
 
You need to have or be a qualified electrician which knows all about Part P etc etc and he will give you a certificate . Think the law has changed now ,so a unqualified person cannot alter or adjust any electrics in a house now , plus if you did something wrong and your house sets on fire your house insurance will not pay out .so stop and get yourself a certified sparky :thumbs:
 
As a qualified electrician....

DO NOT TOUCH THIS

All fuseboxes need to be metal now as well for modern regulations, with a metal lid.

This is not to BS regulations. The circuit breakers are rubbish.

Go to screwfix and get the MK one. They are reasonably priced these days.

The best advice is
GET A PROFESSIONAL TO SUPPLY AND FIT.
YOU ARE PLUGGING IN PINBALL MACHINES WORTH THOUSANDS - STOP BUYING CHEAP ABSOLUTE CR*P
 
Pick Holder said:
As a qualified electrician....

DO NOT TOUCH THIS

All fuseboxes need to be metal now as well for modern regulations, with a metal lid.

This is not to BS regulations. The circuit breakers are rubbish.

Go to screwfix and get the MK one. They are reasonably priced these days.

The best advice is
GET A PROFESSIONAL TO SUPPLY AND FIT.
YOU ARE PLUGGING IN PINBALL MACHINES WORTH THOUSANDS - STOP BUYING CHEAP ABSOLUTE CR*P
Click to expand...

Tell it like it is lol, fair enough I will get or use the metal MK box I aready have, as for a sparky I will pass on that, I'm capable of running and connecting wires, I served time as a wireman back in the day hooking up from small wiring to huge vacuum contacters. I just need to know I'm using the correct wire etc

Cheers Ronnie
 
Pick Holder said:
As a qualified electrician....

DO NOT TOUCH THIS

All fuseboxes need to be metal now as well for modern regulations, with a metal lid.

This is not to BS regulations. The circuit breakers are rubbish.

Go to screwfix and get the MK one. They are reasonably priced these days.

The best advice is
GET A PROFESSIONAL TO SUPPLY AND FIT.
YOU ARE PLUGGING IN PINBALL MACHINES WORTH THOUSANDS - STOP BUYING CHEAP ABSOLUTE CR*P
Click to expand...

All fuseboxes must be metal? Why (apart from them's the rules)? Wouldn't something that doesn't conduct electricity be better? What am I missing here?
 
New regs come out all the time !!
But my guess plastic melts at a low temperature than metal . As I work on new build , all the property's now have metal boxes
 
I like Crabtree Starbreaker units, been using them for years and never had a problem.
 
The consumer unit doesn't have to be metal but this is a cheap and accepted effective means of meeting the legal requirements that first came in about 4 years ago; Amendment 3 I think originally, that was formalised in the previous IET Wiring Regs - 17th Edition. Specifically ref 421.1.201 which I'll paraphrase but essentially states that within domestic (household) premises, consumer units shall comply with BS EN 61439-3 and shall have their enclosure manufactured from NON COMBUSTIBLE material...…….. This is just part of the stuff you have to learn and demonstrate to gain your Part P qualification as an electrician…...… I won't bore you with the other regs, testing specs, etc, etc. If I recall correctly this was a Fire Service promoted response to the many firers started in homes as a result of shorts/overheating/arching within plastic (flammable) consumer units which it's still very common to find located under a flammable wooden staircase. Sound familiar? Ironically, we're now reverting back to the position some, say 30+ years ago, when consumer units (aka fuse boxes) were generally made of metal. Insulation is a separate matter and not a consideration here for s properly installed consumer unit. Loose wiring can lead to arching which is also why technically the wires need to be torqued to a certain level...…..again stuff that is meant to help with safety if you get a qualified install. I hope that helps a bit.
 
+1 for crabtree, and MK. The BG ones are only a couple of £ cheaper than the MK.

All the way back to my training, MK was considered the best back then.

Go back 30 years ago and most fuseboxes were metal. Then plastic was used and now they have decided it is back to metal. They will all be like metal in a few years with the next load of regs.....

You also have to use stuffing glands into fuseboxes now (not just 20mm grommets). If you cut the back panel out of the fusebox, then you need to fill the back of that as well with fire retardent silicon, and make sure you use edging strip to protect the edges.

The idea with most things is to contain fire into the smallest area possible.

Anyhow. Nothing can stop you doing your own electrical work. Nothing can stop you buying £20 fuseboxes.
 
Electricians in keep the regs changing to keep them making changes that aren’t needed and cost you money :D shocker.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom