just a quick question

[nabby68]

just a query on something i read in another post.

in a kitchen where you have electrical appliances such as washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer (all rated less than 13amps) and they are situated underneath worktops and the power connection for them is also underneath a worktop, is it correct that these appliances must be able to be isolated from above the worktop by means of a switched fcu and if that is the case then how would this be wired ie with the kitchen ring?
also am i correct in saying that a fridge/freezer would be ideally on its own 16amp mcb?

 

[Steve]

If your kitchen ring main is RCD protected, the fridge should have its own 16A radial which isn't RCD protected, but it isn't nessecary.

All appliances should be able to be switched off at the main in an emergency, so yes, they should have a switch above them, usually as an FCU, but a lot of the time this rule is ignored, especially when the kitchen fitters drop by.

 

[nabby68]

thanks for the reply crafty.

just a couple more points, out of interest, why would it be suitable to have the fridge on a radial on the unprotected rcd side? is this because it may be subsceptable to earth leakage?

and with regards to switched fcu's for each appliance, how would this be wired with regards to being able to switch/isolate the sockets the appliance is plugged in to?

 

[plugwash]

a freezer (and to some extent also a fridge but freezers tend to have more value of food in than fridges and are more likely to be full when you aren't arround) contains a motor inside which various things can cause earth leakage (damp or carbon dust from the brushes)

fridges and freezers are very low risk appliances and if they trip the rcd when your not arround (on holiday or whatever) the result can be messy and expensive to deal with so its generally considered better not to have them on the rcd.

 

[bothyhead]

and with regards to switched fcu's for each appliance, how would this be wired with regards to being able to switch/isolate the sockets the appliance is plugged in to?

The sockets below the counter are not powered directly off the ring.

Wire the input side of the swiched FCU directly from the mains ring and then wire the output side of the FCU to the appliance socket. This allows the whole socket to be isolated by flicking a switch above the counter.

 

[nabby68]

thanks bothyhead,

so the kitchen ring is wired through the supply side of the fcu? and then the load is the socket under the worktop?

 

[plugwash]

yep

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And if you are doing that, use 15A plugs & sockets under the worktops, as you don't want to end up with a fuse there blowing now that you can avoid it...

 

[bandit1200]

If the appliances are fed via switched 13a outlets on a ring main to mcb in the main consumer unit, does this satisfy the regs. I couldn't find anything about the seperate fcu units in the guides I have.