Given recent discussions, I thought it would be interesting to get a feel of what people think about the EICR coding of 'plastic CUs' in domestic installations.
Kind Regards, John
Kind Regards, John
I would say the same.C3 if not damaged, overheated or similar. C2 / C1 otherwise.
We've been over this ground umpteen times.Surely if anyone thinks it C2, then it has ALWAYS been potentially dangerous - more than electricity in general.
It was just a suggestion that might 'tidy' things, given that Flameport had indicated that he would have voted differently had I worded the question better!I don't know. Trying to get people to change their vote! We live in the UK lol
Having had a couple of off-list comments/questions, I would like to underline the above. I thought it would be obvious, but what I was trying to ask was how one should code an (otherwise fine) CU "just because it is plastic"..... was asking about how it should be coded "just because it was plastic".
I basically agree.Are there "official" escape routes in single dwellings? No? Isn't everywhere an escape route depending on where the fire is? Yes?
I meant normal houses.I think that even in 'single dwellings' (I presume you mean dwellings occupied by a single household)
Really?with more than two stories there is an "official" escape route consisting of stairs/landings/halls (hence requirement for 'fire doors' on rooms opening into that space).
Perhaps - logically - but not officially in what is meant by 'escape routes' in flats and offices - and not a lot of good when the hall or stairs are on fire and the window is the escape route.I suppose that, in any house, the stairs (hence special consideration of 'under the stairs') can reasonably be considered to be part of a potential escape route, but that's about all.
Certainly in the past (I haven't had reason to look for many years), and I find it hard to believe that the regs will have got any less demanding with the passage of time.Really?
Otyher than for the above, I agree that there are no "official escape routes" defined for 'normal houses' (which is perhaps why BS7671 removed the reference to 'escape routes' in the reg about cable fixation).Perhaps - logically - but not officially in what is meant by 'escape routes' in flats and offices - and not a lot of good when the hall or stairs are on fire and the window is the escape route.
Yes, surely the (London) Fire Brigade should demand that stairs (and other parts) be constructed of non-combustible material.However, we're down to common sense. If one can reduce the risk of stairs catching on fire, then one will reduce the need for people to resort to windows for escape from an upper floor in the event of a fire.
Approved Dic B does, in fact, talk about "escape routes" in dwellings (and also seem to confirm what I said about fire doors etc.) ...I meant normal houses. ... Really? ... Perhaps - logically - but not officially in what is meant by 'escape routes' in flats and offices - ...
Approved Document B said:Section 2: Means of escape – dwellinghouses
Escape from the ground storey
2.1 See Diagram 2.1a. All habitable rooms (excluding kitchens) should have either of the following.
. a. An opening directly onto a hall leading to a final exit.
. b. An emergency escape window or door, as described in paragraph 2.10.
Escape from upper storeys a maximum of 4.5m above ground level
2.2 See Diagram 2.1b. Where served by only one stair, all habitable rooms (excluding kitchens) should have either of the following.
. a. An emergency escape window or external door, as described in paragraph 2.10.
. b. Direct access to a protected stairway, as described in paragraph 2.5a.
2.3 Two rooms may be served by a single window. A door between the rooms should provide access to the window without passing through the stair enclosure. Both rooms should have their own access to the internal stair.
Escape from upper storeys more than 4.5m above ground level
2.4 Dwellinghouses with one internal stair should comply with paragraphs 2.5 and 2.6. In dwellinghouses with more than one stair, the stairs should provide effective alternative means of escape. The stairs should be physically separated by either of the following.
. a. Fire resisting construction (minimum REI 30).
. b. More than one room.
Dwellinghouses with one storey more than 4.5m above ground level
2.5 See Diagram 2.1c. The dwellinghouse should have either of the following.
. a. Protected stairway – a stair separated by fire resisting construction (minimum REI 30) at all storeys, that complies with one of the following.
. i. Extends to a final exit (Diagram 2.2a).
. ii. Gives access to a minimum of two ground level final exits that are separated from each other by fire resisting construction (minimum REI 30) and fire doorsets (minimum E 20) (Diagram 2.2b). Cavity barriers or a fire resisting ceiling (minimum EI 30) should be provided above a protected stairway enclosure (Diagram 2.3).
. b. Alternative escape route – a top storey separated from lower storeys by fire resisting construction (minimum REI 30) and with an alternative escape route leading to its own final exit.
Approved Document B said:Dwellinghouses with two or more storeys more than 4.5m above ground level
2.6 See Diagram 2.1d. In addition to meeting the provisions in paragraph 2.5, the dwellinghouse should comply with either of the following.
. a. Provide an alternative escape route from each storey more than 7.5m above ground level. At the first storey above 7.5m, the protected stairway should be separated from the lower storeys by fire resisting construction (minimum REI 30) if the alternative escape route is accessed via either of the following.
. i. The protected stairway to an upper storey.
. ii. A landing within the protected stairway enclosure to an alternative escape route on the same storey. The protected stairway at or about 7.5m above ground level should be separated from the lower storeys or levels by fire resisting construction (see Diagram 2.4).
. b. Provide a sprinkler system throughout, designed and installed in accordance with BS 9251.
Approved Document B said:Loft conversions
2.21 Where a new storey is added through conversion to create a storey above 4.5m, both of the following should apply.
. a. The full extent of the escape route should be addressed.
. b. Fire resisting doors (minimum E 20) and partitions (minimum REI 30) should be provided, including upgrading the existing doors where necessary. NOTE: Where the layout is open plan, new partitions should be provided to enclose the escape route (Diagram 2.2).
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