Help with finding MCB

[LewisM]

So a friend of mine has a new build (2020) typical new build lashed in. Hes getting an electric car soon however fitting a charger will be a pain in the backside as the meter cupboard is in passage on the side of the house the fuse board is fed by a sub main and is in the toilet under the stairs which is right in the middle of the house and its a semi detached. Top floor is all fitted flooring so no access that way. Behind the fuseboard is a fully fitted kitchen.

Only way it can be done is in the meter cupboard as the passageway is so tight that you'd never get the bins or anything through it if you fit an enclosure on the wall

My plan would be the fit a 7-8 module board in the meter cupboard and getting rid of the KMF switch feeding the house fuseboard

have the tails in to a 100A isolator then an SPD /SPDMCB if needed then dp rcbo for the car charger circuit then a 63a dp mcb for the house this at the end so that the neutral is on the lhs so no need to cut the busbar

Only problem is finding the parts all from the same manufacturer anybody had any experience of this?

 

[LewisM]

Red is where the meter box is

Green is where the charger will go

Blue is the cu location

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

If you send a photo of the meter cabinet that would help

my own thoughts would be fit a 4 pole isolator and link it out so that it acts in lieu of a henley block etc from this run tails or other cable above meter cabinet and at a height out of the way of bins fit an enclosure to supply charger. this gives you your isolation and keeps the existing switched fuse. have you considered replacing the existing fuse/switch for a small one?
That said you can get 4 module rcbo/spd kits in an enclosure that are small enough you can fit in the meter cabinet alongside other things like henley blocks etc...
Make life easy for yourself and use 10mm tails for the ev charger before going in enclosures/rcbo etc you will be amazed what you can fit in a cabinet when you plan it well.. comes from installing 100s of chargers.

 

[LewisM]

If you send a photo of the meter cabinet that would help

my own thoughts would be fit a 4 pole isolator and link it out so that it acts in lieu of a henley block etc from this run tails or other cable above meter cabinet and at a height out of the way of bins fit an enclosure to supply charger. this gives you your isolation and keeps the existing switched fuse. have you considered replacing the existing fuse/switch for a small one?
That said you can get 4 module rcbo/spd kits in an enclosure that are small enough you can fit in the meter cabinet alongside other things like henley blocks etc...
Make life easy for yourself and use 10mm tails for the ev charger before going in enclosures/rcbo etc you will be amazed what you can fit in a cabinet when you plan it well.. comes from installing 100s of chargers.

I forgot to take a picture annoyingly

but its essentiality this however the meter is a smart one that takes up the whole lhs ad then the KMF switch is at the bottom ish but as a skirt for the single insulation of the te

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I would feel confident in moving things about and be able to fit a db henely block, the switched fuse and get a 4 mod minin consmer unit in there with rcbo/spd.
Often do it. wont ask how you are isolating supply - (of course call dno to isolate!) but flexi tails would be very helpful here

 

[davesparks]

I wouldn't replace a fuse with an MCB on a distribution circuit, that will make the selectivity worse.

 

[LewisM]

Yeah neither would I but sometimes these things happen







I'll have another look next time i'm over and have a rethink







New build houses seem to be built with no foresight for alterations







Fuseboard is a mess as well. no SPD, dual rcd, some labels written by sharpie, mis match of plastic blanks







fitted by a mas.sive company too saying no names

 

[davesparks]

Yeah neither would I but sometimes these things happen

That's a very dismissive approach to something which is going to reduce the installation's compliance with the regulations.

Whats preventing you from using a fuse to protect the submain in your new setup?

 

[LewisM]

That's a very dismissive approach to something which is going to reduce the installation's compliance with the regulations.

Whats preventing you from using a fuse to protect the submain in your new setup?

Room, as the cable comes side entry so will be hard to jig everything around with the length of cable unless i slacken the meter box from the wall and try bring the cable down from above but i'm sure i read somewhere you can't bring cables from above in meter boxes

 

[davesparks]

Room, as the cable comes side entry so will be hard to jig everything around with the length of cable unless i slacken the meter box from the wall and try bring the cable down from above but i'm sure i read somewhere you can't bring cables from above in meter boxes

If you have space for an MCB you have space for a fuse.

Where did you read that? It's not a regulation I've heard of before.

 

[LewisM]

If you have space for an MCB you have space for a fuse.

Where did you read that? It's not a regulation I've heard of before.

Well it would be fine to do now I guess as its already installed so nobody would know

I can't actually find it written down lol so maybe he made it up but when I was a an apprentice back in 2015 we changed some houses to flats with their own supplies and matey from UKPN wouldn't approve the connection because we had run the cables from the top of the meter box and he wanted them entering from the bottom.

 

[davesparks]

Well it would be fine to do now I guess as its already installed so nobody would know

I can't actually find it written down lol so maybe he made it up but when I was a an apprentice back in 2015 we changed some houses to flats with their own supplies and matey from UKPN wouldn't approve the connection because we had run the cables from the top of the meter box and he wanted them entering from the bottom.

"it's already installed so nobody would know" doesn't feature in the regulations.

"matey from UKPN says" isn't a regulation either.