Mix and match of MCB's

[nickblake]

I know alot of you guys will do this but realy it should not be done .especially as the recent Electrium recall showed heres an example a recent CDU fire caused by a faulty breaker and installed by a spark the board had a mix of sector and deopoke mcb's in it when it was inspected the suppliers refused to take responcability for it due to the mix and match of MCB's ,and advised that any testing carried out would be voide , the suppliers are refusing to replace the damaged board due to this , and trading standards are now involved , consumer unit are tested to BS60439-3 with the MCB's from the same manufacturer , with the Regulations stating that the manufacturers instructions should be taken into account , if you use a mixture of MCB's from other manufacturers then it will invalidate any testing certification and warrenties and also you are then personally liable if anything goes wrong and you could end up prosecuted ,regulation 510.3 requires that the installer takes into account the manufacturer's instructions so realy if you are in any doubt ask your self what will i tell the judge

 

[ackbarthestar]

Also states shouldnt be done, in my eyes its logic, lets face it you wouldnt have one size tyre on one side of your van and another of the other side would you?

Nor would the manufacturers.:dozey:
This is a much tighter brief in that the BS60898 standard methods of implementation have been agreed by the major MCB manufacturers. If the mechanical components are compatible then I still can't see why different MCBs shouldn't be fitted into third party distribution boards. I suspect there are a lot of control panels out there!

 

[vernam616]

This thread made me thing back a little to when i was training, watching the spark butchering a MCB - Litrally hacking chunks out here and there to make it fit into a board of a different make

Quite alarming thinking about it now, knowing what you know

 

[netblindpaul]

This is the thin end of the wedge guys, I did think this was coming.
Those of us who do machine repairs etc. on CE marked machines.
Modifications invalidate the CE mark.
So is replacing say an ABB E-Stop for a Schneider E-Stop to the same standard a mod...
Take this on from there etc.

 

[Engineer54]

I must agree with vernam616, all this talk of 'standards' is irrelevant, if you take BS EN 60898 as an example, it doesn't specify sizes and shapes of devices, only operating characteristics of the devices so how can you just assume that the stringent tests applied in UK Annex ZA of BS 60947-3 will work across a broad range of manufacturers components, all of different physical sizes etc.?

Here's the Annex, the test is described within:

That little statement yet again, doesn't consider the numerous examples of a single manufacturer making exactly the same MCB/RCBO for other manufacturers apart from it's self. ...Still Irrelevant ?? Of course it's not!! This is all about passing the buck from the different supply companies and trying to keep up the market shares. Nothing to do with any safety aspect, because there isn't any, unless there is something wrong with one of the components themselves!! (ie the Eaton/Wylex recall)

As for the Brake analogy, do they actually make brake linings, (be they drum or disc) that can physically fit between different makes of cars?? Obviously if they do, then i'm sure the retro fit/ after market will know of this, and lawfully supply a product to suite.

 

[netblindpaul]

E54,
As far as the car brakes thing goes, yes there are brake parts that interchange across models.

I agree with your sentiments, look at Havells for example.

Thing is, in the face of the mounting protectionism, what else can you do?

It will not be long before the machine builders cotton on...

 

[nickblake]

Although i started the thread i do agree with 54 on this , but for those that remember i posted a thread a while ago when i refused to fit a customer light fitting , if i followed the manufacturers instruction by pushing 2 single insulated wires into the roof space and connect with terminal block and wrap with tape is the correct way to install a light fitting then the whole regs thing is a farce , CE mark means absolutly nothing ,with poor terminal blocks lack of space undersized cables etc , as for CDU's and MCB's i do like the correct type breakers look more professional but when needs must ie obsolete mcb's then in my eye there shouldnt be a problem as long as the mcbs fit correctly

 

[TomandLesley]

Ihave done some inspection work recently for landlords. CUs with mixed manufacturer MCBsare more common than I realised. Leaving aside any problems with themanufacturer guarantees, many makesof MCBs are din rail/BS and will fit in an older CU where the original MCBs areno longer easily available. I have found Wylex and Steeple MCBs fitted (not byme) in non Electrium CUs as well as Electrium CUs in Buy-to-Let properties. Some MCBs were from the Dud list!!!