I am interested in people's thoughts ... later this week, I am installing FCU(s) in the garage of a new build property to supply an integrated wood pellet boiler and heat store on behalf of an Eco heating company. The boiler and heat store is manufactured in Austria, CE marked, and at first sight they are well thought out, integrated and documented products which have the majority of their control system cabling pre-installed. The property has been first fixed electrically and cabling has been provided for: power, 4 mm[SUP]2[/SUP] T&E; connections for the house thermostat(s) and a CAT6 connection to the home hub to enable the owners to control their heating remotely via i-devices or similar.
The boiler requires less than 1 kW of electrical power for control and actuation systems and comes with a European L N E moulded plug. My new boss, a German with Electrical Engineering qualifications, asked me whether there was any reason why we should not install a European socket outlet to plug the boiler into. Would anyone have any concerns? Other than perhaps the 'fact' that the BS plug and socket are the safest in the world and cannot be bettered or improved upon! I am not calling into question this assertion. This approach would:
- Ensure complete and clearly identifiable isolation of the boiler by removing the plug.
- Prevent any potential warrantee problems due to the 'modification' by the installer of a CE certified product which has been type tested and certified with a European plug. I am cognisant of recent discussions regarding the integration by the installer of different manufacturers' products that have not been integration tested; consumer units and protective devices. Those concerns may not be applicable here
- Provide a connection to the electrical system that cannot be 'hijacked' for other purposes; like the continued use of round pin plugs of different sizes, mainly for lighting, in the UK. Although unlikely, if the moulded plug were replaced with a UK 13 A plug then the boiler could be disconnected and the socket used for other purposes.
Clearly a FCU would still be required to limit the effects on the house wiring of a short circuit in the equipment. The use of a socket, either UK or European, in the same way that a kitchen appliance can have a dedicated unswitched socket fed from a FCU would allow the use of a simpler and cheaper FCU rather than a DP SFCU.
Given the fact that the house is only first fixed and has what appears to be a temporary supply, what concerns would you have regarding the installation of trunking or clipped direct, pattress boxes, FCU and socket?
The boiler requires less than 1 kW of electrical power for control and actuation systems and comes with a European L N E moulded plug. My new boss, a German with Electrical Engineering qualifications, asked me whether there was any reason why we should not install a European socket outlet to plug the boiler into. Would anyone have any concerns? Other than perhaps the 'fact' that the BS plug and socket are the safest in the world and cannot be bettered or improved upon! I am not calling into question this assertion. This approach would:
- Ensure complete and clearly identifiable isolation of the boiler by removing the plug.
- Prevent any potential warrantee problems due to the 'modification' by the installer of a CE certified product which has been type tested and certified with a European plug. I am cognisant of recent discussions regarding the integration by the installer of different manufacturers' products that have not been integration tested; consumer units and protective devices. Those concerns may not be applicable here
- Provide a connection to the electrical system that cannot be 'hijacked' for other purposes; like the continued use of round pin plugs of different sizes, mainly for lighting, in the UK. Although unlikely, if the moulded plug were replaced with a UK 13 A plug then the boiler could be disconnected and the socket used for other purposes.
Clearly a FCU would still be required to limit the effects on the house wiring of a short circuit in the equipment. The use of a socket, either UK or European, in the same way that a kitchen appliance can have a dedicated unswitched socket fed from a FCU would allow the use of a simpler and cheaper FCU rather than a DP SFCU.
Given the fact that the house is only first fixed and has what appears to be a temporary supply, what concerns would you have regarding the installation of trunking or clipped direct, pattress boxes, FCU and socket?
