No. I am suggesting that a circuit breaker is not designed for blanking off unused ways. There is a very specific product made for that purpose.
If you don't want to put an mcb/RCBO in a particular slot in a CU...
- Thread starter cjard
- Start date
I hate clip in blanks - but DIN rail mounted blanks are easy to come by.
I still don't see any issue with using an MCB to fill a spare slot. As for design the consumer unit is meant to have them in so I can't think of a logical reason why it would be against the design to use an MCB to fill a spare slot.
I know you can buy blanks.
Can you suggest any real logical reason why I cannot use an MCB to fill a spare space in a consumer unit?
I know you can buy blanks.
Can you suggest any real logical reason why I cannot use an MCB to fill a spare space in a consumer unit?
I don't see a problem with it at all. Just mark it as spare/not in use/whatever so that it's clear without removing the cover that it's spare.
There is every reason not to do it, primarily because the client is liable to assume that something isn't working when circuit breakers don't do anything. Why not use a blank actually intended to be a blank?
It is a horrible, horrible practice and most Electricians feel that way.
It is a horrible, horrible practice and most Electricians feel that way.
Why would somebody assume that if the breaker is clearly marked "Spare," "Not in use," or something similar?
Leave them switched on, then.
That won't stop them switching it off. Believe me, I've seen it on a number of occasions where they have wondered why something has stopped working. They may even swear that it did do something before (despite the fact that there is no cable connected).
Use a blank for what they are intended. It is an appalling practice to use a circuit breaker for a blank. It looks terrible having unusable circuit breakers in a DB.
It doesn't look any different than having a consumer unit full of circuit breakers which are in use.
I don't think it is an appalling practice at all, to me - appalling is leaving it open so fingers can get in there which we do see happen.
I don't even consider it confusing, either left blank or marked spare. If they are turned on they will just sit there and do nothing. If they are switched of they will still do nothing. What's the problem?
I am still to find a regulation forbidding the use of an MCB to fill a spare way.
I don't even consider it confusing, either left blank or marked spare. If they are turned on they will just sit there and do nothing. If they are switched of they will still do nothing. What's the problem?
I am still to find a regulation forbidding the use of an MCB to fill a spare way.
Maybe in Ireland but I can't see many sparks here being overly bothered.
That's because you've let standards slip with 5 Day Wonders etc.
The only route into the electrical industry here is through a full Apprenticeship.
Or using blanks which fall out so easily that it might just as well be left open.
Although there is something infuriating about having switches that don't do anything, it wouldn't bother me at all.
I did go through a spell of fitting ready populated boards, which left some un-used breakers.
Though it seemed wasteful in some ways, it didn't leave a selection of spare breakers all ready for possible future new circuits.
Always very satisfying to turn up on a job to add a new shower circuit to find there's already a B40 in place!
One trivial detail was deciding whether to put the spare breakers at the very ends of the busbar(s); or to put all the used and unused breakers in numerical order on the busbar(s).
I did go through a spell of fitting ready populated boards, which left some un-used breakers.
Though it seemed wasteful in some ways, it didn't leave a selection of spare breakers all ready for possible future new circuits.
Always very satisfying to turn up on a job to add a new shower circuit to find there's already a B40 in place!
One trivial detail was deciding whether to put the spare breakers at the very ends of the busbar(s); or to put all the used and unused breakers in numerical order on the busbar(s).
I clearly stated that I only use DIN rail mounted blanks.
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