Installing a plastic CU for a vehicle charger

[partplonker]

I'm looking at installing a plastic distribution board to feed a 3 phase vehicle charger. I've never been clear on whether flats being present in a building automatically make the rest of that building count as domestic or not. My understanding of 421.1.201 is that it does.

The install location is a very damp cellar and I don't think a metal unit is going to last long down there - I've already ripped out metal junction boxes and galv conduit from there that have heavily corroded. The cellar's construction is a vaulted brick ceiling and brick walls with a stone floor. The floor above is also stone. There are no combustible materials present. There is also fire detection present where the unit would be installed.

I'm thinking of doing a risk assessment and installing an IP65 plastic enclosure. Can anyone see a problem with this?

 

[James]

Have you considered a stainless steel distribution board?
they are made for marine environments normally but would be suitable for any corrosive environment.

 

[Spoon]

This is an interesting one.
I'd go with @James suggestion above.
Or a metal CU inside a plastic PI65 enclosure.

I'm thinking of doing a risk assessment and installing an IP65 plastic enclosure. Can anyone see a problem with this?

If you are going down this route I'd bung in one of these, so it's safer then normal.

 

[partplonker]

Thanks, very good suggestions. I'd forgotten about the enviroburst things.

 

[Deleted account]

This is an interesting one.
I'd go with @James suggestion above.
Or a metal CU inside a plastic PI65 enclosure.



If you are going down this route I'd bung in one of these, so it's safer then normal.

Never heard of them. Brilliant.
I think I’d have them as standard in boards.

 

[brianmoooore]

Same here, never heard of them. If they really work, we should start a movement to reinstate the plastic CU, fitted as standard with these things.

 

[timhoward]

I've never been clear on whether flats being present in a building automatically make the rest of that building count as domestic or not. My understanding of 421.1.201 is that it does.

I don't have the regs with me but I'm not quite as sure. I've hit a similar kind of issue with a caretakers flat in a school, about 1% of the site.

Same here, never heard of them. If they really work, we should start a movement to reinstate the plastic CU, fitted as standard with these things.

There's a nice test of them here. "So I put some firelighters in the bottom of it...!". My kind of guy, no messing around!
Skip to 6 minutes in.