New guy!

[Robobcop44]

Hello everyone,
I've just found this forum while hunting around on the net, so I thought I'd join!
I wonder if you could let me know your views on this..........
I've just been to a house to give a quote to wire a new 9.5kw shower. The house owner is supplying the unit and doing the plumbing. Before I had a look it seemed straight forward. Run a 10mm T&E from the CU into the loft, then chase down the bathroom wall to the shower, putting in a 50 amp pull cord switch, however, when I looked at the fuse box it went a bit wrong!
They have an old wylex fuse box, with wire fuses, and only three of them! Two 30 amp, and one 5 amp. Not much for a three bed house really. The worst thing of course is no RCD protection. The earth bonding appears to be ok...although I will check that to make doubley sure.
I've told the owner that really a new 17th edition CU needs to be fitted, however the owner, naturally, doesn't want to spend much money! Would it be acceptable to fit an 80amp RCD between the meter and the board, so all circuits are protected, and replace the fuses with plug in MCBs, with the addition of a 45 amp MCB for the shower?
I'd rather change the archaic board...........
Thanks for reading my "war and peace".
Mark.

 

[Hawk81]

You could split the tails and fit a small cu with an RCD and mcb for the shower. You really dont have to change the cu. Puting 1 RCD on the whole installation is not advisable as you will face problems with nuisance tripping.

 

[Sintra]

Personally i would try and split tails then fit a 1 way Rcd protected cu. Doing this means you do not have to fill in an EIC for all the circuits in the house just the shower circuit that you have installed.

 

[DurhamSparky]

agreed with sintra and hawk!!

 

[Johno]

It sounds like a learning curve, in the future always make sure that the existing installation is suitable for additions, if I were you I would try and explain to the customer about the way regs are these days and also that a CU change would make existing installation a lot safer and try and persuade them.

As far as the RCD covering the whole installation goes, that is not a good idea because it is against regs and will create nuisance tripping every time a bulb blows. The cost won't be much different in changing CU, if only 3 ways (+ shower).


If you have to do it a bit cheaper to keep customer happy (cos at the end of the day you should have seen it before you started) then so be it, but at least you can walk away from a good job knowing you will get recommendations.

Good luck!

 

[Johno]

Bloody hell, in the time it took me to write that there had been 3 posts!

 

[Hawk81]

It sounds like a learning curve, in the future always make sure that the existing installation is suitable for additions, if I were you I would try and explain to the customer about the way regs are these days and also that a CU change would make existing installation a lot safer and try and persuade them.

As far as the RCD covering the whole installation goes, that is not a good idea because it is against regs and will create nuisance tripping every time a bulb blows. The cost won't be much different in changing CU, if only 3 ways (+ shower).


If you have to do it a bit cheaper to keep customer happy (cos at the end of the day you should have seen it before you started) then so be it, but at least you can walk away from a good job knowing you will get recommendations.

Good luck!

I would only "try and persuade" a customer to change a cu if the old 1 is dangerous. otherwise i only advise. as for. bub blowing and tripping the rcd this will not happen.everytime

 

[davelerave]

thought it was a myth -bulbs blowing tripping rcds

tripping b6 mcbs -yes

 

[Robobcop44]

Thanks for all your replies!
I was trying to persuade the customer that a new CU would be the best and safest thing for the house in general, however, I think that adding a small, RCD protected seperate CU for the shower is a good way to go about it, if the customer doesn't want a complete CU change.
Thanks for all your opinions!
Mark.

 

[davelerave]

********

good evening

 

[alarm man]

Sorry Dave, that was aimed at the retard who posted before you!

both your posts are disrespectful no matter who they were aimed at.

 

[Johno]

Sorry mom

 

[Hawk81]

********

who is that aimed at?

 

[Phil]

not quite sure why or where that comment came from i personally think it is unnecessary. lets keep it civil in here

 

[Johno]

I never set out to offend anyone, I thought my post might have been helpful!