**CU Changes And YOU**

[Spudnik]

great topic,thanks jason,similar topic of my own,can you replace old cartridge fuses for plug i mcbs(old wylex unit)without having to notify under part p,i work for a registered firm but will have to wait before going it alone and getting signed up with elecsa,the idea of part p might be good but my word has it not made it even more difficult for qualified sparks working on the cards who in the future set up on their own.

Start a new thread in the relevant forum.

More chance of it being seen in there.

 

[billy110]

Good Q Chris,

I think if you are just replacing the existing tails, then a MWC would suffice.

The Nic man did his annual inspection recently and this topic came. RCBO on a light circuit would require an EIC for that circuit, not a MWC as you are changing the characteristics of the circuit at the point of origin. Changing the main tails would require a full EIC of the installation as you are changing the Characteristics of the whole installation.

Hope this helps

Billy

 

[sythai]

Just a little thing I find useful when doing a CU change.

Rather than changing it all over, go to energise and you now have circuits tripping out.

What I do first (on day of upgrade, not when initially looking at job) is take along an RCBO put that in the old board and check each circuit in that before hand. Just so you don't get any unforseen surprises, that aren't picked up by your inital inspection when you first go to look at the job.

Also that way you can get any issues sorted first, rather than the other way round.... stitched myself up like this once before.... CU swap done by 11:30, nice and easy then powered up only to find lights up, lights down and ring all tripping out. A CU change and test which should have taken 5-6 hours ended up taking me 12 hours (very stressful day) !!

Hope that helps a bit... Sy

 

[acat]

Thanks for the feedback Sy hints and tips are always welcome by everyone on the forum.



Chris

 

[sythai]

No probs....

 

[WayneL]

Just a little thing I find useful when doing a CU change.

Rather than changing it all over, go to energise and you now have circuits tripping out.

What I do first (on day of upgrade, not when initially looking at job) is take along an RCBO put that in the old board and check each circuit in that before hand. Just so you don't get any unforseen surprises, that aren't picked up by your inital inspection when you first go to look at the job.

Also that way you can get any issues sorted first, rather than the other way round.... stitched myself up like this once before.... CU swap done by 11:30, nice and easy then powered up only to find lights up, lights down and ring all tripping out. A CU change and test which should have taken 5-6 hours ended up taking me 12 hours (very stressful day) !!

Hope that helps a bit... Sy

Would it not be easier to do an IR test - 250V L & N connected together and tested to earth?

Seems a lot of messing about fitting a RCBO to each circuit to get the same result that a two minute test will give you - and what do you do with an old Wylex re-wirable board?

 

[mogga]

"and what do you do with an old wylex rewirable doard" Bin it lol

 

[sythai]

Board normally goes in the bin............. unless there is a market for them on ebay !!

"Just so you don't get any unforseen surprises, that aren't picked up by your inital inspection"

I always do a quick IR when first looking at the job, but this for a secondary thing I do just in case the IR didnt pick anything up at the time? Only takes a few mins to quickly try each circuit.

Should have said this is only any good for a domestic sort of situation. Could be a real pain in **** trying to do this with 48way board !!

 

[nadger]

last week i downloaded a pdf file from this site all about changing a consumer unit and your subsequent responsibilities regarding testing etc, i gave my copy to a mate and cannot for the life of me find it again. Please could someone point me in the right direction thanks

 

[Guest123]

last week i downloaded a pdf file from this site all about changing a consumer unit and your subsequent responsibilities regarding testing etc, i gave my copy to a mate and cannot for the life of me find it again. Please could someone point me in the right direction thanks

Probably this one.

http://www.esc.org.uk/pdfs/business-and-community/electrical-industry/BPG1v2_web.pdf

 

[m25maintenance]

earth and neutral, i think its earth, then line and neutral joined together so eathe to line neutral so not to damage equipment

 

[nadger]

no thats not the one Lenny sorry. on your link at the very end there are 4 more examples of "best practise" pdf's. the one im looking for is the one on the right, its all about our responsibilitys and what tests we need to carry out. The link you posted is for consumer unit changes where the lighting circuits dont have a cpc.

If i remember correctly there were 2 links in the post i cannot find and the one i want was accompanied by the one you just posted for me if that helps?

 

[JUD]

earth and neutral, i think its earth, then line and neutral joined together so eathe to line neutral so not to damage equipment

Had you been sniffing the barmaid's apron when you wrote this??

 

[JamesBrownLive]

no thats not the one Lenny sorry. on your link at the very end there are 4 more examples of "best practise" pdf's. the one im looking for is the one on the right, its all about our responsibilitys and what tests we need to carry out. The link you posted is for consumer unit changes where the lighting circuits dont have a cpc.

If i remember correctly there were 2 links in the post i cannot find and the one i want was accompanied by the one you just posted for me if that helps?

Still not 100% sure which one you want, but following this link will take you to a page where they can all be downloaded:

Best Practice Guides | Electrical Safety Council

Have fun

 

[nadger]

sorry i should have posted to say i'd found it on their site.

the one i wanted was the "consumer unit changes in domestic properties"

thank you for your help though, much appreciated.

 

[rs250250]

This is a great thread and very informative although I have 1 question. Forgive me if it has been discussed elsewhere as this is a big forum

I am anticipating doing several additions and alterations to an existing installation such as adding sockets and lights. The consumer unit is a 16thED MK nicely done although I am upgrading the tails and also new water bond as this looks to be absent. Condition of wiring is good overall. Being as the existing board is split with 1 RCD + one half non RCD protected do I need to upgrade the board? Or do I have to replace the board to bring it in line with current 17th ed? Guess it would be easier to do that and just issue an EIC for the whole job!

I was thinking if the client does not want to pay for a board change (as most do not) I could use RCBO's.
I know that any circuits I add that are for example, chased in less than 50mm will need to be RDC protected so can I swap circuits around i the consumer unit to achieve this?

Can anyone clarify this for me.
Many thanks

 

[Spudnik]

If the CU and existing wiring is in good condition then, any circuit you alter (that is on the non rcd side), can be protected with an RCBO.

 

[fozzy]

would you not carry out a full test before changing the cu to highlight any existing problems with the installation.you can then make the customer aware of any additional works and costs to the job.if you go ahead without any inspection and there are any faults uncovered you should then put in right.

 

[Spudnik]

Have you read the first post?

 

[Ponty Massive]

If your linking the L+N and testing them between earth, why are you only using 240v instead of 500v?

Cheers