Don't you just love builders!

new_spark · Nov 23, 2020

Hi all, long time member but 1st time posting in a long while, just thought I'd share this little nasty I came across whilst carrying out a ECIR at a domestic property recently, the family had a small extension built about 20 years ago they reckon and the builder installed this shiny new RCD protected CU to protect the new 16A radial for sockets, a 16A radial for an outside socket and a 6A for the lighting, great I thought as the main board protecting the rest of the house is an old wylex with BS3871 breakers, so I got the feeling things weren't good when on removing the front cover, the whole unit came out, it had been plastered in place to hold it in, no screws holding it in, nada! The unit was clearly broken, top left corner, earth terminal missing and no busbar protection and to top it off, the incoming supply 'tails' were twin 2.5mm off the kitchen ring main!
Needless to say I gave it a C1, anyone got any thoughts to the contrary?
(The board was isolated when pic taken!)
Cheers all

Dustydazzler · Nov 23, 2020

i Honestly think that is the first time I have seen a fuse board partially chopped into a plaster board wall like that ...

I almost guarantee it was a foreign sparks who did this

new_spark · Nov 23, 2020

Dustydazzler said:
i Honestly think that is the first time I have seen a fuse board partially chopped into a plaster board wall like that ...

I almost guarantee it was a foreign sparks who did this

They definitely found the board in a skip and re-used it!

Dartlec · Nov 23, 2020

Nice! ?‍

No question that it's a bodge job from start to finish and needs redoing.

Though, just for arguments sake, if the front cover was on, I'd say it would be a C2 rather than a C1.

I guess the 'tails' are effectively on the RFC then? so protected at the other end by 30A fuse, and probably won't be overloaded...

Rare to see builders use decent kit like Hager though!

Julie. · Nov 23, 2020

What's the dangling red wire off?

Twin 2.5's for the N but only one on line?

I guess the line which is in the rcd is loose as well.

new_spark · Nov 23, 2020

Dartlec said:
Nice! ?‍

No question that it's a bodge job from start to finish and needs redoing.

Though, just for arguments sake, if the front cover was on, I'd say it would be a C2 rather than a C1.

I guess the 'tails' are effectively on the RFC then? so protected at the other end by 30A fuse, and probably won't be overloaded...

Rare to see builders use decent kit like Hager though!

I decided C1 due to the board not secure and a potential immediate risk of harm if a decorator for instance disturbed it fell away, as usual open to interpreation!