Tontoe
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Hi
Had a call out to a customer yesterday who'd had a cooker delivered from John Lewis, but the sparky had refused to connect it as the supply was 32A on a 4mm cable. Manufacturer instructions specify 6mm cable but don't give rating of appliance, and it's not on the data plate, but manufacturer instructions take precedence etc etc.
Well, I thought, ring manufacturer (AEG) and check, but their line was closed due to "temporary difficulties".
Then I looked in the under-stairs cupboard, and despite it being a small 3-bed terrace, I found...
Three consumer units are running off a 100A BS1361 cut out - TNS supply.
1) 8-way Wylex insulated with 7 replacement plug in MCBs and one rewireable - 2x6A, 1x5A rewireable, 1x16A, 3x32A and 1x40A. the original cooker ran off one of the 32A MCBs. Mixing MCB & rewireable not advisable, I think?
2) 6-way Wylex insulated with 6 replacement plug in MCBs - 5x16A and 1x20A
3) 6-way Contactum with a mix of types of MCBs - both C and B types - 1x6A, 2x32A, 2x25A (really) and 1x10A - not arranged in the logical order they should be.
The last one appears to be connected to a PV array (or at least one of the breakers is labelled as such) and has a test & inspection notice dated late 2011, but I can't see a local AC isolator.
Only about a third of the circuits are labelled and the customer couldn't tell me what controls what. She said they had a heat pump but also electric heating, although I didn't see any storage heaters.
I suspect the 6-way Wylex was for storage heaters, and may be redundant. She said the PV installer put in the Contactum, but why put in a 6-way unit for a 9-panel array?
The customer now has a redundant and expensive cooker.
Logic says "walk away", but I'd like to help her if I can as she seems a nice woman. However, I suspect tracing circuits, along with the related EICR to try consolidating the CUs, will be a nightmare best avoided. If I did run a new circuit in 6mm it would need RCD protection, which would mean adding another small CU.
Think I've talked myself out of this one, but I'd welcome any suggestions.
Had a call out to a customer yesterday who'd had a cooker delivered from John Lewis, but the sparky had refused to connect it as the supply was 32A on a 4mm cable. Manufacturer instructions specify 6mm cable but don't give rating of appliance, and it's not on the data plate, but manufacturer instructions take precedence etc etc.
Well, I thought, ring manufacturer (AEG) and check, but their line was closed due to "temporary difficulties".
Then I looked in the under-stairs cupboard, and despite it being a small 3-bed terrace, I found...
Three consumer units are running off a 100A BS1361 cut out - TNS supply.
1) 8-way Wylex insulated with 7 replacement plug in MCBs and one rewireable - 2x6A, 1x5A rewireable, 1x16A, 3x32A and 1x40A. the original cooker ran off one of the 32A MCBs. Mixing MCB & rewireable not advisable, I think?
2) 6-way Wylex insulated with 6 replacement plug in MCBs - 5x16A and 1x20A
3) 6-way Contactum with a mix of types of MCBs - both C and B types - 1x6A, 2x32A, 2x25A (really) and 1x10A - not arranged in the logical order they should be.
The last one appears to be connected to a PV array (or at least one of the breakers is labelled as such) and has a test & inspection notice dated late 2011, but I can't see a local AC isolator.
Only about a third of the circuits are labelled and the customer couldn't tell me what controls what. She said they had a heat pump but also electric heating, although I didn't see any storage heaters.
I suspect the 6-way Wylex was for storage heaters, and may be redundant. She said the PV installer put in the Contactum, but why put in a 6-way unit for a 9-panel array?
The customer now has a redundant and expensive cooker.
Logic says "walk away", but I'd like to help her if I can as she seems a nice woman. However, I suspect tracing circuits, along with the related EICR to try consolidating the CUs, will be a nightmare best avoided. If I did run a new circuit in 6mm it would need RCD protection, which would mean adding another small CU.
Think I've talked myself out of this one, but I'd welcome any suggestions.
