Eddy Currents

[Pete999]

Just a thought I would appreciate some comments on. I was at a loose end the other day and ended up watching some guy on you tube talking about Eddy Currents with regards to metal enclosures especially domestic Consumers units.
On no I hear you say not amendment 3 again, but stay with me, having seen some of the pictures of completed CUs where the installer has put the phase conductor and the Neutral through different holes, all very well you may say if the CU was plastic, but with Jan 2016 coming ever closer, I wonder how many of the less enlightened of us will still carry on doing this with the onset of all metal CUs, could be as dangerous as loose connections, what does every one think?

 

[Richard Burns]

Some will still use separate entries I would hope most will not, but there will not be a problem because it is domestic and we have fitted the all metal CUs, so fire is no longer a worry!:earmuffs:

 

[tomspark93]

I'm sure someone posted a link to a video demonstrating eddy currents and the rise in temperature etc not so long a go. It was quite interesting. Whether it would cause a problem on a domestic install I can't say however its certainly none compliant and is also bad practice.

 

[Marvo]

TBH I've never seen or even heard of eddy currents on a metal domestic DB/CU causing any heat damage or leading to a fire. I'd guess the current involved isn't usually high enough to cause the heating effect to be sufficiently pronounced. If there was a video or some pictures posted somewhere and you stumble across them please post a link here because I'd be interested to see them. Maybe someone with time on their hands could do an experiment with a steel CU and post some thermography pictures of temperature rise under different loads.