Consumer Unused Spare ways

[seftonbarn]

I am fitting a new dual CU that comes with 10MCBs. For those that are unused is it acceptable to just leave them installed but switched off and identified as unused. Or should they be removed and replaced with blanks?

 

[sparky-s-w]

I take them out and put decent blanks in, i only fit Hager boards so I can always get hold of good blanks. Personally I think It's rough to leave unused MCB's in. If your concerned about the customer having paid for them then give them to the customer instead of leaving them in the board.

why is it rough, there is no safety isue and regards asthetics, well i recon fully loaded looks beter than with blanks.

 

[applemac]

yep i leave them in to protect busbar from straying pinkys,

 

[kingeri]

I leave them in and turned off. I don't write 'spare' or 'unused' beneath them though, as I find this really annoying when I come to use a spare way and I want to label it as to its use!

 

[1shortcircuit]

I ALWAYS remove and only for one reason... To stop silly DIYers taking a new circuit into a spare breaker.

Here's an example.

My consumer unit cupboard is rather dark... I know, I'll wire a light in there. That working on a fuseboard looks really easy after watching that spark. It's only a few wires it'll be fine.

Yep, until those few pieces of a 1.5mm scrap cable, ancient light and switch found in the garage end up in a 32A breaker.... One day... BOOM!!!!, neee naaaaa neeeee naaaaaa. Oh hello fireman Sam, not sure what that electrician did when he was here but my fuse board is on fire now, Plleeeeeeeeaaaaase Help????

 

[Swicade]

Very good point there 1shortcircuit.

 

[Rockingit]

Agree with all the thoughts that the clip-in type blanks are not good for much and I prefer the DIN mount ones, but they do have a place for when you've got a board that's got a half-width module in it!

 

[Lucas]

Because It's lazy, maybe rough wasn't the right word but I would say it is very poor practice. The breaker is serving no purpose and the average homeowner is an idiot. It may not be labelled but Joe average probably think's it is doing something

 

[baldelectrician]

I don't fit MCB's in the spaces for reasons mostly noted above

The other reason is cost- why fit an MCB to a board just coz you have given a price, that's like saying i've left you with 50m of cable coz I over estimated when you finish a rewire.

I fit blanks and point them to the customer as a bonus "look these parts (pointing to the blanks) are there incase you want to add something in later. I always like to fit consumer units with enough space for extras"

That way the customer is feeling fine and you have explained why the blanks are there.

I buy Hager din rail blanks as I don't like the cover mounting ones.

 

[somersetsparks]

I always remove any MCB's and keep them and then install blanks (preferably the dummy MCB ones). This way it doesn't confuse people and you don't have to write the MCB/Fuses deatils for the spare way on the test results. You can just write blank and put a line through it!

 

[malcolmsanford]

Because It's lazy, maybe rough wasn't the right word but I would say it is very poor practice. The breaker is serving no purpose and the average homeowner is an idiot. It may not be labelled but Joe average probably think's it is doing something

I'm so glad you pointed that out to me after all these years .......................

 

[Guest111]

I'm so glad you pointed that out to me after all these years .......................

Yeah Malc I used to assume they were all thick,made a nice surprise when occasionally one proved you wrong.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I ALWAYS remove and only for one reason... To stop silly DIYers taking a new circuit into a spare breaker.

Here's an example.

My consumer unit cupboard is rather dark... I know, I'll wire a light in there. That working on a fuseboard looks really easy after watching that spark. It's only a few wires it'll be fine.

Yep, until those few pieces of a 1.5mm scrap cable, ancient light and switch found in the garage end up in a 32A breaker.... One day... BOOM!!!!, neee naaaaa neeeee naaaaaa. Oh hello fireman Sam, not sure what that electrician did when he was here but my fuse board is on fire now, Plleeeeeeeeaaaaase Help????

Not sure about that one....if there's no spare breaker they'll just dob it in with the cooker circuit!

 

[sparky-s-w]

Because It's lazy, maybe rough wasn't the right word but I would say it is very poor practice. The breaker is serving no purpose and the average homeowner is an idiot. It may not be labelled but Joe average probably think's it is doing something

sorry but i disagree, lazy? which is easyer/quicker connecting a breaker or slaping in a blank, "Very bad practice"? why?

 

[Jimmy Boy]

sorry but i disagree, lazy? which is easyer/quicker connecting a breaker or slaping in a blank, "Very bad practice"? why?

IMHO it would only amount to 'Bad practice' if a copy of circuit details were not left adjacent to board highlighting the fact that (X) breaker was a unused way, this was my whole point of my post regarding regs for circuit identification ( Which someone got arsy with me for ), it's important that an unskilled person knows what to switch of or reset
J

 

[Tonkatoy27]

On Hagar boards the edges of the cover surrounding the MCB's is shaped so it does not accept clip in blanks. I'd like to think they've designed it this way because they too fear the dangers of a clips in 'falling out'. Personally, I think it's so you are forced into buying Hagar parts. Although I agree in using din rail/bus bar mounted blanks where possible I don't like the Hagar design as when you come across a board with a bloody great hole in the front of it you can't fill it unless you've got Hagar blanks on board, unlikley if you don't fit them yourself.
I personally use Starbreaker boards with insulated bus bars which negates the needs for a return to 'having to nip the plasitc off' or 'a blue clip'