Inaccessible Main Switch

[SparkyMarky]

Bit of a ponderer this one! I've got an elderly (90 year old) relative, who as of fairly recently lives by herself. Last week a faulty appliance caused the main switch RCD in her house to trip. She's pretty immobile, and has to shuffle around with the aid of a frame, and needless to say the main switch is at ceiling height and enclosed in a box with the meter and suppliers fuse. At first when the power went off she thought it was a general power cut, and it was only after the home carer had left for the day she realised it was just her house involved. Somehow (and I'm still mystified how!) she managed to drag a stepladder in from the garage on her walking frame and climb up to reset the RCD. The potential for disaster is obvious...

So I've started to have a think about the best course of action in case this happens again. The obvious thing to do is to rewire the house and drop the fuseboard and main switch down to an accessible height, but this just isn't affordable for her. So I'm left with two problems:

1) How to tell whether a power cut is a general one from the network, or caused by the main switch tripping in the house.
2) How to re-set the main switch if necessary.

For the first problem I'm thinking along the lines of a couple of indicator lamps on the wall under the fuseboard, one fed from each side of the main switch via a seperate fuse/RCD for each lamp. Both lights on = all good, both lights off = general power cut, one lamp only on = RCD tripped (or bulb blown - but ignore that for now!). This would obviously be a deviation from the regs in as much as the main switch would no longer isolate everything (one of the lamps would still be live) but with some warning notices and due to the proximity of the lamps to the switch I think I could justify that. Can anyone else see something I'm missing?

The second problem is a bit trickier. At the moment the best I can come up with is a pull cord from the RCD lever looped through the box and down to low level (ie pull the string to reset the switch). I had a quick play today and think it would just work at a push but is far from ideal, and is a bit of a lash-up even for me. Has anyone else got any ideas?

Thanks for any thoughts, and aoplogies for the long post...

 

[securespark]

Sorry....move the CU!

 

[Spark123]

Why is the main switch an RCD?

 

[Steve]

You'd need a stiff string to do that. And it'd have to go up, over a pulley then down to reset. Steel wire might be a better option. (though it might need plastic coating etc for safety?) Its definitely the cheapest solution.

Could you replace the main RCD with an isolator, and fit an external RCD in the tails, further down the wall.

 

[SparkyMarky]

Why is the main switch an RCD?

That was the first thing that I wondered. It's not a TT supply. I think it's down to the builders who put an extension on the house a few years ago who decided that the best way of getting 30mA RCD protection on the sockets was to use an RCD main switch (the main fuseboard is a Wylex board with re-wireable fuses, but they also installed a couple of Henleys to feed a small CU in the new extension). I thought about changing the RCD for a normal main switch and putting a 30mA RCD RCD/RCBO just for the sockets, but the cost then becomes a factor for her again when part P arrives on the scene...

 

[SparkyMarky]

I should add that my background is in industrial electrics, so while I could in theory do the work and testing and myself, I'm not able to self-certify any domestic work for Part P.

 

[Adam_151]

I should add that my background is in industrial electrics, so while I could in theory do the work and testing and myself, I'm not able to self-certify any domestic work for Part P.

Suppose you could just do it anyway, fill out an EIC and file it safe in a drawer and if it comes up at house sale time then the EIC will A) give the buyers confidence, B) probably help with a retrospecive BC application should you need to go that way

 

[TicklyT]

It may be worth having a word with the local council occupational therapists and environment and health people. There may be a grant available to carry out the necessary work.

Temporary fix..... How about a broom handle with a plastic coated cup hook screwed in the end so you can use it to open the cupboard door, and push/pull the toggle on the breaker?

Or piece of ply with a square hole in it to slip loosely over the toggle, and hang it on a tension spring. Add a couple of light batterns to act as guides, and two cords to pull up/pull down.

 

[JohnD]

the problem is compounded by the fact that the RCD has been used as a main switch so I take it all the lights will go off as well as all the sockets.

Chainging it to an ordinary DP switch, and fitting an RCBO to the downstairs socket circuit, would reduce nuisance tripping, and also mean that the lights and other circuits would continue to work in the event of a trip. If you relative has a younger and fitter person visiting, she could ask then to reset the RCBO in the event that it trips again.

edited: Oops, my mistake, you said "rewirable Wylex" It is (surpisingly!) possible to add an external RCD kit to these, but not an RCBO. But I like your idea of changing the RCD main switch to a DP isolator, and using an RCD just for the downstairs sockets. This can reasonably be fitted adjacent to the CU, running the ring (or radial) off its load side.

This is assuming that the cost of fitting a new CU with RCBOs is a problem.

 

[IJWS15]

On the first question street lights can be a good indication of a general power cut.

Can she see any from the house?

 

[SparkyMarky]

On the first question street lights can be a good indication of a general power cut.

Can she see any from the house?

She can, but the breaker tripped first thing in the morning, and she was without power for the whole day until she realised the street lights were on! The home carer only calls in the mornings which is why she attempted to reset the breaker herself. She's a bit defensive of her independence at the moment so didn't want to ring anyone and bother them!

I think I'll take a combination of the ideas above - I'll try and do something temporary to give her (and us!) some peace of mind, and longer term I'll look at swapping out the RCD for a normal main switch, and fit a seperate 30mA RCD in it's own enclosure adjacent to the wylex board to feed the socket ring. Not ideal, but certainly an improvement on the current situation. Thanks everyone for the ideas...