Main switch AND isolartor in consumer unit

[gvelec]

Hi all, any ideas as to why this installation has an isolator next to the main switch? To my inexperienced eyes, this seems unecessary waste of real estate.
View attachment 15230

 

[telectrix]

or, if op needs some more room for additional circuits, remove the cuckoo switch and fit some RCBOs.

 

[gvelec]

thanks fellas. Yep looks like I'm going to have to get back up to the installation address with my mf.

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RCBOs would probably mean no kitchen sockets or appliances until the circuit has been repaired. Has to be done I suppose.

 

[Resu]

I like the detective work that went into these answers. Good job guys lol :charming:

 

[Deservices]

Did your mum not tell you she had a electrician out to fix fault? Hopefully wasn't a electrician who did it, if so, get the guy to fix a dangerous job and report him if he doesn't.

 

[cjm500]

Is that a VIR connected into the 6A on the non-RCD side?

 

[Des 56]

Looks like 2 mcbs have been added since the board was installed, along with the dumping of the Rcd
Some extra naughties I reckon

Whoever did the alterations unfortunately knew enough to bodge the job,these are the worst types to do the potching,dangerous and ignorant sometimes without even knowing why

 

[1shortcircuit]

Can we have a photo of the consumer unit cover please.

If the circuits were originally rcd protected as suspected then the circuit labels immediately after the main switch label will be green

Clearly carried out by someone who knows a bit and perhaps doesn't see what all the hype is about regarding rcd protecting all circuits? lol

Naughty fix indeed, perhaps intended as a very temp repair advising of urgent investigation work (which costs money). Perhaps Mother decided to wait until she could get her son to visit and fix the problem and save a few quid???

 

[D Skelton]

Doesn't look like a dual RCD board to me, there's only two neutral bars.

Maybe someone tried to convert the split load board to a dual RCD board and got a bit miffed

Or maybe they were short of blanking plates and shoved an old main switch in instead haha?

My hunch would be that there isn't an earth fault on any of the non-RCD protected circuits. I could be wrong though.

 

[telectrix]

a dual RCD board only needs 2 N bars. it's the hi-integrity boards that require 3.

 

[D Skelton]

a dual RCD board only needs 2 N bars. it's the hi-integrity boards that require 3.

I know it doesn't need 3 bars, but every dual RCD board I have ever purchased comes hi-integrity as standard. Then again, it's years since I used Wylex.

 

[Des 56]

looks like a 2.5 conductor in that 32 A mcb

 

[D Skelton]

Could be feeding a single socket?

 

[Fin170]

My guess is that VIR fell apart into tripping the RCD which was replaced with a main switch. Looks like a nightmare looking at all the bodge work gone on in there, although all the MCBs seem to sit on the cider even on a well done wylex board

 

[Deservices]

It looks like the main isolator isolates the one next to it and rest of the board, and the LH one isolates the rest of the board. Maybe the main isolator won't turn off and instead of just replacing it they strangely added the other.