UK Housebashing wiring helped

Shpark · Jan 2, 2023

Hi all, not a housebasher here, so don’t hate. Wiring my house and need advice. Want to mount the CCU just below the ceiling and bring the cables from the floor above. How do a nicely bring the cable off of the beam so they’re on the wall and then will go into the back of the fuse board? Pics attached

littlespark · Jan 5, 2023

And these, above, are the comments I mentioned in #13

You’ve had a couple days to think about it, so what is plan of action now?

buzzlightyear · Jan 5, 2023

littlespark said:
And these, above, are the comments I mentioned in #13

You’ve had a couple days to think about it, so what is plan of action now?

It's a bit harsh asking that, come on we like to know. Nicely.

Shpark · Jan 14, 2023

I haven’t contemplated this a great deal since asking as been been busy with work, but up to now I have thought to do as per the pic. Bring cables off joist onto brick. Into safe zone at top of ceiling height and onto adjacent wall, down and into CU. The reason I’m mounting on this wall is due to space and aesthetic, but more so that the meter tails pass through direct behind wall to meter in box outside. Also the box will be lower down now.

nicebutdim · Jan 14, 2023

I'd still be inclined to use some form of containment for future access and also help avoid the possibility of someone blindly drilling into the area.

davesparks · Jan 14, 2023

littlespark said:
I’m going to be the daft one for saying it’s a bit high for a Cooker Control Unit

Consumer Unit. CU… not CCU

And consumer unit is a shortened form of consumers control unit, CCU, which is how it generally appears in City and guilds coursework and exams along with a lot of modern text books.

Aaron b · Jan 14, 2023

Although you don't have to install to the heights stipulated in part m your work shouldn't make it any worse. It appears like it would be much easier to put it lower and run 50 x 100 trunking, depending on the room either chase the wall so you're behind the joist or use an internal 90 to run a small bit on the ceiling.

Dusty might sell you some black and red if you're not part p...

Mike Johnson · Jan 14, 2023

From a CDM Regulation point of view, the CU should be at such a height that it does not need someone to leave the floor level to work on it.

Markyd · Jan 15, 2023

Shpark said:
I can install it to 18th and test it as such. I’m sure I can work out the other bit too

How are you going to notify building control

littlespark · Jan 15, 2023

davesparks said:
And consumer unit is a shortened form of consumers control unit, CCU, which is how it generally appears in City and guilds coursework and exams along with a lot of modern text books.

Ah, there you go….. “modern”
That explains it

cliffed · Jan 15, 2023

littlespark said:
Ah, there you go….. “modern”
That explains it

I’m still using DB…

littlespark · Jan 15, 2023

cliffed said:
I’m still using DB…

Maybe the guys I was an apprentice to had it all wrong.

They told me a CU … consumer unit… was domestic. Where there is a consumer, that lives in the house.

A DB distribution board was used industrial or non-domestic situation where there was a main board which then distributed out to other sub mains within a large installation. Could be 3P or 1P.

If my customer is past pension age, I still ask “where’s the fusebox?” Because that’s what they’ve always known it as.

pc1966 · Jan 15, 2023

I think most folks still think "fuse box" even though fuses have not been the norm for many years now.

I believe a CU is defined as a DB that meets specific type approval for domestic use, so DB is a more generic term.

Midwest · Jan 15, 2023

What is the room where your going to locate CU/CCU/DB/FuseBox? Could you run circuits/tails in plastic trunking?

You do need to think about Notification, which Country do you live in?

pc1966 · Jan 15, 2023

Aaron b said:
Although you don't have to install to the heights stipulated in part m your work shouldn't make it any worse. It appears like it would be much easier to put it lower and run 50 x 100 trunking, depending on the room either chase the wall so you're behind the joist or use an internal 90 to run a small bit on the ceiling.

If you can put cables (and tails as needed) in some trunking it would make any future changes / additions / repairs far easier, also less chance of any accidents if trunking is somehow visible but "aesthetically acceptable".

Risteard · Jan 15, 2023

littlespark said:
Maybe the guys I was an apprentice to had it all wrong.

They told me a CU … consumer unit… was domestic. Where there is a consumer, that lives in the house.

A DB distribution board was used industrial or non-domestic situation where there was a main board which then distributed out to other sub mains within a large installation. Could be 3P or 1P.

If my customer is past pension age, I still ask “where’s the fusebox?” Because that’s what they’ve always known it as.

Distribution board (DB) is a generic term for all of these. A consumer unit is a particular type of DB intended for use by ordinary persons (DBO), which is type tested and single phase with a double pole main switch. As such it is not incorrect to refer to a CU as a DB, although not all DBs are CUs.

EDIT: Much as @pc1966 has stated.

Mike Johnson · Jan 15, 2023

In rural Europe thee phase in Domestic properties is not unusual and they call the container box by every conceivable variation, even in the regulations they confuse the issue, but for all intents and purposes does it matter, we all know what we mean.

Midwest · Jan 15, 2023

Risteard said:
Distribution board (DB) is a generic term for all of these. A consumer unit is a particular type of DB intended for use by ordinary persons (DBO), which is type tested and single phase with a double pole main switch. As such it is not incorrect to refer to a CU as a DB, although not all DBs are CUs.

EDIT: Much as @pc1966 has stated.

I think this intriguing study explains it all.

davesparks · Jan 15, 2023

littlespark said:
They told me a CU … consumer unit… was domestic. Where there is a consumer, that lives in the house.

The consumer can be a person or a company and applies to all types of installation.
Consumer in this case would be the consumer of electricity, which could be a domestic consumer, commercial consumer etc etc

nicebutdim · Jan 15, 2023

pc1966 said:
I think most folks still think "fuse box" even though fuses have not been the norm for many years now.

I believe a CU is defined as a DB that meets specific type approval for domestic use, so DB is a more generic term.

I posted similar thoughts in another thread, some time back.

Regardless of everything, 'consumer unit' has no meaning to anyone outside the trade and is a daft term.

While incorrect, 'fusebox' has meaning for domestic customers and its use in conversation is understood by all involved. DB covers all types of distribution board and is understood by everyone in the trade.

I gather that CCU/CU was introduced as a term for domestic DBs, to replace incorrect use of 'fusebox', but it's a nonsense term and I refuse to use it unless absolutely necessary. I won't encourage the madness of others

Shpark · Jan 15, 2023

K

Midwest said:
What is the room where your going to locate CU/CCU/DB/FuseBox? Could you run circuits/tails in plastic trunking?

You do need to think about Notification, which Country do you live in?

hmm ideally not. It’s in the hall in plain sight. Not tucked away anywhere nice.

I live in England. I’ll probs get a part p spark round before I run anything and then get them to cert it

Pretty Mouth · Jan 15, 2023

nicebutdim said:
I posted similar thoughts in another thread, some time back.

Regardless of everything, 'consumer unit' has no meaning to anyone outside the trade and is a daft term.

While incorrect, 'fusebox' has meaning for domestic customers and its use in conversation is understood by all involved. DB covers all types of distribution board and is understood by everyone in the trade.

I gather that CCU/CU was introduced as a term for domestic DBs, to replace incorrect use of 'fusebox', but it's a nonsense term and I refuse to use it unless absolutely necessary. I won't encourage the madness of others

I have to agree with this. 'consumer unit' is as vague as it gets, and 9 out of 10 customers don't have a clue what it is.

littlespark · Jan 15, 2023

Good marketing ploy by fusebox to name their product by the word that people use for that product anyway.

Similarly, I’m inventing a new tv remote control, and naming it “the doofer”

JBW175 · Jan 15, 2023

Although I use the terms Fusebox and consumer unit. The majority of the time I call it a board.

IE.. Where’s your board located? What RCBO’s will fit this board, look at the state of that board, who the F… still installs split load boards these days? Etc…

Mike Johnson · Jan 16, 2023

Legrand and many others offer these purpose made duct's to take a DB, CU or whatever you want to call, they are floor to ceiling units and tidy up what could be a messy area: https://www.leroymerlin.fr/produits...l-legrand-h-260-x-l-25-x-p-6-cm-70564011.html

They also offer a splayed head unit to accomadate multi choise entry.