Consumer unit position

[Kelec1]

Evening all.
My landlord is developing property and asked me today about the positioning of four consumer units for four separate units. His electrician has suggested putting the ccu's for all four flats underneath a communal staircase cupboard next to the distributors meters 'to save money'!!
how ridiculous I thought.
Ive been working on new builds, albeit on a larger scale for some time, but have never seen a communual consumer unit area....


your thoughts please )

 

[uksparks]

Well its not something I would do! Its not exactly going to save money as you are either going to have to run tails up or circuits down.

 

[Octopus]

Tenant is in shower, RCD trips, has to go down communal stairs to reset. I don't think so.

What ever happened to common sense??

 

[Kelec1]

Totally seems to have gone out of the window. I might get his number and suggest putting em lighting in the flats to see what he thinks

 

[Octopus]

This is a clear example of how BS7671 is distinctly lacking. Unless I'm mistaken, the regs should say that the CU should be positioned within the confines of each dwelling.

Would you want your neighbour to be in a position to switch off your electrics???

 

[R G]

Ideal if someone wants to swop the circuits over and get some free leccy.....lol....

 

[Leesparkykent]

Installing a switch fuse and a sub main for each flat should be the preferred choice.

 

[Silly Sausage]

This is a clear example of how BS7671 is distinctly lacking. Unless I'm mistaken, the regs should say that the CU should be positioned within the confines of each dwelling.

What ever happened to common sense??

Come on M, you're not a Novice!!!

 

[Octopus]

Come on M, you're not a Novice!!!

Yup.

How can anyone think that the suggested location is a good idea?

 

[Leesparkykent]

Yup.

How can anyone think that the suggested location is a good idea?

Probably a Electrical Trainee and scared of using SWA for sub mains lol

 

[specs]

This is a clear example of how BS7671 is distinctly lacking. Unless I'm mistaken, the regs should say that the CU should be positioned within the confines of each dwelling.

Would you want your neighbour to be in a position to switch off your electrics???

absolutely agree, fall out with your neighbours and in the middle of cooking or whatever and power gets cut, no and lights start flashing on and off. Main fuse and isolation switch yes.

 

[ferg]

Tenant is in shower, RCD trips, has to go down communal stairs to reset. I don't think so.

What ever happened to common sense??

Are you proposing that we now have the RCD's in the shower for convenience?

In this scenario it's probably safer to have the CU in a communal area as the tennant would have to get dried and dressed before resetting the RCD.

 

[newtothis]

Based on just a couple of months of experience - so don't pay too much heed
This setup seems to be pretty common, in low end - multiple occupancy.

 

[Andy78]

Based on just a couple of months of experience - so don't pay too much heed
This setup seems to be pretty common, in low end - multiple occupancy.

multiple occupancy is different to self contained flats, which is the case in this thread.

 

[specs]

All those individual circuits run to each flat, No

 

[TJ Anderson]

Multiple occupancy (HMO's) are usually just regular houses used as bedsits basically. They have very little electrical alteration carried out in my experience.

 

[TJ Anderson]

Evening all.
My landlord is developing property and asked me today about the positioning of four consumer units for four separate units. His electrician has suggested putting the ccu's for all four flats underneath a communal staircase cupboard next to the distributors meters 'to save money'!!
how ridiculous I thought.
Ive been working on new builds, albeit on a larger scale for some time, but have never seen a communual consumer unit area....


your thoughts please )

His "Electrician" does not know what he is doing. Obviously it should have Non-RCD sub circuits to individual flats with consumer units within the flats feeding final circuits. Just look at any other flats where DNO supplies are not brought up to each one.

 

[Essex_]

This could be an old wives tale but I was always taught that circuit runs could not go into another properties boundary. As most apprenticeships this was never backed up by a specific reg so maybe someone can help me out here.

 

[R G]

All those individual circuits run to each flat, No

Just think about the volt drop and the Zs readings as well ...

 

[Engineer54]

Tell your landlord to find another electrician, or should i say ...''A Real Electrician''!! God knows what else he'll get up too, with ideas like that little gem??

 

[Knobhead]

Would you want your neighbour to be in a position to switch off your electrics???

Not if you’ve got me in the flat below.

The couple in the flat above had a strange idea they could do what they liked, when they liked no matter how noisy.
Not long after I moved in they got the hint. Loud music and singing while they party and then all of a sudden, silence. The only sound after that was my front door slamming.

The Wylex KMF switches for each flat are near the ceiling in the hallway so that they’re accessible but not obtrusive. I’m tall enough to reach them, he isn’t. It’s a Victorian house so use your imagination as to the height of the switches.



Back to the OP,
On a safety aspect, a single point of isolation isn’t readily to hand in the flat. Never mind any regulations, common sense says this idea is plain and simply stupid.

As to how you as a tenant can influence your landlords decision is going to call for a bit of diplomacy. Go in with all guns blazing won’t help your cause. You’re going to have to use reasoned argument.

 

[marc8]

Are you sure he does not mean the sub main cables running down to the switch fuse for multiple occupancy dwellings & you have misunderstood what he was saying.