Consumer Unit Install Question

[Booyaka]

Hello, please take a look at these photos and see if you can help...



its an old CU which I am going to replace with a new one, pretty simple, upgrade the tails etc, place the separated cooker (on left) spur in there and the middle spur, however the fused switched spur on the right is a separate feed from the main fuse as its the customers economy 7 night rate etc, now its got an 80amp fuse in it which i have already discovered is too high so what im thinking of doing is getting a CU big enough to place on the end another main switch so i can bring the feed tails to it then load a 63A circuit breaker for the economy 7. What do you think? or can i buy a CU that already has the facility for a separate main switch and circuit breaker on a split load board that already has a main switch and rcd? (if you know the best way can you please show me where I can buy the best solution

Many thanks

 

[JohnD]

No picture.

 

[Booyaka]

ive emailed admin at diynot.com to add it for me as i dont know how to do the other way

 

[JohnD]

Yes you do I've just told you

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=72273&highlight=

 

[Booyaka]

yeah but i dont have enough knowledge to know what you are talking about sorry john

 

[Maxxy]

What if someone on here gives you advice, and you say 'oh i dont have the knowledge to do your method, ill do it my own way'.

 

[Booyaka]

dont be pedantic, you know exactly what i did i chose the alternative method offered to me by this website forum, so your advice hasnt helped but thanks for your concern

 

[Booyaka]

anyway so without the photos for the time being, would someone be so kind as to chat to me about the possibilties i have mentioned in the first place. and what they think of my idea for a solution

the question again is........

its an old CU which I am going to replace with a new one, pretty simple, upgrade the tails etc, however there is a fused switched spur sitting under the old CU and its completely separate and its a separate feed from the main fuse as its the customers economy 7 night rate etc, now its got an 80amp fuse in it which i have already discovered is too high so what im thinking of doing is getting a CU big enough to place on the end another main switch so i can bring the feed tails to it then load a 63A circuit breaker for the economy 7. What do you think? or can i buy a CU that already has the facility for a separate main switch and circuit breaker on a split load board that already has a main switch and rcd? (if you know the best way can you please show me where I can buy the best solution

Many thanks

 

[jj4091]

Booyaka, you say you are doing this job for "a customer" & I presume that means you are charging for this work. Has it crossed your mind that maybe you should be competant enough to do it? Are you actually qualified?

 

[Booyaka]

all will be supervised and Part P certified by a BSI Contractor, i am towarsds the end of my qualifications and im trying to gain advice from people like you so i can start building my knowledge and skill. so it would be really helpful if yourself or any others could give me advice on my question, because as far as i know thats the way you gain more experience

 

[didthathurt]

I think I know what you're getting at. Wylex do a range of dual tariff cu's. They're like 2 CU's, mounted one next to the other, or one above the other, with 2 main isolator switches and 2 DIN rails.
Look here http://www.electrium.co.uk/Wylex2006(1).pdf at page 6 and 10.
Is that what you had in mind?

 

[JohnD]

It might be easier to continue with two CUs, especially as you do not seem to be familiar with this kind of work.

Dual tariff CUs can lead to unexpected live conditions if not done right (even more than single). They are also usually more expensive.

 

[securespark]

You should make sure that you are confident (and competent) to do the job on your own. If not, then you should have someone who is right by your side.

ESPECIALLY as this is a job for a customer.

Imagine you are the customer and someone like you who is not entirely clear exactly how he should be tackling the job turns up. What would you be thinking?

I take your point about having to learn and gain experience, but while you are doing this, you should have somebody fully qualified to guide you.

 

[jj4091]

Booyaka, is the fused swich fed from a separate meter? It is not clear from what you say & if that is not the case you do not have economy seven & the heaters can be connected to the new C.U. if you have the capacity for the load. If it is fed from a "white meter" then you will need a separate supply. It is possible to get C.U's of different sizes & fit the main c.b. rcd & mcbs in any configuration you require .I do not know of any regs that say you cannot split one C.U. into two but it would be a neat way of doing it & I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. I would have thought that as long as you have the capacity to carry the load you could do what you propose with the exception being you will probably need 2 rcd's.It may be a good idea to run it past the person who is the certified contractor. Can I also suggest that your electrical wholesaler will be an excellent place to get advice on this sort of thing, never be embarrassed about asking for advice face to face we all had to start somewhere.

 

[securespark]

we all had to start somewhere.

Indeed, but not with somebody else's f*in' installation!