hot tub action

[atm]

morning,

my next door neighbour has a new hot tub arriving shortly and asked if i could look at his CU and see if i could suggest if everything is in place and what would need doing. (why he is asking me i am not sure)

Board 1 - He has 1 x 60amp main fuse feeding 4 x 30amp wired fuses (sockets up and down, cooker and shower) and 2 x 6amp wired fuses (lights up and down) on a board that has 2 slots left.

Board 2 - He also has another 60amp main fuse feeding 2 x 15amp wired fuses ( 2 x storage heaters) on a separate board which has no slots left.

Is a TT system with the line coming in overhead. not sure where the spike is (will need checking)

The Gas is bonded however the water is not.

He wants the 5.5kw hot tub out the back of the house with little expense however for the job to be done within current regs. (and yes i know this is notifiable)

My thinking is to leave Board 1 alone ( apart from update the wired fuses with slot in mcbs or do they need to be slot in RCBO.s assuming these exist? and bond the Water.

Renew the Board 2 with say a small 5 way with 63A 30mA RCD. Get 2 x 16amp mcbs for the storage heaters and 32amp for the Hot tub.

Then all i need to worry about is the hot tub.

How does that sound chaps or am i way off the mark.

Many thanks.

 

[FingRinal]

Whatever you decide, won't it be up to the hot tub company's electrician (or other) to carry out the work and notify it?

 

[luminaire]

If board 2 is for storage radiators, is it timed to operate off-peak or even on economy7?

 

[kkynaston]

If you are doing this as paid work and notifying etc etc...

I would try to persuade him to replace the main peak board and run a new circuit. If they wont go to the expense then I think the easiest thing to do is split the incoming tails in henley's and run to a 1 or 2 way CU with a 30mA RCD (Which will be required) and an MCB rated at whatever the hot tub manufacuters specify (taking into account CSA of cable and run etc)

You would need to make sure the bonding is completed before you do any work though and leave the peak board alone.

If you are not doing this as paid work and notifying etc etc...
Tell them to get a spark in

 

[Steve]

Plug in RCBOs do not exist.

An easy way to do it would be to use some SY? cable, with a 32A plug on the end, fit a 32A socket at the CU. But its a total bodge! Really, dont do this.

And dont fit this hot tub on that old board. Tell him it'll catch fire, anything, to get him to replace it.

 

[atm]

If you are doing this as paid work and notifying etc etc...

I would try to persuade him to replace the main peak board and run a new circuit. If they wont go to the expense then I think the easiest thing to do is split the incoming tails in henley's and run to a 1 or 2 way CU with a 30mA RCD (Which will be required) and an MCB rated at whatever the hot tub manufacuters specify (taking into account CSA of cable and run etc)

You would need to make sure the bonding is completed before you do any work though and leave the peak board alone.

If you are not doing this as paid work and notifying etc etc...
Tell them to get a spark in

kkynaston thanks for that..

bearing in mind the peak board is pretty full

"Board 1 - He has 1 x 60amp main fuse feeding 4 x 30amp wired fuses (sockets up and down, cooker and shower) and 2 x 6amp wired fuses (lights up and down) on a board that has 2 slots left."

would me splitting the tails and putting in a small 30mA RCD 2 way board with the 32amp MCB required for the Hot Tub be over cooking things a little for the 60amp Main Fuse..?

 

[Steve]

Dont worry about the main fuse- it can probably pass 100 amps or so indefinitely.

 

[atm]

steve surprised by the quick response.. wots this a long weekend?.. he he .. me to. sun out down here, how bout in yorkshire?

thanks. so unless i can talk them into a complete new main board then the tail split in and out of a two way henley is the way forward.. ?

quick question though how do i isolate the tails coming out of the leccie meter without pulling the main fuse (which is not aloud)

 

[oharaf]

pull the main fuse

 

[atm]

is that the only way to do it?
wont he leccie co. get the hump.
would it put the customer in a situation if leccie co see that fuse has been tampered with?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Seal breaking & main fuse pulling has been done to death (literally).
Do a search on this forum and you'll get all sorts of conflicting advice.

In my experience the seal fairy arrives "at some time before I get to site" and has already broken the seal. That's handy, I think to myself...

 

[oharaf]

They get every where

 

[atm]

Seal breaking & main fuse pulling has been done to death (literally).
Do a search on this forum and you'll get all sorts of conflicting advice.

In my experience the seal fairy arrives "at some time before I get to site" and has already broken the seal. That's handy, I think to myself...

ok this is my job that Napit will be assesing me on...

so the napit dude will know when i show him my lovely new henley and the fresh split tails and asks me a loada questions that i must have either pulled the fuse or wore a VDE rated plastic suit!! .. will i fail his assesment?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Dont worry. The NAPIT assessors are all (or were) working sparks. They know how the game is played. They will be concentrating on your work and asking questions about that.

I doubt he/she would even ask about it but just say the seal was already broken and that you felt that it was a matter of safety to carefully remove the fuse rather than work live....

They aren't there to catch you out. You'll be fine unless you really dont know what you are doing.
They want you as a member so they can ding you £400 a year plus another ding evry time you f@rt.

 

[atm]

Dont worry. The NAPIT assessors are all (or were) working sparks. They know how the game is played. They will be concentrating on your work and asking questions about that.

I doubt he/she would even ask about it but just say the seal was already broken and that you felt that it was a matter of safety to carefully remove the fuse rather than work live....

They aren't there to catch you out. You'll be fine unless you really dont know what you are doing.
They want you as a member so they can ding you £400 a year plus another ding evry time you f@rt.

thanks TTC.. quick question though.. i could fit an isolator and ask the leccie co to connect it? would that be "best practice"? and look better for me when mr napit comes calling?