Mk II: How does my DIY effort at a consumer unit look?

[crystal ball]

You could reduce all that copper showing on neutral number three, bugs me.

I was just about to say the same - too much copper showing - unscrew & push further in.

Its showing less copper than the maker has left showing on the crimps and links, should they be covered in tape too

 

[Chri5]

Generic front mcb labels look pants. Mess around with ms excel and you can make label strips that match the scale and have printed detail of the circuit. Looks much better, is clearer and won't fade.

As mentioned the neutral 3 has too much bare wire showing under termination point.

Have you done list of circuit schedule and a plan showing locations and cable routes?

 

[RMS]

Whilst I understand that some, including myself may not like the amount of copper on show below the terminals, is it really an issue?

As someone has pointed out, the manufacturer's don't seem to take this on board. As long as the connection is adequate then I don't really see a problem. At least you know the screw is making contact with the conductor.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[JohnW2]

Whilst I understand that some, including myself may not like the amount of copper on show below the terminals, is it really an issue? As someone has pointed out, the manufacturer's don't seem to take this on board. As long as the connection is adequate then I don't really see a problem. At least you know the screw is making contact with the conductor.

I agree, at least in this situation - I think it's really just some people's desire for aesthetic perfection (which I don't knock ,per se).

As I've said before, my greatest concern with any terminations is that I want to be able to see a tiny bit of copper, to provide (as you say) reassurance that one has screwed onto conductor rather than insulation - particularly when less-than-very-tight G/Y sleeving in involved.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

If one magifies the picture, the SWA looks (to me) apprerciably fatter than the internal N cable:

Did someone mention 433.2.2

Well, the internal N is certainly not 3m long, and it's mechanically protected by the CU enclosure Mind you, it may well not be adequately ('downstream') protected against the hypothetical situation of simultaneous overload of all the final circuits!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[EFLImpudence]

I don't really share the concern over the colours of the L and N in the swa (although the Earth should be marked G/Y).

After all, that is the colour of the conductors in this cable. The CU has a mixed colour warning label.

As the Neutral at the bottom of the Main Switch is blue then it would seem silly to mark the incoming blue.
So, if you are that concerned, you may (and indeed do) argue that the Red should be taped/sleeved brown but what would this achieve or prevent?

Is anyone, even a novice, going to think the red is anything but Live even if its counterpart is blue?

 

[sparkwright]

With a lot of copper showing, it may be the case there's not a lot of copper under the screw termination, so certainly needs checking.

 

[crystal ball]

With a lot of copper showing, it may be the case there's not a lot of copper under the screw termination, so certainly needs checking.

Could apply to any termination, no copper, not enough copper, too much copper

 

[JohnW2]

I don't really share the concern over the colours of the L and N in the swa (although the Earth should be marked G/Y). After all, that is the colour of the conductors in this cable. The CU has a mixed colour warning label. As the Neutral at the bottom of the Main Switch is blue then it would seem silly to mark the incoming blue.
So, if you are that concerned, you may (and indeed do) argue that the Red should be taped/sleeved brown but what would this achieve or prevent? Is anyone, even a novice, going to think the red is anything but Live even if its counterpart is blue?

I agree it's totally trivial, but I thought the point fo this thread was implicitly that the OP wanted 'pedantic' answers - and 'mixed colours' within the same cable doesn't seem right. I agree that, if one did it, sleeving the red SWA core would be the more sensible.

I personally think that the whole business of oversleeving is, in the great majority of cases, not going to 'achieve or prevent' anything - and the 'two versions' labels are essentially just an unnecessary insult It may be different in a few decades' time, but, at present, anyone doing anything to an electrical installation should understand what red, black, blue and brown (in whatever mix) designate in a 1-phase installation - and, if they don't, they shouldn't even be seeing the insulation colours! Even oversleeving at light switches is really 'unnecessary'. Again, anyone looking at the conductors going to a switch should realise that they are all potentially 'live'.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[JohnW2]

With a lot of copper showing, it may be the case there's not a lot of copper under the screw termination, so certainly needs checking.

That's something which 'needs checking' even if no copper is showing.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[riveralt]

- Incoming is definitely three 25sqmm incoming cores, in SWA.

Are you sure about that. The three cores look about the same size as the internal cabling provided by the consumer unit manufacturer and they are normally 16mm2.

Are you sure about that. If one magifies the picture, the SWA looks (to me) apprerciably fatter than the internal N cable:

Untitled

• JohnW2
• 12 Feb 2012
• 1

Kind Regards, John.

No need for the OP to guess or magnify the picture all he has to do is measure the outer core diameter.

 

[Alarm]

Again, anyone looking at the conductors going to a switch should realise that they are all potentially 'live'.

Why?

From some questions here (Site not thread) that is a bit presumptuous.

I do like your replies but ATM they are getting a little drawn out for some reason.

 

[JohnW2]

No need for the OP to guess or magnify the picture all he has to do is measure the outer core diameter.

Very true, but I'm pretty convinced from the photo. When I measured on the magnified image, I got a ratio of 1.26:1 for the OD of the insulation of the two N conductors. The ratio of diameters of the conductor for 25mm² vs. 16mm² would be about SQRT(25/16) (a fortuitously incredibly easy calculation!) - i.e. 1.25:1. Athough one of those calculations involves the insulation and the other doesn't, as I said, I think that's probably good enough to convince me that what the OP said is correct.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[JohnW2]

Again, anyone looking at the conductors going to a switch should realise that they are all potentially 'live'.

Why? From some questions here (Site not thread) that is a bit presumptuous.

The important word is 'should'. Of course there are people around who have so little understanding that they should not be going nowhere near any electrical wiring, least of all on energised circuits, but I'm far from convinced that oversleeving would make any difference to them, anyway - and anyone who does have enough understanding to be going near the wiring does not need 'the benefit of' the oversleeving to be there. That's how I see it, anyway.

Kind Regards, John.