SPLIT LOAD CONSUMER UNIT now with photos of present consumer

[TopTrumper]

It sounds like the guy that came to your house is a bit of a chancer. He is also a thief, as he is taking work from his employer (work that could be deemed to have come from a job that his employer has sent him to do)< If I employed someone (which I don't) and found out that they were doing this I would sack them immediately and seek recompence through legal channels for missed work opportunities that he has taken.

So the main question is--would you employ a thief??

what a load of bollokz

 

[sparkybird]

I'd be more worried about the £72 pounds paid for the inspection - how could he have even started testing a house for this money? I charge min £200 for PIR- more for a house. Did you get all the test results and a list of recommended remedial works?

I'd steer well clear of this one. Get some more quotes

SB

 

[nozspark]

Tops,

I think that you will find that this is theft and would most certainly be found as gross misconduct.

If you do a job for an employer and then get other trade related work off that job, then that work is as the result of you being there as a representitive of your employer and therefore, that work should pass to them. If you were to take this work as a foreigner then that is theft!!

However if you get work off your own back then this is just a foreigner, however you would have to check your employment contract as it could restrict this type of work.

Also it is often the case that people who do foreigners are not insured and also will not able to do that work through their employers scheme provider.

 

[Steve]

Shane's mains incoming and consumer unit setup:

 

[Steve]

My comments: At first glance it appears to be a TT earth (certainly no earth from supply equipment), therefore requiring a time delayed (or standard) incoming RCD. However looking closely, are they earth conductors in the neutral of the Henley block????? This is NOT good (unless 3 pole henleys are available!)

There's no need for the mini CU for the shower - this can be incorporated into the main CU.

One thing is for sure, you still dont NEED a split load CU!

 

[megawatt]

You do need a split load CU if its TT and you don't want to use RCBO's for the rings?

 

[CHINASHANE]

Thanks for putting the photos on the forum Steve.

 

[Spark123]

It does smell of a DIY TN-CS conversion, the link being in the henley after the meter. As far as I know, to do this is illegal. If PME is available then you should get the DNO to install a main earthing terminal. Not sure if those earthing conductors look to be 16mm² too, don't like the floating piece of terminal block. Also all the tails seem to be in black??
There are certainly a few issues, replacing only a CU will not sort.
What sort of earthing does it say on the periodic inspection report, TT or TN-CS? What is the Ze?

 

[RF Lighting]

Well it certainly is a TT supply, which it appeas someone has wrongly converted to a TN-C-S supply them selves.

This is not safe. There may not be a PME facility available on this supply, and also connecting the earths into the henly block is not good.

The best idea would be to contact your DNO, and see if they can convert your supply to a PROPER TN-C-S supply.

If this is not available on your supply then you do require an RCD protecting the entire supply. This would normally be a 100mA TD RCD, with either a 30mA RCD protecting all high risk circuits such as sockets and showers etc, (a split load setup), or individual RCBOs for each high risk circuit. The latter is the better soloution, but cost often sways the desicion towards the (cheaper) split load setup.

The first thing to do IMO, is to contact your DNO and enquire about the availibility of a PME supply. The cost involved in having the supply converted (to a far superior system) is usually saved by not having to install a main 100mA TD RCD.

 

[Steve]

To clarify things for Shane, someone has put earth wires into the neutral terminal (see where all the meter tails go into). This box has a live bar and a neutral bar.

On a TN-C-S supply an earth is provided by connecting it to the neutral in the main fuse cutout (the unit far right), and you dont have an earth rod.

To connect the earth to the neutral henley block as here is illegal and potentially dangerous. The earth rod is also connected, so there may be currents circulating here, depending on the condition of the service cables. If a neutral breaks in the street, quite a few homes would have their neutral going down your earth rod. Clearly this is not on. On a TN-C-S system, precautions are taken to ensure this does not happen. You may have TNCS available, your supplier will know. Your electrician might know if he's any good.