How to save money on costly rcbo's

[ipf]

Well, at least there's no excuse for not understanding the RCBO's operation....

 

[rolyberkin]

but apart from the obvious - doesnt trip the whole board - what other advantages are there?

You don't have to work for Landlords!

 

[rolyberkin]

How do we know their are no spare ways? I can't see all the board it could be a 20-way board?

No completely full and to be honest the sparks who did the installation was rough as a badgers arse, I have no issues with Lewden boards, would rather fit a Lewden than a dual RCD, although the trip times on a Lewden board can be random to say the least!

 

[Dustydazzler]

Been a while since I really shopped around for rcbos but how does lewden compare price to other brands,

I think I last paid £15 for Hager

 

[Dustydazzler]

I saw BG rcbos is screwfox for £11

 

[rolyberkin]

Been a while since I really shopped around for rcbos but how does lewden at £10 per rcbo compare to other brands,

I think I last paid £15 for Hager

The build quality on Lewden stuff is fairly poor, you can easily strip the threads on the rcbo's if you try to torque them to manufacturers specifications.

 

[Cid]

I fitted Fully loaded MK rcbo board recently. Only £130 at TLC. I needed extra Rcbos so I just bought another board. It worked out cheaper.

 

[Andy78]

I've used the Lewden RCBO boards for a couple of years now. I find the quality fine to be honest. I have had one device with a stripped thread in that time, but just the one. One niggle is demonstrated in the picture though, the terminals in front of each other.

They are the cheaper end of the spectrum for sure, but the cost of Hager is double for me with a decent size board. Not many customers see that as worth going for a different brand.

There are other cheap brands out there to compete on price but not used them at all.

 

[rolyberkin]

I use a lot of the double pole rcbo boards from SBS trade sales, like them and they are easy to fit and test. Work out around £15 an rcbo delivered.

 

[Andy78]

I use a lot of the double pole rcbo boards from SBS trade sales, like them and they are easy to fit and test. Work out around £15 an rcbo delivered.

Only used him once but yeah, good gear. I am sure that Lewden and SBS use a same/similar factory to import from.
The breaker casing and lever design is the same and I found the RCD tripping times very similar.

 

[rolyberkin]

I think the SBS stuff is the same manufacturer as Live, Lewden distributors are based in Braintree near me, not sure if it is the same imported stuff or not, wouldn't surprise me if it all comes from the same factory in China though.

 

[Bellendian]

I'd wager the rings were put on b20's due to reference method 101, that basically means you'd need to do an rfc in 4mm if you used a 32a breaker. I'd also bet that they'll never trip on overload unless the boiler breaks and someone buys 10 fan heaters!
Personally I'd prefer to fit a Hager high integrity board rather than a cheapo rcbo board.

 

[rolyberkin]

You’re overthinking it, I’d wager the installer was working to a new build budget and was a bodger, however I do have the benefit of having seen the rest of it! Personally I would rather walk away than put my name to a half cocked installation.

 

[Dustydazzler]

New builds are a bit of a mine field. I have seen connector block joints slung under kitchen units , joint boxes buried in walls , cables thrown in with reckless abandon.
It’s a shame as a new build is a chance to shin and really do a nice job.
But price constraints and time constraints often mean brand new builds end up horrible lash ups.
Shame

 

[Deleted member 26818]

About 9 years ago, I fixed a Wylex High Integrity CU in a small lock up cafe.
Lights on MCB and 6 other circuits spread over 2 RCDs.
Last year one circuit tripped because a party wall became damp caused by a leak next door.
The cafe was unable to operate because 3 circuits were out of commission.
As a temporary measure, I re-arranged the CU, so the affected circuit was on it’s own RCD and and 5 circuits were on the other RCD.
The owner asked me to replace all the MCBs with RCBOs, @ £37 per RCBO.
I persuaded the owner to just replace the 5 MCBs rather than all, as replacing all would entail installing a new busbar and neutral bar.

 

[newbie1980]

Just been to a 5 bed £1/2m house and they have put a 10 way bg dual rcd board

 

[coolsparx]

How do we know their are no spare ways? I can't see all the board it could be a 20-way board?

The main switch on the Lewden boards is on the right & you can see the left hand side, so unless the spaces are on the right, it is already more than full. Isn’t there a regulation about space for future additions?

 

[brianmoooore]

Depends if your freezer is full or not

If the freezer or freezer circuit is the cause of the RCBO tripping, then it's unlikely to be noticed until too late. Stick it on a MCB on the same RCD leg as the telly or X box in a dual board, and it'll soon get noticed.

 

[KOALAGRABBER]

I’ve been using BG RCBO for the last couple of years but have got the next couple of jobs on Wylex. I’ve been getting the BG RCBO from tlc for under £16. The new compact RCBO BG breakers are not as reliable as the bigger units, had two fail on separate installations thus the move to Wylex. Getting the Wylex RCBO for about £25 each, and hoping the performance is better. I recommend RCBO installs to all my customers but will fit split boards if the budget won’t allow. The main benefit I find is when there is an earth/neutral fault taking out half the board. Most customers like the idea of only one circuit tripping out. Would never double up circuits on a new install, rule of thumb is to allow 20 % spare ways for future expansion. Space is cheap on an enclosure, it’s the wee switches that cost.

 

[coolsparx]

I’ve been using BG RCBO for the last couple of years but have got the next couple of jobs on Wylex. I’ve been getting the BG RCBO from tlc for under £16. The new compact RCBO BG breakers are not as reliable as the bigger units, had two fail on separate installations thus the move to Wylex. Getting the Wylex RCBO for about £25 each, and hoping the performance is better. I recommend RCBO installs to all my customers but will fit split boards if the budget won’t allow. The main benefit I find is when there is an earth/neutral fault taking out half the board. Most customers like the idea of only one circuit tripping out. Would never double up circuits on a new install, rule of thumb is to allow 20 % spare ways for future expansion. Space is cheap on an enclosure, it’s the wee switches that cost.

I am currently paying £11.95 +VAT from Walsall for Lewden RCBO's, only ever had 1 fail out of the 100's fitted. I find the trip times to be fairly consistent.

I get most of my quoted boards & haven't fitted a dual RCD board for years.