How does my DIY effort at a consumer unit look?

[rcd1976]

Firstly, I am getting this inspected by Building Control's electricians, I'm not just going to leave it unchecked. I also read the 17th edition and have generally stayed well under maximum cable loads and lengths. But just wondered if I'd made any big mistakes? Does it look too messy in the box, or does that not matter? I think I left the main tails a bit long but was worried I'd cut them too short and then be in a right mess...

I bought the board and RCBO/MCBs new, and have ripped out all the old wiring. It's mainly an RCBO setup with a radial MCB circuit for computer and a MCB ring dedicated to the electric oven, but I reckon I've got them both over 50mm deep over their whole run so think that's ok.

Any howlers before I let building control do their worst...?

Untitled

• rcd1976
• 7 Feb 2012
• 1

Untitled

• rcd1976
• 7 Feb 2012
• 1

Untitled

• rcd1976
• 7 Feb 2012
• 1

--- Update: I've just had the first fix and it all got signed off fine. Not expecting any problems with the second fix. Getting all the boxes in for a complete rewire took longer than I'd thought though, it's a big job, especially if you want fancy lighting and loads of new sockets. Based on this though, I'd say standardish domestic wiring is definitely doable and the inspector didn't raise any problems at all. Only thing is I think it might be trickier if you're trying to change an existing wiring setup, I think it was much easier ripping it all out and starting from scratch.

 

[ricicle]

Are your neutrals and earths in the correct order ? The incoming earth doesn't appear to be green/yellow identified. The incomer and some of the circuits are in old colours - the neutrals should be sleeved black.
Why some RCD protected circuits and some not ?

Are those earths in the first three terminals from the same cable/circuit ?

Have you carried out any testing ?

 

[rcd1976]

Are your neutrals and earths in the correct order ? The incoming earth doesn't appear to be green/yellow identified. The incomer and some of the circuits are in old colours - the neutrals should be sleeved black.
Why some RCD protected circuits and some not ?

Are those earths in the first three terminals from the same cable/circuit ?

Have you carried out any testing ?

Thanks, at least you weren't completely horrified.

Yes, neutral bar is on the left with blue incoming cable - does it have to have a black sleeve or can I just put the sticker on warning that there are different wiring colour-schemes inside? I have also sleeved the end of the incoming earth, which splits and goes into the first three earth sockets in the right-hand bar. The fat yellow cable on the right is just a meaty water supply bonding cable.

I didn't RCD my dedicated computer and oven circuits, computer because tripping loses data, and oven because I read that as they get older ovens 'naturally' (?) leak enough into earth to trip 30mA domestic RCD protection. And also RCBOs are ten times the price of MCBs... But the cables are at least 50mm deep along their run.

I haven't tested all the circuits yet as most of them are not chased out and boxed at the other end, but the circuits I need for the part I'm living in are working fine. I was assuming the BC electricians would do the proper testing.

Thanks.

 

[sparkiemike]

It is a bit messy.

You appear to have forgotton to apply the numbering sticker for neutral and earth terminals - its probably still in the box.

Normal convention for the MK consumer unit would be to have the main earthing conductor and bonding on the very right

So your neutrals and earthing conductors are difficult to identify which circuits they belong to see reg 514.3.1 - if I had to test that I would be annoyed!

So are you saying your chases are greather than 50mm? Hope they comply with building regs and are not too deep. Vertical chases max one third of wall thickness, horizontal one-sixth of wall thickness.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Why are there two small wires in the 20A MCB - oven?

 

[JACKC]

Buried at a depth above 50mm is hard to achieve without contravening the max amount of depth of chases. I think whoever is coming to test this lot for you is going to give you a hard time. Better to replace the mcb's for rcbo now and check you have all of the neutral / earths in the correct positions for circuit identification. Marks out of 10 would be 5 in my opinion. The testing should have been done first before a c/u change as how do you know that you have an earth loop on each circuit in the event of a fault or any other faults that would come up during testing before going live. Basic DIY error. Assuming that BC will test is also a mistake, it will depend on what fees you paid.

 

[crystal ball]

Are your neutrals and earths in the correct order ? The incoming earth doesn't appear to be green/yellow identified. The incomer and some of the circuits are in old colours - the neutrals should be sleeved black.
Why some RCD protected circuits and some not ?

Are those earths in the first three terminals from the same cable/circuit ?

Have you carried out any testing ?

Not sure what you are saying about the earth not being identified, or the black sleeving

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

its a bit clumsy.

Hope your walls aren't a bit wobbly after all the >2" trenches you've cut into them

 

[riveralt]

I haven't tested all the circuits yet as most of them are not chased out and boxed at the other end, but the circuits I need for the part I'm living in are working fine. I was assuming the BC electricians would do the proper testing.
Thanks.

Where does the blue tail come form? What size is the tail cable? Why have you stripped back the outer grey sheath?
Is there a henley block/isolator below the consumer unit or have you taken it from directly from the meter?
Unlikely that the BC electricians will do the testing unless it was agreed with you before hand and you paid the additional fee if there was one. In any case you will be unlikely to an Electrical installation certificate more likely a PIR since they will not be able to see the cable routes.
You should have completed the dead testing phase of the installation before you energised any of the circuits - just because it works doesn't mean its safe.
You shouldn't really have the cover off with live circuits.

 

[ricicle]

Are your neutrals and earths in the correct order ? The incoming earth doesn't appear to be green/yellow identified. The incomer and some of the circuits are in old colours - the neutrals should be sleeved black.
Why some RCD protected circuits and some not ?

Are those earths in the first three terminals from the same cable/circuit ?

Have you carried out any testing ?

Not sure what you are saying about the earth not being identified, or the black sleeving

The far right earth looked like the incomer to me and looked like it hadn't been identified as I could only see yellow. Also the incomer is in old colours using the blue as neutral so should be sleeved black unless (wrongly in my opinion) you think the L is old colour (red) and the N is new colour (blue). Bit of a mismatch to do this in the same cable I would have thought.

 

[sparkiemike]

The supply cable looks like a some 3core SWA (10mm or 16mm) in old colours

I would be interesting to see how the gland is made off.

 

[f0rmula]

Any howlers before I let building control do their worst...?

I'd be hugely interested to see how you get on I'm about to start my own re-wire in the summer, but it's a re-wire from scratch, so I'm hoping it might be a little easier than patching an existing installation.

Is this the 17th edition you mentioned?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/17th-IEE-Wiring-Regulations-Installations/dp/0750687215

Thanks for any replies.

Cheers,

James

 

[EFLImpudence]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Requirement...=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328632538&sr=1-4


Cheaper on ebay.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The supply cable looks like a some 3core SWA (10mm or 16mm) in old colours

Just what I was going to write when I'd finished reading all the posts.

I would be interesting to see how the gland is made off.

And where the SWA comes from. And why it's not earthed at this end.
And what type of supply it is - let's hope it isn't TT....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I didn't RCD my dedicated computer and oven circuits, computer because tripping loses data, and oven because I read that as they get older ovens 'naturally' (?) leak enough into earth to trip 30mA domestic RCD protection.

Doesn't not having any power to the computer also pose a problem?

Because you shouldn't have any power yet, should you....

but the circuits I need for the part I'm living in are working fine.

But of course you have - the notion that there was testing to do before energising just didn't occur, did it....

I was assuming the BC electricians would do the proper testing.

When you applied for approval you would have had to describe what you would do to ensure that your work complied with P1.

What did you say?

And did you investigate what testing your LABC will do? Do they do it themselves, or subcontract it? How many visits do you get for the standard fee?