Consumer unit.

[kai]

There is a common saying that you must not mix different manufacturer's products in one consumer unit, otherwise the warranty would be void.

What do you do about "din-rail mounting" devices such as bell transformers and time switches??

What about the GE Minitrip breakers, made to fit only Wylex units?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Bell transformers should not be installed in a consumer unit either!
With regards to mixing GE products with Wylex units, that is a question that you should be asking the company that owns/runs Wylex, whether the GE devices are type tested for their boards?

 

[JohnW2]

There is a common saying that you must not mix different manufacturer's products in one consumer unit, otherwise the warranty would be void.

If the contents are of mixed manufacture, then 'the mix' will almost certainly not be type-tested, and therefore not technically a "CU".

If it were only a 'warranty issue', I'm not sure it would be anything to loose sleep over - even if the manufacturers could argue that the warranty had been invalidated (and that might not be easy for them), how often do components of CUs/DBs fail under warranty?

Kind Regards, John

 

[stillp]

Ah, but which manufacturer would you claim from?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I don't think it is a matter of warranty John, the reason for type testing is safety!

 

[333rocky333]

Bell transformers should not be installed in a consumer unit either!
?

Says who?
Was'nt that the point of them originally being called consumer units, to keep al the consumers stuff in one neat housing.

The mis-match thing I think is more for one makers components connecting to another makers bus-bar

 

[JohnW2]

I don't think it is a matter of warranty John, the reason for type testing is safety!

That's why I wrote "If it were only a 'warranty issue' ....". It was the OP, not me, who was concerned that having a mix of components would render the warranty void!

However, I do think that we probably get a bit unnecessarily concerned about this. IF (and it.s a big IF, and far from always the case) the components used (of whatever make) will connect fully satisfactorily to the CU's busbar (and if they do not result in any 'gaps' that could affect IP rating), then I would say that the probability of any 'safety issue' arising from mixing components of different manufacture is probably 'vanishingly small'.

Kind Regards, John

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Says who?

The regulations concerning voltage bands, I suppose you could if you did not use bell wire. A company I used to do a bit of sub-con for gave it a code 2 on their EICR as advised by NICEIC.

 

[Risteard]

Says who?

The regulations concerning voltage bands, I suppose you could if you did not use bell wire. A company I used to do a bit of sub-con for gave it a code 2 on their EICR as advised by NICEIC.

Or just run it in a bit of kopex.

It is common practice elsewhere for bell transformers to be contained within distribution boards, even though the same rules RE: segregation of Band I and Band II circuits exists (e.g. the south of Ireland).

Normally working to BS7671 I would install it in a separate enclosure but I see no reason not to use a DIN rail mounted one if kopex etc. is used to segregate from Band II circuits.

 

[Iggifer]

I often see bell transformers in CUs, with T+E on the secondary side to a surface lightswitch outside the CU, and then bell wire from there to the bell. Gets around the segregation issue, but kopex is a much neater solution.

 

[JohnW2]

I often see bell transformers in CUs, with T+E on the secondary side to a surface lightswitch outside the CU, and then bell wire from there to the bell. Gets around the segregation issue, but kopex is a much neater solution.

Agreed. However, particularly if, as is quite common, the bell itself is quite close to the CU, one can just take 1mm² T+E from tranny to the bell, and then bell wire from the bell to the bell push.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Iggifer]

Yea this is also true. You could just wire the whole thing in T+E if you were feeling particularly wasteful.

 

[JohnW2]

Yea this is also true. You could just wire the whole thing in T+E if you were feeling particularly wasteful.

Indeed - or what about 0.75mm² 2-core flex all the way?

Kind Regards, John

 

[Iggifer]

Yup, another viable option. Although I have literally never installed a wired doorbell. Ripped out a fair few, repaired some. But never installed one.

I don't know what sales figures are actually like, but I suspect they're not long for this world.

 

[kai]

Personally I ran standard mains rated flat 0.75mm two core flex between transformer and bell.