Gentlemen,
Regarding a house in Ukraine built over the last 20 years or so and still to be finished.
The house has an aluminium 6mm solid core 3 phase incomer (the cable is actually 3 off 6mm cores and 1 off 4mm apx).
The house has its own earthing rod connected to the 4mm used as a combined neutral/earth. I cannot recall the size of the cable out to earth.
The power company has an ancient 25amp breaker with seals and the property has the same but it is accessible. The breaker terminals look like steel screw plate type and cores are wrapped around not lugged.
The same type of 6mm aluminium cable runs through the house and out to a garage. This cable is not accessible.
I have put an Eaton 16amp mcb for separate isolation on the run out to the garage where I have installed a small 3 phase board.
The garage power is not in use at this time and if I need to change the mcb for an isolator compatable with aluminium so be it.
I emailed the tech support to check if there mcb is compatible with aluminium cable and they say no.
I emailed another manufacturer to see if this was common and their mcb's are not compatable with aluminium either.
That started me thinking, what about the incomming terminals on my garage 3 phase board? I have emailed but not yet received a reply.
I am concerned that I will have to use aluminium to copper adaptors, special crimping tools and anti-oxidising paste.
I am sure someone on this forum will have run into these problems before and thank you for any advise, especially product suppliers if required.
Just to add that the copper wiring throughout the house is horrible with junction 'boxes' by the ceiling in most rooms and wires twisted then insulated with tape. I am sure that wasn't a bad system in it's day. It is a bugger if anything goes wrong or needs changing though.
I spent some time on London Transport using hot wax, paper and fiberglass to insulate DC motor terminals and they would last for years. Technologies change.
My poor wife is going to get a shock when I want to rewire the whole place!
I imagined that modern day alloys in mcb's would accept anything and I'm thinking how you never know when something will bite you on the a****.
Regards,
Regarding a house in Ukraine built over the last 20 years or so and still to be finished.
The house has an aluminium 6mm solid core 3 phase incomer (the cable is actually 3 off 6mm cores and 1 off 4mm apx).
The house has its own earthing rod connected to the 4mm used as a combined neutral/earth. I cannot recall the size of the cable out to earth.
The power company has an ancient 25amp breaker with seals and the property has the same but it is accessible. The breaker terminals look like steel screw plate type and cores are wrapped around not lugged.
The same type of 6mm aluminium cable runs through the house and out to a garage. This cable is not accessible.
I have put an Eaton 16amp mcb for separate isolation on the run out to the garage where I have installed a small 3 phase board.
The garage power is not in use at this time and if I need to change the mcb for an isolator compatable with aluminium so be it.
I emailed the tech support to check if there mcb is compatible with aluminium cable and they say no.
I emailed another manufacturer to see if this was common and their mcb's are not compatable with aluminium either.
That started me thinking, what about the incomming terminals on my garage 3 phase board? I have emailed but not yet received a reply.
I am concerned that I will have to use aluminium to copper adaptors, special crimping tools and anti-oxidising paste.
I am sure someone on this forum will have run into these problems before and thank you for any advise, especially product suppliers if required.
Just to add that the copper wiring throughout the house is horrible with junction 'boxes' by the ceiling in most rooms and wires twisted then insulated with tape. I am sure that wasn't a bad system in it's day. It is a bugger if anything goes wrong or needs changing though.
I spent some time on London Transport using hot wax, paper and fiberglass to insulate DC motor terminals and they would last for years. Technologies change.
My poor wife is going to get a shock when I want to rewire the whole place!
I imagined that modern day alloys in mcb's would accept anything and I'm thinking how you never know when something will bite you on the a****.
Regards,
