IET's new Guide to Consumer Units

[Taylortwocities]

Oh, lookee at the latest for us to spend our money on.

http://electrical.theiet.org/books/amendment-no3/consumer-units.cfm?origin=pe-jan

For only £15 (if you are not an IET member) they will sell you a book that clarifies reg. 421.1.201 and apparently
"dispels common myths and helps to clear up any confusion regarding how new, often metal, consumer units meet the regulations"

Bloomin' cheek. They write something that needs clarification and then charge us to explain it.

 

[EFLImpudence]

they will sell you a book that clarifies reg.

I bet it doesn't.

 

[JohnW2]

Bloomin' cheek. They write something that needs clarification and then charge us to explain it.

Too right - particularly since I strongly suspect that the book will not "explain it" to many people's satisfaction!

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

I often wonder why there is an IET forum.

Surely it should just be a question and definitive answer site.

 

[JohnW2]

I often wonder why there is an IET forum. Surely it should just be a question and definitive answer site.

What are these "definitive answers" you're hoping for? Every time I've posed questions to the IET's 'technical help' folk, the only answers I've got have been vague, covered in caveats (saying that they are 'not authorised to interpret BS7671' {even though they co-publish it}!) and anything but "definitive"!

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

I just think that there should be someone there who actually knows.- especially regarding BS7671 wot they rote.

 

[333rocky333]

Do other trades like gas and plumbers, etc, have all these books, I sometimes wonder if anyone actually does buy them apart from when they take something like the 17th exam, I may get slated but, last regs book I got was the red one, im sure if contracters could access them on line, more people would read them and work would hopefully improve, often in wholesalers you hear people talking, only today I heard someone say, if you line your stair cupboard with fire rated plasterboard, you can buy and fit a plastic CU.
These myths tend to get passed on, Ive learnt more about amd 3 from this site, than anywhere else, to be honest

 

[JohnW2]

I just think that there should be someone there who actually knows.- especially regarding BS7671 wot they rote.

I'm sure that most/all of us would agree - but if (which I very much doubt), there is anyone at the IET who "actually knows", they sure don't seem to be prepared to "tell"!

I suppose it's not that unusual a situation. You'll never get legislators to clarify/interpret legislation they've written - they pass that buck to the Courts (who didn't write it!)!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

... only today I heard someone say, if you line your stair cupboard with fire rated plasterboard, you can buy and fit a plastic CU. These myths tend to get passed on ....

I don't think I'd call it a myth. The reg is so badly written (as BAS says, actually impossible to comply with) that that is an interpretation which probably gets almost as close to complying with the 'impossible-to-comply-with' regulation as does other approach!

Kind Regards, John

 

[flameport]

I may get slated but, last regs book I got was the red one

 

[ericmark]

Being a member I have attended lectures, in the main the speaker is from one of the scheme providers rather than from the IET. The local chairman has changed but she was one of my college lecturers and she was really clever but her field was bio-electrics and she would have freely admitted she did not know all the regulations.

It was at one of these lectures I was told how they arrived at the 106 meters for a ring final, and as pointed out non of the books tell you about how that was arrived at it is just word of mouth. The lecture on the amendment 3 was rather disappointing with the lecturer stating he was unsure how it would be implicated. The original BS7671:2008 was red, and like I am sure many others I bought it to take into the new exam. In fact I bought 2 one for my son who took exam at same time. And I have not upgraded to amendment 3 either. When they say you need to take exam again I may get another one, but until then I will carry on with the red one.

 

[Risteard]

... only today I heard someone say, if you line your stair cupboard with fire rated plasterboard, you can buy and fit a plastic CU. These myths tend to get passed on ....

I don't think I'd call it a myth. The reg is so badly written (as BAS says, actually impossible to comply with) that that is an interpretation which probably gets almost as close to complying with the 'impossible-to-comply-with' regulation as does other approach!

Kind Regards, John

I don't agree that it is impossible to comply with. Although we know that steel will combust at a suitable temperature, the Regulation does explicitly state that steel is an example of a non-combustible material - so for the purposes of that Regulation we can be assured that steel will comply.

I don't see how it can be argued that it wouldn't.

 

[JohnW2]

I don't think I'd call it a myth. The reg is so badly written (as BAS says, actually impossible to comply with) that that is an interpretation which probably gets almost as close to complying with the 'impossible-to-comply-with' regulation as does other approach!

I don't agree that it is impossible to comply with. Although we know that steel will combust at a suitable temperature, the Regulation does explicitly state that steel is an example of a non-combustible material - so for the purposes of that Regulation we can be assured that steel will comply.

That's a pragmatic view, and clearly the interpretation that most people are making. However, fact that their 'deemed-to' statement is actually "incorrect", one is really applying one's own discretion/common sense.

You seem to feel that compliance with an (incorrect) 'deemed to' statement constitutes compliance with the regulation. What if that incorrect statement had said "Note: cardboard is deemed to be an example of a non-combustible material"? You presumably would have used your discretion/common sense to ignore that - just as, in formal/legal terms, you are using your discretion/common sense to 'accept' the incorrect statement they have made.

Kind Regards, John

 

[securespark]

View attachment 92887

I got the red 15th, the red 16th and the red 17th (and a few more along the way...!)


As regards the combustible CU issue, have any of you guys read this?

http://envirograf.com/guides/comply-amendment-3-regarding-consumer-units/

 

[JohnW2]

http://envirograf.com/guides/comply-amendment-3-regarding-consumer-units/

Interesting. Despite what they say, unless their products are cheaper than I would have thought, then I rather doubt that it would be a particularly cost-effective solution for a CU change - the price difference between plastic and metal CUs is not that enormous!

Kind Regards, John