Meter and DB position?

[jon26]

Generally, would electricians prefer to install the incoming electrics and D.B. within a cupboard located centrally in the house, or within the plant room at one end of the house?

Also, does anyone know if a 3-phase meter can fit within a standard meter box in the wall?

 

[RF Lighting]

It depends.

Yes it will.

 

[jon26]

It depends.

Yes it will.

What does it depend on? I guess it is a compromise between dragging your cables to one end of the house, but have the plant room equipment and space nearby.... or have a DB central to the house which allows easier cable routes?

What are your thoughts

Cheers

 

[JohnD]

where does the supply cable come in?

how big is the house?

have you got electric heating, pool, sauna, cooking or air con, bullion smelter, welder, X-ray or other big circuits? where?

do you have cable ducts esp between floors?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Having the services at one end of the house makes it easier, later on, if supplies are needed to be run externally.

Its often a right PITA when asked to run armoured cable out to the new summer house when you discover that the consumer unit is in the middle of the house with no easy cable access routes.

These days the DNO prefers their meter to be mounted on an external wall which makes the preffered position of the CU to be also near the external wall.

 

[jon26]

where does the supply cable come in?

how big is the house?

have you got electric heating, pool, sauna, cooking or air con, bullion smelter, welder, X-ray or other big circuits? where?

do you have cable ducts esp between floors?

the supply cable will be wherever we want to put it, the existing building will be coming down and a new house built in its place. It is just a normal medium size detached house with none of the items that you have described. There are no cable ducts between floors, they will need to run within the floor void to each area from the new DB position.

 

[jon26]

Having the services at one end of the house makes it easier, later on, if supplies are needed to be run externally.

Its often a right PITA when asked to run armoured cable out to the new summer house when you discover that the consumer unit is in the middle of the house with no easy cable access routes.

These days the DNO prefers their meter to be mounted on an external wall which makes the preffered position of the CU to be also near the external wall.

Thanks for the reply, I am leaning towards having the new supply brought in at the end of the house next to the new plant room. However, the other option, when I said 'central' it is central to the house but that will also be on an outside wall i.e. it isn't in the middle of the building.

That said, do you still think the first position next to the plant room at the end of the house is the best option?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Not having seen the floorplan its hard to say.

Probably better discussing it with the architect and your electrician.

 

[Pensdown]

There is no reason why you can't have two consumer units, one in the Plant Room for outside circuits and one inside for the house circuits.

So then you've got the best of both worlds, CU for outside circuits and internal CU for the house circuits.

The down side of one CU in the Plant Room is if a circuit trips on a rainy winters night.......you might get wet feet

I would bring the new supply into the Plant Room and run a sub-main to the house CU from there.

 

[jon26]

There is no reason why you can't have two consumer units, one in the Plant Room for outside circuits and one inside for the house circuits.

So then you've got the best of both worlds, CU for outside circuits and internal CU for the house circuits.

The down side of one CU in the Plant Room is if a circuit trips on a rainy winters night.......you might get wet feet

I would bring the new supply into the Plant Room and run a sub-main to the house CU from there.

The plant room, as I call it, will be a store off the utility room, so you would be able to go in there to access it if needed i.e. you feet would stay dry
I think it will be best from what you have described to put both DB's in this area and run the circuits from that end of the house.

 

[jon26]

There is no reason why you can't have two consumer units, one in the Plant Room for outside circuits and one inside for the house circuits.

So then you've got the best of both worlds, CU for outside circuits and internal CU for the house circuits.

The down side of one CU in the Plant Room is if a circuit trips on a rainy winters night.......you might get wet feet

I would bring the new supply into the Plant Room and run a sub-main to the house CU from there.

The plant room, as I call it, will be a store off the utility room, so you would be able to go in there to access it if needed i.e. you feet would stay dry
I think it will be best from what you have described to put both DB's in this area and run the circuits from that end of the house.

Just wondered what your thoughts were?

Thanks