6A or 10A?
- Thread starter guvse
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Basically the rating of the switch needs to be equal to or greater than the rating of the fuse / MCB which supplies the circuit.
In most domestic situations the 6A switch will be fine, and the 10A even better.
In most domestic situations the 6A switch will be fine, and the 10A even better.
Go for the 10A as this will fair better if ever you decide to install LV lighting consisting of a transformer (high inrush current)
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Surely switches only have to be rated to what they are switching, not to the CPD? This is why you can have 1.0mm² drops for switches on a 1.5 circuit as they are only carrying a relatively small current compared to the loop.
You could have 6A switches on a 10A circuit, no? After all, you have 13A accessories on a 32A circuit. Isn't that the same?
Or am I missing something?
You could have 6A switches on a 10A circuit, no? After all, you have 13A accessories on a 32A circuit. Isn't that the same?
Or am I missing something?
Off the top of my head;
If you have a situation where something doesn't have upstream overload protection (because it can't overload due to chareristics) then you have to stop automatically assuming the CPD can provide protection against fault current and instead actually check it can... you do the adiabatic for cables, I expect you look at the spec sheet for accessories
As to the sockets, its part of BS1363 AFAIK that they are suitable for putting on 32A circuit, FCUS are BS1363 as well, 20A DP switches are not, so if you ever put ring conductors in supply and take a spur to a single socket from load, then it gets dodgy, its like a 20A jb on the ring circuit (unless the manufacturer tells you that the terminals are ok for that)... and as you'd use a 30A JB, you shouldn't use the terminals on the 20A DP either...
If you have a situation where something doesn't have upstream overload protection (because it can't overload due to chareristics) then you have to stop automatically assuming the CPD can provide protection against fault current and instead actually check it can... you do the adiabatic for cables, I expect you look at the spec sheet for accessories
As to the sockets, its part of BS1363 AFAIK that they are suitable for putting on 32A circuit, FCUS are BS1363 as well, 20A DP switches are not, so if you ever put ring conductors in supply and take a spur to a single socket from load, then it gets dodgy, its like a 20A jb on the ring circuit (unless the manufacturer tells you that the terminals are ok for that)... and as you'd use a 30A JB, you shouldn't use the terminals on the 20A DP either...
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Point beginning to be taken... 
However, What's the physical difference between tunnel terminals on a 20A switch & those of a 1363 accessory?
However, What's the physical difference between tunnel terminals on a 20A switch & those of a 1363 accessory?
securespark said:Point beginning to be taken...
However, What's the physical difference between tunnel terminals on a 20A switch & those of a 1363 accessory?
Not a lot I'd reckon, but you ought to check with the people whose accessories you are installing, rather than saying they look the same and its good enough
(although I suspect in reality you could get away with excerising engineering jusgement like that and be perfectly fine unless it was a big project and someone went through it carefully)Our good friend BAS, I believe Emailed MK on the matter and receieved some woolly non-commital answer, FWIW
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