underfloor heating and RCD

kofi2003uk · 26 Nov 2015

hi All
am not an electrician and need some help/advice on my underfloor heating.

i had a new bath room put in a few months ago and added underfloor heating. this was a warmup 3iE. all seems to be working fine and i have not had any issues so far.

now i was checking a video on Warmup's website and it states in the video that an RCD should be used for underfloor heating.

i know my main circuit breaker for the whole house (under the stairs) has RCD.

now my question is this-- should the underfloor heating have had its own RCD even though the main power switch for the house has RCD?

i can see there is a fuse box on the wall , just on top of the warmup control panel, which can switch the underfloor heating off, but i dont think its RCD. just a fused box that states 'fused'

is this safe or should i get a separate RCD fitted for the underfloor heating, even though the main circuit breaker for the house has RCD?

many thanks

Taylortwocities · 26 Nov 2015

If your whole house has RCD protection, you do not need a second one, providing the main RCD is rated at 30mA. Is it? post a pic if you are not sure.

kofi2003uk · 26 Nov 2015

many thanks for the quick reply,Taylortwocities. am not sure of the rating so i will post a picture this evening when i get home. thank you

kofi2003uk · 27 Nov 2015

IMG 1

kofi2003uk
27 Nov 2015

IMG 2

kofi2003uk
27 Nov 2015

IMG 3

kofi2003uk
27 Nov 2015

pictures above and hopefully that helps... thank you.

i also took a picture of the wall showing the fuse box on the floor heating.

ericmark · 27 Nov 2015

As to RCD if supplies from left hand side then already protected. As to if an earth mat is required it would seem from what I could see yes required. I know when we fitted under floor heating to mothers wet room it took some time and many enquiries before we found one with a built in earth screen around the heating cables making it suitable for a wet room without having to lay an earth mat above it. Problem is using an earth mat most can be used in bath rooms so it's not so easy to work out which is which.

It was all to no avail anyway it was a useless system.

Taylortwocities · 27 Nov 2015

If it is a Warmup system, then the cbales come all ready with an earth broad and are suitable for bathroom use without any additional earth mat's needed.

Going back to the RCD. (that's the big opne in the middle with the test button on it) I cannot read the writing, can you pic a close-up.
This may be acedemic as it looks like bathroom heating feed is not RCD protected. Turn off the "ground floor sockets" MCB to check.

If that is the case, then there are two choices
1. Move the circuit that controls the underfloor heating feed to the RCD side of the consumer unit
or
2. Changed that fused switch by the heating control to an RCD FCU like this http://www.screwfix.com/p/safetysure-13a-rcd-fused-spur-white/26963

kofi2003uk · 27 Nov 2015

thank you both. i will post a closer picture. am not really sure which is the RCD side and which isnt. embarrassed ... yes am useless with electrics. i will have a closer look. maybe its written on it.

will update. thank you once again.

ericmark · 27 Nov 2015

I would hope the under floor heating is controlled by one of the three MCB's to the left.

kofi2003uk · 27 Nov 2015

many thanks . i will check and update.

kofi2003uk · 27 Nov 2015

Taylortwocities said:
If it is a Warmup system, then the cbales come all ready with an earth broad and are suitable for bathroom use without any additional earth mat's needed.

Going back to the RCD. (that's the big opne in the middle with the test button on it) I cannot read the writing, can you pic a close-up.
This may be acedemic as it looks like bathroom heating feed is not RCD protected. Turn off the "ground floor sockets" MCB to check.

If that is the case, then there are two choices
1. Move the circuit that controls the underfloor heating feed to the RCD side of the consumer unit
or
2. Changed that fused switch by the heating control to an RCD FCU like this http://www.screwfix.com/p/safetysure-13a-rcd-fused-spur-white/26963

so if i decide to go with option one, is it a case of finding the switch that controls the underfloor control panel ( switching off and on till i find the one for upstairs bathroom) and just pulling it out and inserting it into the other side? do i need to unscrew anything? obviously with the mains switched off.

thank you

Iggifer · 27 Nov 2015

Basically, it is that simple, but if you've never opened a consumer unit before, just don't. Those old MK boards aren't always the easiest to work on.

Option two is definitely your best, and safest option, hands down.

kofi2003uk · 27 Nov 2015

ok thank you. i will check and if it isnt on the RCD, then i will buy this one via the link. http://www.screwfix.com/p/safetysure-13a-rcd-fused-spur-white/26963

stillp · 27 Nov 2015

kofi2003uk said:
so if i decide to go with option one, is it a case of finding the switch that controls the underfloor control panel ( switching off and on till i find the one for upstairs bathroom) and just pulling it out and inserting it into the other side? do i need to unscrew anything? obviously with the mains switched off.

It's not just the 'switch' (actually an MCB) that needs to be moved, but the circuit controlled by it.

Taylortwocities · 27 Nov 2015

I agree with Iggifer. In the old MK boards (IIRC) you have to completely take out the whole busbar to move release the MCB, then you'd need to do the same on the otehr side.
Then you'd have to properly relocate the busbar into all of the MCBs, then you'll need to re-route (and probably extend) the wiring inside the CU, as it wont be long enough to reach the new position……
It's not easy, even if you have done it before.

Go for option 2. Its an easy fix for you.

kofi2003uk · 27 Nov 2015

i appreciate your time and advice, guys... thank you soooo much. have a good weekend. i will do as adviced.

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underfloor heating and RCD

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