seperate RCDprotection for lighting?

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Does there require an additional RCD for lighting circuit ( ceiling). I have had one added for ring main. Also if a cable is reduced to a cooker point and the socket moved does this also require an RCD. I DO NOT HAVE 17TH EDITION BOX.
 
New circuits should be compliant with the 17th ed, so unless you are sure that the cable route is either in earthed metal conduit or >50mm in to the wall you will require RCD or RCBO protection for the circuit.
 
To try to make it simple.
RCD protection is required for:-
1) Everything in a bathroom including the lights.
2) Any cable not of permitted type buried less than 50mm.
3) All sockets.
One is not expected to upgrade existing but one does need to comply with anything new.

So for an example if one has no RCD on socket supply and you want to add a spur where the cable is to be buried there are three methods.
1) Modify consumer unit.
2) Use a RCD fused connection unit at point where supply is being taken from and fit a standard socket.
3) Use one of the permitted cables i.e. Ali-Tube to BS 8436 Guardian, Earthshield, Flexishield, or Afumex and use a RCD protected socket.

For an electrician he would likely do number 1 as then it is ready for any further additions but for the DIY person number 3 is more likely to be simplest method as 1 required Part P notification to LABC. Although number 2 would allow more than one spur so does have some advantages if the load is likely to be low as for example supplying area for a computer.

If the work involves one of the special areas kitchen, out doors, or bathroom and Part P is required anyway then the DIY person may select option one.

There is no such thing as a 17th Edition consumer unit. However there are consumer units designed to allow one to comply without fitting all RCBO's. If I was doing my own house I would not want to fit a split load consumer unit I would use all RCBO's as the more the circuits are split the less likely it will be for leakage to exceed 30ma and trip out the RCD.

However if my father died before my mother I would likely fit a single RCD to her house of the auto resetting type as she is in a wheel chair and not very easy to get access to the consumer unit and at £300 each I would not want to buy two auto resetting RCD's. And with no computers in the house there is very little leakage.

The 17th Edition does not say you must have two RCD's it says it must be arranged so you are unlikely to get nuisance tripping and all caravans have single RCD. So if your house had very little electronic equipment you may be OK with a single RCD but unlikely and if after fitting a twin RCD consumer unit they were found to be tripping with no cause on a regular basis it would still not comply with 17th Edition also called BS7671:2008.

On change of occupant or every 10 years you should have a PIR done which will high light items like missing RCD. These will be coded as code 4. It is normally considered that any faults raised should be corrected before the next PIR is done. But there is nothing to force you to up-grade. So by 2018 we should expect to see all homes with RCD protection on all sockets but in practice this is unlikely to happen. We still find houses with no earths on lights and this rule was changed in 1966 so I would expect similar with RCD's.
 
Wow What a reply. Thanks for that, it really helps. I was told Rcd should be added for kitchen ring main ,cooker point, lighting and bathroom extractor. That would mean 4 Rcd's..Thanks Christine
 

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