Is a sticker required on the Consumer Unit??

[Submariner]

Dear All,

As part of a house extention project ,I have recently had a new Consumer Unit fitted in my property. The Consumer Unit has existing circuits wired in red and black and has also had some new circuits added and commissioned in new colours.

Please can someone advise if a new sticker HAS to be fitted to advise that there are differing colours in the Consumer Unit. If it is a mandatory requirement can someone please advise where it is mandated.

The new Consumer Unit and new circuits were fitted by a properly qualified electrician.

Many Thanks




Submariner[/b]

 

[MeterMonkey]

If it was installed by a properly qualified electrician.

stop second guessing his methods.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Please can someone advise if a new sticker HAS to be fitted to advise that there are differing colours in the Consumer Unit.

Yes, a warning label should be placed on or near the CU for wiring anywhere in the installation.

If it is a mandatory requirement can someone please advise where it is mandated.

Regulation 514.14.1

As has been stated many times the regulations are not actually statutory although ...

The new Consumer Unit and new circuits were fitted by a properly qualified electrician.

... the electrician will likely have to abide by them.

 

[JohnW2]

Whilst all of the replies are obviously correct, in terms of the regs, I have to say that this is one of the silliest 'required' (by regs) stickers I've ever come across. Anyone who should be even thinking of working on an electrical installation does not need it. Anyone who shouldn't be even thinking of working on an electrical installation but, nevertheless, is contemplating such work probably won't fully understand it (how many Jo Publics will know what BS7671 is?). IMO, an example of presumably well-intentioned but totally daft (and poorly implemented) bureaucracy!

Kindest Regards, John.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I agree, but there it is.

Is it intended for people who can't see the different colours?

 

[JohnW2]

I agree, but there it is. Is it intended for people who can't see the different colours?

I suppos that's the nearest to a sensible 'excuse' for the existance of these silly labels that I've ever heard. However, if that were the reasoning, which I rather doubt!), they probably should have instead insisted that all installations carrying a label warning that those who were colour blind should take great care in identifying conductors

Kind Regards, John.

 

[streetlighter]

I think the sticker requirement comes from the transition period 04-06 when the new colours where being introduced.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I think the sticker requirement comes from the transition period 04-06 when the new colours where being introduced.

Yes, quite, but still just as unnecessary.

Perhaps it should also be in braille.

 

[JohnW2]

I think the sticker requirement comes from the transition period 04-06 when the new colours where being introduced.

Yes, there was a very brief period during which it may have made fractionally more sense, but I'm sure that period is now just history. Some 'old colours' cable will probably still be in service after most, if not all, of the people reading this are dead and gone - so I wonder how long the regs are going to insist on these labels (assuming, of course, that there are no further colour changes!)?

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Spark123]

You have to remember the regs don't just cover domestic installations, in 3 phase installations the warning is a bit more important than domestic. Saying that, anyone tinkering with 3 phase ought to know what they are doing anyway.

 

[JohnW2]

You have to remember the regs don't just cover domestic installations, in 3 phase installations the warning is a bit more important than domestic. Saying that, anyone tinkering with 3 phase ought to know what they are doing anyway.

Exactly - people working on 3-phase installations are (hopefully!) even less likely to need the labels!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Astra99]

At work, labels appeared on the light switches "Danger 400V". I was asked by my (rather concerned) employers what it meant, as they thought 400V was going to every light! I was happy to explain that the lighting was spread across the three phases, so at the switches you will find 400v between the live feeds to a pair of adjacent switches, but it was only 230 phase to neutral. What is the purpose of these labels? Obviously some "Elf an Sayftee" person on a grossly inflated publicly-funded salary with Sierra Foxtrot Alpha better to do!

P.S. If the "Competent Person" who is working on the installation cannot work out for himself that the switches are fed from all three phases, perhaps he should consider a change of career to "Elf an Sayftee"

 

[RF Lighting]

You can't win.

You're incompetent if you don't fit warnings and your health and safety mad if you do.

I fit voltage warnings, RCD test stickers, mixed wiring stickers, I&T date stickers on CUs.

I will fit warning stickers at all accesories that contain more than one supply, be it a warning stating just that, or stating 400V between switches, and I very much appreciate it when the peson before has done the same as a heads up for me.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Whilst all of the replies are obviously correct, in terms of the regs, I have to say that this is one of the silliest 'required' (by regs) stickers I've ever come across.

But it reminds us of the extra danger created by mixing colours, and therefore reminds us that if it's reasonable for you to use old colours to extend/modify an old installation it is a legal requirement to do so.

 

[JohnW2]

At work, labels appeared on the light switches "Danger 400V". ... Obviously some "Elf an Sayftee" person on a grossly inflated publicly-funded salary with Sierra Foxtrot Alpha better to do!

Quite so - and,as we've discussed in the past, if a competant person was consdiering delving into an accessory, box or whatever whilst it was live, what precautions would (s)he be expected to take if there were potential differences of 400V within it that they wouldn't take if there were only 230V PDs?!

An appropriate warning label would make sense if your switch unit contained all three phases of lighting circuits with the three phases having separate means of isolation.

Kind Regards, John.