Adding an external rcd to bs 3036 board

[Jabbajaws]

Hi All,

My sister is having a new kitchen fitted soon and presently has an old wylex bs 3036 board with semi-enclosed re-wirable fuses.

I know that the builders/kitchen fitters will probably take the ring circuit from one of the 3036 fuses for the kitchen and the run it to an external RCD (ive seen this done a few times) adjacent to the wylex board.

My concern is that the last time l saw this done (at a friends house), the external RCD ended up exploding, though i'm not sure why.

Are there any safety issues regarding this method that l need to inform my sister of before she has the work completed?

I would prefer her to have a brand new CU but will only be able to convince her to have this done, if there is a very good reason (i.e safety) to do so, as she is putting all of her faith in the builders at the moment. l cant undertake the work myself as i'm not presently scheme-registered and need to give her the best advice that l can.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks...

 

[MDJ]

Hi All,

My sister is having a new kitchen fitted soon and presently has an old wylex bs 3036 board with semi-enclosed re-wirable fuses.

I know that the builders/kitchen fitters will probably take the ring circuit from one of the 3036 fuses for the kitchen and the run it to an external RCD (ive seen this done a few times) adjacent to the wylex board.

My concern is that the last time l saw this done (at a friends house), the external RCD ended up exploding, though i'm not sure why.

Are there any safety issues regarding this method that l need to inform my sister of before she has the work completed?

I would prefer her to have a brand new CU but will only be able to convince her to have this done, if there is a very good reason (i.e safety) to do so, as she is putting all of her faith in the builders at the moment. l cant undertake the work myself as i'm not presently scheme-registered and need to give her the best advice that l can.

Any advice appreciated. Thanks...

Don't take this the wrong way m8 please. But you are a pub member and been here for 5 years, Lets face it you don't need help with this question.

 

[bigdavs83]

Exploding rcd's happen all the time. It's quite common these days. Ideally it should be upgraded at the time the work is getting done so as to comply with the current regulations.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Exploding rcd's happen all the time. It's quite common these days. Ideally it should be upgraded at the time the work is getting done so as to comply with the current regulations.

which an upfront RCD for all finals wouldn`t...would it.

 

[Plonker 3]

Exploding rcd's happen all the time. It's quite common these days. Ideally it should be upgraded at the time the work is getting done so as to comply with the current regulations.

Is this a serious reply?

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Is this a serious reply?

i honestly give up sometimes Dillon...i really do...

 

[MDJ]

Is this a serious reply?

Unfortunately it is, I have run out of Gasps now and I am looking for a Bucket to stick my head in lol

 

[Guest55]

i can smell epic fail around here............




;-)

 

[Clive P]

Hi,

To be honest if it was my sister I would be in there with a new board pretty sharpish; scheme or not.

Regards.

 

[Jabbajaws]

Thanks Chaps and apologies for seeming thick. Not brilliant at explaining things to everyday people, who always ask me why they can't do this and why they can't do that etc...

Thanks for the feedback and also the humour, lol... :freak:

 

[trev]

Jabba, just do it and if the electrical police do come and kick the front door in you can blame the builder.

 

[Meggerman]

Thanks Chaps and apologies for seeming thick. Not brilliant at explaining things to everyday people, who always ask me why they can't do this and why they can't do that etc...

Thanks for the feedback and also the humour, lol... :freak:

To answer your question, yes you can add RCD protection to just the ring circuit as you described but by installing a new Dual RCD Consumer Unit you would add RCD protection to all circuits therefore making the whole installation safer.

 

[DPG]

which an upfront RCD for all finals wouldn`t...would it.

I thought the RCD was just supplying the ring?

 

[sparksburnout]

Can I just confirm something here? If a separate enclosure/RCD is taken off one of the 3036 fuses, would the installer have to do a test/cert on the whole CU? or is this got round by the fact that is was an existing circuit that has been modified, ie the 3036 supplying the original ring final has just had a front end RCD added to it?

 

[DPG]

You're only working on the one circuit not the whole installation.

 

[Plonker 3]

Can I just confirm something here? If a separate enclosure/RCD is taken off one of the 3036 fuses, would the installer have to do a test/cert on the whole CU? or is this got round by the fact that is was an existing circuit that has been modified, ie the 3036 supplying the original ring final has just had a front end RCD added to it?

No you only test what you install.

 

[sparksburnout]

OK, I'm not going to argue as I am sure you guys know what you are talking about. I have been told however, whilst on a recent I&T course, that if you add a new circuit to an existing CU, that you take responsibility for the whole installation and have to test/cert it? Are you implying that you don't because it it is an existing circuit?

 

[MDJ]

Hello Mcfly Hello

 

[telectrix]

OK, I'm not going to argue as I am sure you guys know what you are talking about. I have been told however, whilst on a recent I&T course, that if you add a new circuit to an existing CU, that you take responsibility for the whole installation and have to test/cert it? Are you implying that you don't because it it is an existing circuit?

cobblers. by the same argument you could say that if you rewired a house you were then responsible for all neighbouring houses on the same distribution circuit.

 

[Plonker 3]

OK, I'm not going to argue as I am sure you guys know what you are talking about. I have been told however, whilst on a recent I&T course, that if you add a new circuit to an existing CU, that you take responsibility for the whole installation and have to test/cert it? Are you implying that you don't because it it is an existing circuit?

I would be asking the lecturer where he got this information from