Time delay RCCB

Thanks for that I will sleep soundly.

I suppose I am used to losing all power with our overhead lines so I don't have a problem with it , it us just inconvienent

Cheers to all
 
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That's fair enough, but the problem we've all identified (in some cases more gently than BAS) is that, unless that single upstream RCD is time-delayed, a fault anywhere, even on a circuit protected by another RCD, is at serious risk of taking out the entire installation in your large house
And if it is time delayed it is not providing regulation compliant protection for the circuits from the CU with only a switch incomer.
I'm not so sure about that. The note to Table 41.1 acknowledges that, when disconnection is reliant on an RCD, achieving the disconnection times indicated in the table will require a fault current in excess of the IΔn of the RCD. A Type S RCD has a maximum trip trip of 0.15 secs at 5*IΔn, which is less than the required disconnection time of 0.2 secs for a TT installation. Do you not regard that as regulation-compliant?
I wouldn't have an "instead of" to worry about, as I would not recommend coming from the house CU in the first place. A switchfuse on the meter tails would be my choice ...
Unlike what we most commonly see suggested here, the OP was not proposing to feed the outhouse from 'the house CU'. Rather, he was proposing to 'split the tails' (after the up-front RCD, which may or may not be time-delayed) and feeding the outhouse from one of those sets of split tails via a mini CU (equivalent to your switch fuse).
... and in this case as it's TT you'd also need RCD protection at source for the cable , and this should be chosen to provide discrimination between it and the device(s) in the outbuilding.
Exactly, and since the OP was proposing to have an RCD in his mini CU, that could be regarded as a 'simpler ('one box') solution than your 2-box solution of a switch fuse + RCD, couldn't it?

Kind Regards, John
 
Hi John

Now back home

The RCCB in the power CU is As I thought 100a 30ma. The lighting CU has a double pole red Switch Disconnector.

The main switch is a Hagen RCCB type CN284U 100a has an S in a square followed by 0.1 a with test button and earth fault indicator.

I assume this is a 100a 100ma unit with the s denoting time delay but am probably wrong.

The switch feeds a five way terminal block and then tails feed to the three CU's. Would like to keep the main switch if poss as it is feed from a large handled switch which diverts incoming power from my generator when we get a power cut.

If this is correct will fit an RCCB in the lighting CU the same as the power. Will that affect either of the two RCBO,s that are fitted in there.

Will fit a 63a 30ma RCCB in the outhouse CU situated in the house and a 40a mcb feeding to the outhouse.

In the outhouse will be another CU with a double pole switch disconnector and appropriate mcb's for the circuits. This is really just a distribution board with mcb's for extra safety.

Can email some pics if you have an address

Best regards
Andy
 
Hi John, Now back home. The RCCB in the power CU is As I thought 100a 30ma. The lighting CU has a double pole red Switch Disconnector. The main switch is a Hagen RCCB type CN284U 100a has an S in a square followed by 0.1 a with test button and earth fault indicator. I assume this is a 100a 100ma unit with the s denoting time delay but am probably wrong.
Yes, that latter is a 100A, 100mA time-delayed RCD. That RCD does little to provide protection to people against the effect of electric shocks - that's not what it's for (you need the 30mA non-delayed ones for that).
The switch feeds a five way terminal block and then tails feed to the three CU's. Would like to keep the main switch if poss as it is feed from a large handled switch which diverts incoming power from my generator when we get a power cut.
OK. Provided that you have downstream (i.e. in CUs) RCD protection for all circuits, then you could leave that up-front Hager as a 'main switch', since, being time-delayed, it ought not to trip if one of the other RCDs does (alternatively, once every circuit was RCD-protected, you could have it replaced with just a 100A simple switch). As far as I can make out, if you do ....
If this is correct will fit an RCCB in the lighting CU the same as the power. Will that affect either of the two RCBO,s that are fitted in there.
...and
Will fit a 63a 30ma RCCB in the outhouse CU situated in the house and a 40a mcb feeding to the outhouse.
.. then all circuits will, indeed, be protected by RCDs in CUs. The two RCBOs would not be 'affected', other than in the sense that the power to them (hence the circuits supplied) would be lost if the new RCD in the CU tripped (unless your electrician can 'split' that CU, so that the two RCBOs are not protected by the RCD). If the RCBOs remain protected by the (new) RCD, if one of them tripped, there would be a fair chance of the RCD in the CU also tripping - but that is no worse than if they were just MCBs (with which they could be replaced,if you wished).
In the outhouse will be another CU with a double pole switch disconnector and appropriate mcb's for the circuits. This is really just a distribution board with mcb's for extra safety.
Fair enough.
Can email some pics if you have an address
Can't you post them here?

Kind Regards, John
 
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Thanks for all that looks like I am making progress .

If you call me with an email address I will send them. Seem unable to master pics on this sight

Cheers
Andy
 
I'm not so sure about that. The note to Table 41.1 acknowledges that, when disconnection is reliant on an RCD, achieving the disconnection times indicated in the table will require a fault current in excess of the IΔn of the RCD. A Type S RCD has a maximum trip trip of 0.15 secs at 5*IΔn, which is less than the required disconnection time of 0.2 secs for a TT installation. Do you not regard that as regulation-compliant?
Only if I look at the right column in Table 41.1. If I look at the wrong column it has a disconnection time of 70ms, and then I don't regard it as compliant. :oops:


Exactly, and since the OP was proposing to have an RCD in his mini CU, that could be regarded as a 'simpler ('one box') solution than your 2-box solution of a switch fuse + RCD, couldn't it?
It could. Most elegant, I guess, would be a small enclosure with an RCD and a fuse.
 
Seem unable to master pics on this sight.
The instructions for putting photos in your post start here:

//www.diynot.com/network/DIYnot/albums/67/180

You have to do all 11 steps - it's no use stopping part way through.

But it is one of the clankiest systems I've ever encountered. An image hosting site (postimage.org is a good one, and it has what I think is a very useful Windoze Explorer extension) is much easier to use.

You should remove your phone number from your post.
 
I'm not so sure about that. The note to Table 41.1 acknowledges that, when disconnection is reliant on an RCD, achieving the disconnection times indicated in the table will require a fault current in excess of the IΔn of the RCD. A Type S RCD has a maximum trip trip of 0.15 secs at 5*IΔn, which is less than the required disconnection time of 0.2 secs for a TT installation. Do you not regard that as regulation-compliant?
Only if I look at the right column in Table 41.1. If I look at the wrong column it has a disconnection time of 70ms, and then I don't regard it as compliant. :oops:
Ah - I thought you had maybe taken heed of winston, and thought it was right to look at the >230V column :)

If you think about it, there would undoubtedly be innumerable non-compliant installations if a time-delayed RCD was not capable of providing adequate disconnection times. I wonder where the 'voltage thresholds' in Table 41.1 (or equivalent) were when the nominal voltage was 240V?!!

Exactly, and since the OP was proposing to have an RCD in his mini CU, that could be regarded as a 'simpler ('one box') solution than your 2-box solution of a switch fuse + RCD, couldn't it?
It could. Most elegant, I guess, would be a small enclosure with an RCD and a fuse.
Yes, I suppose so, if you regarded a fuse as being preferable to an MCB - really just a variant on the OP's'mini CU'.

Kind Regards, John
 
Ah - I thought you had maybe taken heed of winston, and thought it was right to look at the >230V column :)
I did think about making a joke about having borrowed his glasses....


If you think about it, there would undoubtedly be innumerable non-compliant installations if a time-delayed RCD was not capable of providing adequate disconnection times.
Not necessarily - their traditional use for them did not see them providing disconnection for circuits used for portable appliances, only those where a 5s time was allowed.


I wonder where the 'voltage thresholds' in Table 41.1 (or equivalent) were when the nominal voltage was 240V?!!
Don't know. My oldest copy of BS 7671 is from 2004, and U0 has been 230V since 1995. (Winston's dissatisfaction with the regulations is nearly 20 years old.)


Yes, I suppose so, if you regarded a fuse as being preferable to an MCB - really just a variant on the OP's'mini CU'.
Unless a very large cable on a very large MCB is being used, a fuse is the only way you'll get discrimination against MCBs in outbuilding CUs.
 
All dutch to me - does this change anything John

Cheers
Andy

If you private message me with an email will send you the pics its quite a smart setup even if it is wrong
 
You would be most welcome to see them and I really don't expect anyone else to post them. I am just having a bad technology day and as you said the process is so long winded I will lose the will to live.

They are not the most exciting pics in the world but may show my installation is not as bad as you might think.

Regards
Andy
 
If you think about it, there would undoubtedly be innumerable non-compliant installations if a time-delayed RCD was not capable of providing adequate disconnection times.
Not necessarily - their traditional use for them did not see them providing disconnection for circuits used for portable appliances, only those where a 5s time was allowed.
How long ago was this 'traditional use'. The current Table 41.1 appears to relate to all final circuits ≤32A (i.e. most domestic circuits).
Yes, I suppose so, if you regarded a fuse as being preferable to an MCB - really just a variant on the OP's'mini CU'.
Unless a very large cable on a very large MCB is being used, a fuse is the only way you'll get discrimination against MCBs in outbuilding CUs.
True - although I do think that, particularly in relation to domestic installations, people probably get unnecessarily excited about discrimination, and particularly when (as with the OP) provision has been made for emergency lighting. How often do these people expect a protective device to operate in their installations?!

Kind Regards, John
 

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