RCD Protection

[2352]

Hi everyone icon_smile.gif
I had my PIR done, the select registered electrician found all was good except that i don't have RCD protecion on any circuit. He advised me to fit the consumer unit with a RCD system. I had a look around and seen that there are different ways to do it. I'd like to get an idea of what is best and at same affordable to post fit a RCD system on my system. Can you help?
Shall I fit any socket circuits individually oy just the main one in the unit?
The electrician talked me through a split board tho it wld be quite a job and costly too. is there a simpler way than it?
Thanks for any input/advice icon_smile.gif

 

[GaryMo]

What's the make of your consumer unit?
Could you upload a photo?

You may be able to have RCBO's fitted to your existing consumer unit which are a combination of an MCB and RCD.

 

[Steve]

The electrician talked me through a split board tho it wld be quite a job and costly too. is there a simpler way than it?

No. This is pretty much the cheapest method of providing 17th edition compliance (which it needs to be if hes starting to alter every circuit) to an old installation.

The BEST way is to use RCBOs, so that every circuit has its own RCD.

 

[2352]

The rewiring is actually brand new to Jan 2008, however the electrician never fitted it with any RCD. The consumer box has 10 circuits in total.

 

[PrinceofDarkness]

You had a Periodic Inspection and 'all was good' - apart from the absense of RCD protection?

So, why not leave it at that?


Lucia.

 

[2352]

Lucia: yes the PIR was signed off as satisfactory. However i'm quite sensible to the idea of not getting electrocuted accidentally!

 

[GaryMo]

Is it a ground floor flat you live in?

 

[2352]

What's the make of your consumer unit?
Could you upload a photo?

You may be able to have RCBO's fitted to your existing consumer unit which are a combination of an MCB and RCD.

Hi, it's a top floor flat. The inspecting electrician told me that if i had a ground floor with garden then RCD protecion wld have been mandatory.
I'll try to up load a pic of it soon, thanks for advicng.

 

[2352]

a pic is now uploaded in my album section, thanks

 

[GaryMo]

a pic is now uploaded in my album section, thanks

Here it is and yes, you can get RCBO's for that consumer unit.
It's strange that only the line conductor and not the neutral is broken by the isolator before your consumer unit. I know it's not required and only the same as the suppliers fuse but even so.

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• 2352
• 8 May 2010
• 2

 

[RF Lighting]

It depends on the DNO, but some of them only switch the line. Some even fit a SP 100A isolator.

If that were my house, I'd swap the circuit breaker for any socket circuit(s) to an RCBO and leave it at that.

 

[2352]

a pic is now uploaded in my album section, thanks

Here it is and yes, you can get RCBO's for that consumer unit.
It's strange that only the line conductor and not the neutral is broken by the isolator before your consumer unit

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• 2352
• 8 May 2010
• 2

Thanks for ur advice! Can you please tell me how you wld fit a RCBO's for this unit? Wld you just replace the main trip? Is it what you got in mind? Is there a specific model of the RCBO u wld suggest that wld fit in it ? (don't worry i'm not gona do it myslef, I wld ask an electrician to do it!). I'm not too sure about ur second comment tho ( i know nothing about electricals haha) tho the electrician who inspected it never mentioned anything like that. U meant strange as not understandable or strange as wrong? lol
Thanks for ur help

 

[2352]

It depends on the DNO, but some of them only switch the line. Some even fit a SP 100A isolator.

If that were my house, I'd swap the circuit breaker for any socket circuit(s) to an RCBO and leave it at that.

this was given me as second option by the inspecting electrician (first option was the splitting board way)

 

[Steve]

basically the switch top right is a double pole switch, meant to switch both live and neutral.

In your case only the live is switched. The neutral is run through that little box to the left of the switch.

It seems odd that they would supply that box to do this, when it'd be easier to run the neutral through the switch.

Theres nothing wrong with just switching the live, in fact, most installations dont even have this isolation switch, so cound yourself lucky.

An RCBO replaces the individual circuit MCBs, which for you would require 10 of them, at a cost of about £300 in materials alone.

A real bodge and not in compliance with th 17th edition, would be to replace the mainswitch with an RCD. But this is ugly and causes lots of nuisance trips.

A compromise, but might cost you the same as RCBOs in the end, is to replace that whole unit with a split load board, with two RCDs.

 

[GaryMo]

RCBO's are individual devices which replace MCB's.