2 cut-out fuses

b21playa · 15 Oct 2020

Hi all

I’m looking to do a rewire as part of a building regs plans I am submitting with other works and started to take a look at the income. It seems I have 2 fuses on the head, is this normal? If I’m correct this is a TN-C-S supply.

Plan is the fit a board with RCBO’s, I have planned approx 18 circuits but may look to see if I ca reduce this (not looking forward to the cost of it).

AndyPRK · 15 Oct 2020

One fuse could go thru wall to next door?

Fusebox brand rcbos are £10 ish

JohnW2 · 15 Oct 2020

AndyPRK said:
One fuse could go thru wall to next door?

That's certainly possible. A photo showing the top of the fuse holders might help since, from what we've seen so far, I'm not convinced that both are necessarily connected to anything.

If there are cables coming out of the tops of both fuse holders, then the OP will hopefully be able to see something about where they go. One presumably goes to his meter, so it's the other one that we would presumably be interested in.

Kind Regards, John

b21playa · 16 Oct 2020

Hi guys

defo not for next door, and there’s no cable coming out of it, pic attached.

b21playa · 16 Oct 2020

AndyPRK said:
One fuse could go thru wall to next door?

Fusebox brand rcbos are £10 ish

I’ve looked at fuse box but wasn’t sure on them, was thinking Hager, don’t want to go budget

ericmark · 16 Oct 2020

I used fuse box, made an error as written on the RCBO type B but when came to look were actually type AC curve B, however if you ensure you order type A then nothing wrong with the box, most of the higher priced makes have moved over to type A, but type AC are still sold.

Son fitted mine as I am not a scheme member, I needed to move position as well, it was between originally ceiling and false ceiling which was an unworkable position, so got some cable as well, and had a Surge Protection Device (SPD) total for 14 RCBO's so a 18 module board with an external isolator as well was around £250. I had expected to continue using the MCB board and only replace the fuse box, but son put the lot in the one box, likely better idea, but did not really need isolator, but he used it to replace the henley blocks.

So the Wylex high integrity board Screwfix price is £195.75 plus 3 x £32.49 for three RCBO's and the high integrity board costs more than the all RCBO board I fitted, even when I include the 2 type A RCBO's I am going to fit to replace the type AC for sockets, still less than Wylex high integrity and the board is one modular shorter, but three modular bigger as needs the room for the RCD's.

b21playa · 16 Oct 2020

Yes I was thinking Type A RCBO’s on all circuits.

It’s weird but it maybe that I’ve only ever fitted Crabtree, wylex, Hager, MK and would like to continue that (apart from Mk which has gone downhill)

AndyPRK · 16 Oct 2020

b21playa said:
I’ve looked at fuse box but wasn’t sure on them, was thinking Hager, don’t want to go budget

A few respected electricians have fitted them and they haven't had anything bad to say about them.

MK are no longer in the CU business, so long term that won't be supported.
Hagar are the top end in terms of price.

ericmark · 16 Oct 2020

If any manufacturer produces a type F or B RCBO as a single module unit then I can see a good reason to use that make over any of the others, but as far as I can see only type AC and type A are made single module width, I liked the Merlin Gerin as you could switch off an MCB or RCBO so no live working, but not seen them as a consumer unit, think absorbed into Schneider which I did not rate at all, where the MCB and RCBO switched in reverse direction to each other, rather a silly idea.

There was an issue with some makes of MCB where when the terminal was opened it was not held in the open position, so it was possible for the bus bar tag to be wrong side of terminal clamp, but can't remember which makes had this problem, it did it seems result in some CU fires.

I loved the old Wylex fuse box, but limited to one 40 amp MCB, and no option for RCBO's and the old loadmaster which could take 70 amp MCB's, but they have both long gone, and we have din rail mounted units, which we are told we should not fit other makes of MCB/RCBO in as the terminal height and bus bar may not match, so it looses it's consumer unit status and becomes a distribution board, but we all know there is some interchange ability, with devices being even made in same factory, this seems common not only in the electrical industry my Vauxhall Agila looked very like the Suzuki wagon r with slight changes like engine type and back seats.

So unless some thing special, like lockable lid, which you need, can't see why one should pay inflated prices.

jelliottelectrical · 16 Oct 2020

b21playa said:
Hi guys

defo not for next door, and there’s no cable coming out of it, pic attached.

View attachment 208118

Probably used to be a looped supply to next door. Or even, looking at the age of the cutout, an old dc supply, that has been converted to Ac, and at some point new fuse holders fitted

JohnW2 · 16 Oct 2020

JohnW2 said:
... A photo showing the top of the fuse holders might help since, from what we've seen so far, I'm not convinced that both are necessarily connected to anything.

b21playa said:
defo not for next door, and there’s no cable coming out of it, pic attached.

As you (and your photo) have confirmed, my suspicion that both of those fuses are not being used was correct.

Whatever it was once used for (maybe next door, maybe something else within your house), the right-hand fuse is now not being used, so the fuse holder could presumably be removed (at a price). However, I'm not really sure what, if anything, that would achieve.

Kind Regards, John

sparkwright · 16 Oct 2020

jelliottelectrical said:
Probably used to be a looped supply to next door. Or even, looking at the age of the cutout, an old dc supply, that has been converted to Ac, and at some point new fuse holders fitted

Or it could be that cut out was what the installer happened to have on the van, and so that's what got used.

JohnW2 · 16 Oct 2020

sparkwright said:
Or it could be that cut out was what the installer happened to have on the van, and so that's what got used.

That cutout was surely installed many decades ago and, in any event, the fuse holders are separate from the cutout (as well as looker much newer), so that there would have been no reason two install two if only one were required at the time?

Kind Regards, John

sparkwright · 16 Oct 2020

JohnW2 said:
That cutout was surely installed many decades ago and, in any event, the fuse holders are separate from the cutout (as well as looker much newer), so that there would have been no reason two install two if only one were required at the time?

Kind Regards, John

Ah, I just assumed it was one unit with two fuses.

JohnW2 · 16 Oct 2020

sparkwright said:
Ah, I just assumed it was one unit with two fuses.

As I said, the fuse holders look much younger than the cutout and, in any event, two fuses would be fairly unusual - 1 or 3 would be far more common.

Kind Regards, John

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2 cut-out fuses

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