Help-advice needed,

[Homesafe1]

Hi everyone this is my first post on here,I am in need of some advice,
Basically I rewired a domestic property 2 months ago,I have fitted a dual rcd crabtree starbreaker which is situated in the cellar,I got a phonecall the other day asking me to come back because the Rcd has tripped off 3-4 times since I finished the job.
When I arrived the customer said her electrician friend was on his way round to see me because there were a few things he thought were not right.In the time we were waiting we disscused the times the rcd had tripped and it was determined light bulbs blowing were what were tripping the rcd,I also reminded the customer that the Rcd would find any faulty appliances she may have...
When the other electrician arrived we went down to the cellar and stood at the board,17th edition Crabtree starbreaker dual RCD board, one side, up lights,down sockets,cellar lights,C,heating, other side, down lights,up sockets,shower etc.He then said 'Ive never seen this done like this before' (my face was blank) Why are the lights on the RCD,I have never done this before or seen it done,I have heard about it but never seen it.....I said this is regulation,this is how it is done,this is how I have to do it.He said blowing bulbs knocking out the RCD is inconvenient (which i understand fully).
At this stage I felt as if I was being made to be wrong in what i had done,(this is were u guys back me up)
So basically I have been asked,or told to take out one of the rcds and put all the lights on one unprotected side and the sockets etc on the other.I said I would call back to do it, just to get out and get some further advice.I rang my dad who is also a NICEIC registered electrician and explained to him what had happened,His advice was,dont do it,it will come back to you if there are any problems in the future,Its against the law(thats easy for him to say,he wasnt there)
I am thinking of suggesting low energy bulbs that will last years and see how that goes first,in my opinion after the first 10 secs they are just as good as standard bulbs anyway,
The thing is I totally understand were the customer is coming from,she is in her sixties and lives on her own,the board is in the cellar so it really is no good when the RCD trips,but waht can I do,HELPPPPP

 

[Doomed]

as lond as the cables are not deeper then 50mm, have mechanical protection or are surface mounted then you are in the right.

 

[acat]

Follow the advise of your Dad, go back show the lady the big red book and take a picture of the consumer unit as you left it. That way if the other person who had never seen it done that way changes things you are covered as he may change it and leave you to carry the can.



Chris

 

[mikey12]

Hi Homesafe 1 im sure you have done this right as you have segregated circuits to minimize inconvenience in the event of a fault and also regarding lights on rcd protection as cables could be below 50mm and have no other protection as i think reg 522.6.5 onwards states

 

[Guest123]

You have done the job correctly and in line with current regs, nothing to worry about.

Tell them politely you will not be removing an RCD as your work would no longer comply with the current regs and offer to show the customer and her "sparky friend" who obviously does not have a 17th ed qualification the regulations concerned in ol' red.

Obviously if the fault isn't blowing lamps or a faulty appliance then you will have to rectify this.

 

[Davey101]

I agree totally with everyone else. I'd either show her, her 'sparky friend', or prefably both, a regs book, clearly outlined to prove you are right. I'd also make sure you are 100% on the regs, i.e. when you MUST use RCD's, and also when you DONT have too. That way, not only will you prove your point, but you will also come across as a confident, knowlegable spark. There's nothing worse than knowing what you are on about(which you obviously do), but sounding as if you dont, it wont instill confidence in anyone, and will undermine your position.

To be fair to both of them, the RCD tripping out will be annoying, and certainly wouldnt appear to be correct to the homeowner. Also, the 'sparky friend' may well be a perfectly decent spark, albeit one who isnt upto date on regs, and so what you have done may have seemed strange. Having said that, he is probably a bodger/failed spark, and it would definatley have been a good idea, not to mention polite, to have made sure of his facts before questioning your work.
Wether it would be acceptable/advisable for you to change the RCD setup is another question, Regs arent legally binding, so perhaps you could change it as long as you noted it on your test sheet, and got the customer to sign something on the invoice, would be interesting to know if any members on here ever do something similar?

One other thing I'd say is, I think anyone changing a board should make it perfectly clear that it will now be protected by RCD's. Point out the positives, i.e. the improved saftey, but also that RCD's are much more prone to tripping. The customer may decide that they dont want the work done then, and that would be fair enough. Its a little unfair on a homeowner to change the way their household electrics behave, without explaining it to them beforehand (this isnt a dig at the OP).

 

[SirKit Breaker]

You are right............believe me, you and your customer are not the first to come under attack from the 17th edition wiring regs, this is all total overkill in my opinion and unnecessary, there is a need for RCD's and lighting circuits are not one of them........................However this is called progress and we have to tow the line, unless we all stand up and oppose it.