Consumer unit advice

[zetecuk]

Just looking for some advice before I call in a spark to connect up my shower.

I've currently got modern-ish looking Tenby consumer unit with the following circuits:

32A Ring Main
32A Shower Downstairs
32A Shower Upstairs
- All running through an 80A RCD

32A Cooker
6A Lighting Downstairs
6A Lighting Upstairs

100A Main Switch

I've read that the circuits shouldn't exceed the capacity of the main switch? Mine add up to 140A so are already way over.

I've upgraded the upstairs shower to 10.5Kw, so need a 50A MCB putting in for that.

I was also considering getting a new, seperate ring main put in for the kitchen, as it currently only has about 4 sockets, don't know whether this is a good idea or whether I should just add more sockets to the existing ring.

Has anyone got any advice on what I should get done?

 

[Big_Spark]

DIVERSITY

That's what it is called. The total possible load of all the breakers in a normal installation will almost always exceed the maximum rating of the Main Isolator / MCCB / RCD / MCB. This is perfectly normal.

It is assumed that the potential load of the installation will never actually occur. It is not likely that you will be using the cooker, both showers and every socket and light at the same time, so the chances of exceeding the safe limits of the Isolator are very small.

Without looking at your Mains I cannot say whether the board you have is capable of handling the the potential extra load, some can and some cannot.

I would suggest you take advice from the Electrician you call in on this.

It may be worth considering replacing the Board with a newer one, especially if this would give you extra spare ways in the board..remember, in an ideal world you want about 3 spare ways for expansion..

 

[theshogun]

Good idea to put seperate ring in for kitchen/utiliy as you have only 1 socket circuit for your abode at the moment, most power consuming appliances reside in the kitchen/uttility. Reguards the upstairs shower have the cable checked to see if it is suitable to take the 10.5kw shower, I expect it will have to be upgraded to a 10.0mm size cable, as your old shower was probably wired in 6.0mm as you say it was on a 32amp mcb