Main isolation by local REC

[cliffed]

How come us electricians have to put in metal Db’s,they come along & put in a plastic isolater,for us to connect to.

 

[buzzlightyear]

may be you should ring your scam dealers and clarify with them.

 

[Risteard]

I typically flatten the tails with pliers, tighten them, wiggle, retighten and then periodically check them as I work on the board.

As do I, and in my experience this seems to be the best way to treat tails when terminating. I too would love to see double screwed terminals instead of cage clamps but I fear that's not on the horizon.

 

[snowhead]

How come us electricians have to put in metal Db’s,they come along & put in a plastic isolater,for us to connect to.

Because there probably have been no significant numbers of reported fires in the isolators.
Whereas there supposedly have for C.U.s

 

[Ian1981]

The isolators fitted by the DNO have double terminals up my way however they are hex head terminals size 3 ........awful in my opinion

 

[snowhead]

How come us electricians have to put in metal Db’s,they come along & put in a plastic isolater,for us to connect to.

Because there probably have been no significant numbers of reported fires in the isolators.
Whereas there supposedly have for C.U.s

 

[westward10]

Wrap the conductors like I was taught years ago, no conductor shift will happen. Good terminations can be enclosed in cardboard with no risk.

 

[SparkyChick]

Wrap the conductors like I was taught years ago, no conductor shift will happen. Good terminations can be enclosed in cardboard with no risk.

Problem is, the terminal surfaces are flat. Conductor shift is necessary to maximise the contact area.

 

[Ian1981]

Wrap the conductors like I was taught years ago, no conductor shift will happen. Good terminations can be enclosed in cardboard with no risk.

Does said cardboard have to be enclosed in a non combustible cabinet

 

[westward10]

I think the problem is many of us our now working with the what if factor when in fact this probably not going to be a issue.

 

[westward10]

I think there is some sort of middle ground with conductor csa where we think Mmm this is going to work loose, say from 10mm to 35mm and this is solely down to the type of termination, as has already been said the two terminal tunnel connection which you no longer see is by far the most efficient. This was not only seen in CUs but also 45A switches. Connections no longer cater for this middle ground and we are left worrying unlike the 630mm 6941AX I made off last year, never lost a wink of sleep.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

The requirement now is for CUs and similar switchgear assemblies to comply with BS EN 61439-3.
If it doesn’t comply, then it can’t be fitted irrespective of the material the enclosure is constructed from.

 

[cliffed]

Thanks for all your comments,think it’s a good shout to fit isolator after the meter,whether metal or plastic.
Cheers

 

[Percyprod]

Back in the pre-privatisation days of electricity boards, we started fitting isolators on new supplies. Before that the supply would be installed, then we as inspectors would go and fit the meter after testing installation, and fit fuse. Fitting the isolator meant the jointer could fit the meter and fuse, with isolator fitted with a plastic seal and labelled to say that when the seal was broken the electrician took responsibility for the installation. Probably 15th edition in force then.

 

[SparkyChick]

The requirement now is for CUs and similar switchgear assemblies to comply with BS EN 61439-3.
If it doesn’t comply, then it can’t be fitted irrespective of the material the enclosure is constructed from.

And there in lies the problem with the regulations....

Define 'similar switchgear assemblies'. If the definition is based solely on assemblies that are designed to comply with that standard (and thus have been typed tested to ensure conformity), then as best as I can tell REC2S does not constitute 'similar switchgear'.

The reason I say this is because I've been unable to find any statement that REC2S complies with this standard (or any other for that matter).

So knowing that no such statement of conformity exists you go ahead and install one inside a dwelling house... the unthinkable happens. A fault occurs in the isolator, the case catches fire and someone is injured or dies as a result. How would you defend your decision to fit one given there appears to be no statement that it complies to any relevant standards (other than the fact the isolators comply with BS EN 60947-3)?

 

[Midwest]

Déjà vu



I'm saying nothing!

Ooohh all right then, Sparkychick have you fitted that particular isolator before? I installed a similar one in a switch fuse format, and it was a bit of a pig to connect up. Think I'll be tempted to fit the Wylex metal one, if that's what's required.