Does new board need to be horizontal?

[pilsbury]

Currently got an old bakelite fuse board located in a wooden cupboard in my hallway.

Just starting extending the kitchen and will probably replace with a new board when the sparky does the kitchen wiring.

The wooden built in cupboard isn't very wide so I was wondering if the new board could be mounted on its side rather than its proposed horizontal position.

 

[mwatsonxx]

You can mount the board vertically, but it occurs to me that the cupboard is too narrow to allow working space.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The wooden built in cupboard isn't very wide

How wide?

Modern CUs are a lot bigger than those old fuse boards.

 

[deadshort]

No reason why you shouldn't / could'nt 3 phase DB's have the mcb's mounted side'e e ways !

DS

 

[Taylortwocities]

You wouldn't be able to use Hager CUs that way round. They have a small spirit level inside the case so you get it fixed level.

I'll get me coat!

 

[Iggifer]

I'm not weighing in one way or the other. However, I suspect with Amendment 3 boards, manufacturers will instruct you to fit them in the correct plane so as that the lid closes over the MCBs as it's designed to do. If you mount it vertically, you're able to leave it open.

The same can be said (you can leave the door open) for Hagers Amendment 3 3P+N DBs but they've put literally zero resources into developing or building those, they're awful.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You wouldn't be able to use Hager CUs that way round. They have a small spirit level inside the case so you get it fixed level.

I'll get me coat!

Same with BG's, you could have them upside down though and turn the breakers round!


Could I borrow, that coat of your????

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I was wondering if the new board could be mounted on its side rather than its proposed horizontal position.

Generally there is nothing to stop you putting them in any position you like. But regulations would require ease of access to them and that would include removing the lid.

 

[sparkwright]

Don't know the size of your cupboard, but one solution MAY be to fit two new, smaller consumer units, the right way up - one on top of the other.

Tho I suspect the cupboard won't allow this.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Could I borrow, that coat of your????

Let me know when it's my turn - I have an idea for a vertical run of floor to ceiling trunking right alongside a load of 2-module enclosures stacked one above the other.....

 

[Taylortwocities]

Genius!

Ahh, is that AMD3 compliant though?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Of course.

 

[333rocky333]

Let me know when it's my turn - I have an idea for a vertical run of floor to ceiling trunking right alongside a load of 2-module enclosures stacked one above the other.....

Im sure i see a {12 way} 4 way 3 phase board once, stacked in 3 rows of 4.
Your idea reminds me of dimmer panels.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ah - but with my cunning plan this bit:

Would be a lot narrower, e.g. 100mm trunking, to take all of the cables.

 

[bernardgreen]

I have vague memories of a manufacturer of RCDs mentioning that RCD should not be horizontal. Was the reason that gravity in the wrong direction would affect the reliability of the mechanism's operation ? There are many sensitive electro-mechanical mechanisms that are affected by gravity and some even rely on gravity being in the right direction. Springs can break but gravity never fails.