Different brand MCBs

[Andy B]

A customer has bought a CCU but with MCBs that are a different brand. The breakers fit in the board and on the bar no problem. Is there any reason why this should not be done??

 

[topquark]

As long as the breakers are BS EN marked no electrical concerns. There are at least two other things to consider/check. Check on the type of busbar used (and check that a) it fits and the spacing between modules is correct and b) that it's available to buy separately, in case you change the layout later). Check that the cover fits on the CU with the breakers installed (that's where a lot of the MCB's and RCBO's differ (in the front apperture position)).

 

[Engineer54]

The CU case is just that, ...an enclosure, so if another make of MCB/RCBOs fit the provided b/bar and enclosure, ...no problem at all!!!

 

[Andy B]

Thanks.

 

[DurhamSparky]

agreed with engineer54...!

its a bit like houses!! you get 2 houses both worth 150k with 2 different families...! one is private landlord and gets the rent paid for by TAXPAYER and other family slogs guts off and pays mortgage... both houses are the same and both sets of humans are equal... nothing wrong with it but in theory it aint rite..!

 

[beaver74]

the reg state you must go by manufacturers data and i have yet to see one that does'nt say use only our breakers

 

[Engineer54]

Tut tut!! How foolish of me then, how could we possibly stand in the way of letting manufacturers making maximum profit out of their CU enclosures??


Who knows they may even be buying these CUs in, from another manufacturer and charging over the odds compared to the original....

 

[beaver74]

Tut tut!! How foolish of me then, how could we possibly stand in the way of letting manufacturers making maximum profit out of their CU enclosures??


Who knows they may even be buying these CUs in, from another manufacturer and charging over the odds compared to the original....

the OP ask if there was any thing's wrong with mixing and I have answered .
thats not to say I dont mix MCB's but I know that I am the one the buck stops with when in a years time theres a problem and the manufacturer washes his hands of it all

 

[IQ Electrical]

BS 60439-3 Anyone?

To achieve compliance with the above and in particular, the 16kA conditional rating, the consumer unit must be installed using the manufacturers components as a matching set.

I've got a copy of UK Annex ZA explaining this if anyone is suffering from insomnia?

 

[GLENNSPARK]

When i did my mothers house (16th) i put her a volex board in with a sector 100mA s type rcd so i know sector will fit a volex board........

 

[Engineer54]

BS 60439-3 Anyone?

To achieve compliance with the above and in particular, the 16kA conditional rating, the consumer unit must be installed using the manufacturers components as a matching set.

I've got a copy of UK Annex ZA explaining this if anyone is suffering from insomnia?

I think that would very much depend on ...Who the ACTUAL manufacturer is and how many other trading names buy into that manufacturers product(s). Different trade names, doesn't mean different manufacturer. I don't think i can count the amount of different trading names now selling MG breakers and accessories...

 

[IQ Electrical]

I think that would very much depend on ...Who the ACTUAL manufacturer is and how many other trading names buy into that manufacturers product(s). Different trade names, doesn't mean different manufacturer. I don't think i can count the amount of different trading names now selling MG breakers and accessories...

Oh I agree, it's pedantic but the OP did ask and the BS is specific in this requirement.

I'd bet that if say Schneider Electric were asked in writing if they could state compliance with BS 60439-3 for a consumer unit with a mixture of Square D and Merlin Gerin MCBs (both manufactured by SE) they would politely decline.

 

[Engineer54]

Oh I agree, it's pedantic but the OP did ask and the BS is specific in this requirement.

I'd bet that if say Schneider Electric were asked in writing if they could state compliance with BS 60439-3 for a consumer unit with a mixture of Square D and Merlin Gerin MCBs (both manufactured by SE) they would politely decline.

Maybe, maybe not. ...lol!! ...But considering that MCBs, RCDs, RCBOs, etc are all manufactured to the same current BS types, and the same thing basically covering CU enclosures, ...your going to be extremely unlucky not to comply with BS 60439-3.


I doubt if most earlier versions/types of MCBs etc are going to fit the current CU models.
Even if they did, the 16KA rating of CUs has been around for a very long time now, so would in all honesty probably comply anyway...

 

[sparkydude]

Sorry guys , I have to agree with Beaver on this one , it is one of my pet hates. Unless circumstances deem that the breaker HAS to be an equal equivalent ie old make now obsolete . The manafacturers instructions overrule the regs as they always have done . Besides which if you go to an install and someone has just stuffed any old breaker in the board it looks a mess, admittedly there are circumstances with breakers made by electrium and branded wylex crabtree volex sector etc which are exactl.y the same breaker branded differently , which would be fine . We are still working on a site we finished last year and all DB's are schneider, went to one ysterday and there is a square D in the board now, its from the range with the clip on busbar connection which has been removed from it to enable it to fit the DB . Now thats a definite no no in my eyes as they have had to modify the MCB to make it suitable for use .

Just my oppinion



Nick

 

[TomandLesley]

Ihave done some inspection work recently for landlords. CUs with mixed manufacturer MCBsare more common than I realised. Leaving aside any problems with themanufacturer guarantees, many makesof MCBs are din rail/BS and will fit in an older CU where the original MCBs areno longer easily available. I have found Wylex and Steeple MCBs fitted (not byme) in to non Electrium CUs as well as other Electrium CUs in Buy-to-Let properties. Some MCBs were from the Dud list!!!