UK Please help

[KadirUK]

Hi,

I would genuinely appreciate some guidance. I am currently completing training for my City & Guilds 2391-52 practical, and as there is some time before I take the test, so I wanted to get some on hands training done at home, in safe manner. I've decided to make my own single phase training board, like the one I've used at the training centre. I am now stuck as I've hit a knowledge barrier and can't find the appropriate solution. Please see images and questions below.

This is my training board

This is how I plan on powering the training board, with a 13a fused cable

My problems start here, I plan on using a 2.5mm cable to connect to this, is this ok?

Assuming a 2.5mm cable is ok for the front side, at the rear I have another problem, as I have 16mm supply cables feeding the consumer unit. I need to step these down in size to fit the 2.5mm cables from the front. What is the correct procedure for doing this and what do I need to buy to fit and proceed?

I will also run a 2.5mm earth cable from the socket on the front side to the consumer earth bar and also run another 10mm earthing cable from the consumer unit earth bar to the main protective bonding on the training board. Is this ok?

I know there are a lot of questions here and please understand that I am in training and it's hard to get tutors to help you when you're not in the training centre. I would really appreciate guidance with this. I hope I'm on the right path with what I'm doing, and if not I am happy to learn.

Thanks

 

[telectrix]

ditch the 16mm tails and use some 6.0mm. you'll then be able to terminate in the 16A plug. bear in mind it's a test/training rig and therefore does not need to use real world cables. as long as you know that on a real job, you'd use whatever cables were required to comply.

 

[7029 dave]

Nice rig well done, is the socket RCD protected which you will be plunging into.

 

[Lister1987]

Nice looking rig, beats mine for neatness ? I just ran mine from 2.5mn artic flex into the bottom of a Henley Series 7 cutout, works fine as you like, even if it's like throwing a hotdog down a bowling alley. Had 25mm tails coming off it to the DB bit effectively everything from the top of the cutout was as it would be in the field, complete with seal fairy visit ?

 

[KadirUK]

ditch the 16mm tails and use some 6.0mm. you'll then be able to terminate in the 16A plug. bear in mind it's a test/training rig and therefore does not need to use real world cables. as long as you know that on a real job, you'd use whatever cables were required to comply.

Thanks Teletrix! I did as you suggested and got the training unit live, thank you again for your guidance. I decided to connect a one way lighting circuit as per the images below. I've blown 2 bulbs and can't understand why? I've doubled triple checked the wiring and also done a polarity test on the incoming for the DB (thought that would be a good first step) but all looks ok from that end. When I power up the board, I have all fuses on and I'm not sure if this is causing a problem, or if I've somehow wired the training board incorrectly?

 

[KadirUK]

Nice rig well done, is the socket RCD protected which you will be plunging into.

Hi, no the socket that I'm plugging into isn't RCD protected. Old house and old consumer unit. Unfortunately the house isn't mine so it's not my choice. Once I'm competent, then I'll go about sorting this out myself

 

[KadirUK]

Nice looking rig, beats mine for neatness ? I just ran mine from 2.5mn artic flex into the bottom of a Henley Series 7 cutout, works fine as you like, even if it's like throwing a hotdog down a bowling alley. Had 25mm tails coming off it to the DB bit effectively everything from the top of the cutout was as it would be in the field, complete with seal fairy visit ?

Thanks Lister! Haha, hotdog down a bowling alley!

 

[7029 dave]

Hi, no the socket that I'm plugging into isn't RCD protected. Old house and old consumer unit. Unfortunately the house isn't mine so it's not my choice. Once I'm competent, then I'll go about sorting this out myself

By a plug in rcd , you will no doubt be doing live testing so I advise using one.
Just some constructive criticism, you have copper showing on the light switch terminal, would also be better to double over your ends on single core terminations.

 

[KadirUK]

By a plug in rcd , you will no doubt be doing live testing so I advise using one.
Just some constructive criticism, you have copper showing on the light switch terminal, would also be better to double over your ends on single core terminations.

Thanks for suggesting Dave, I will buy one tomorrow

 

[telectrix]

in the CU you have your N for the lights in the wrong N bar. should be the N bar to the right that corresponds to the right hand RCD, should be in the no'10 slot to correspond with the no,10 MCB/
. likewise the cpc should be in no.10 earth slot.

 

[Leeroy]

Hi

Looks to me like the neutral for your lighting circuit is in the wrong side ?

 

[KadirUK]

in the CU you have your N for the lights in the wrong N bar. should be the N bar to the right that corresponds to the right hand RCD, should be in the no'10 slot to correspond with the no,10 MCB/
. likewise the cpc should be in no.10 earth slot.

“And then there was light “ thanks mate!!!

 

[KadirUK]

Hi

Looks to me like the neutral for your lighting circuit is in the wrong side ?

Thank you

 

[Doomed]

For the feed into a metal consumer unit it is good practice to have the earth / CPC using the same hole as its corresponding tails, yours appears not to be.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Can you post a photo of the new wiring layout of the consumer unit. In your original pic, you have two neutral cables in the top of the left hand RCD.
You should never have two, the place to join the neutrals is in the appropriate neutral bus bar.
MK usually provide a layout fish ram for you to follow.

 

[nicebutdim]

Can you post a photo of the new wiring layout of the consumer unit. In your original pic, you have two neutral cables in the top of the left hand RCD.
You should never have two, the place to join the neutrals is in the appropriate neutral bus bar.
MK usually provide a layout fish ram for you to follow.

I'd wondered about those neutral cables, but wasn't sure what was right or wrong. A Google image search showed several MK Sentry dual RCD boards set up exactly the same, so I'm guessing the neutrals are probably welded(?) together.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Ah, could be. I haven’t touched an MK board for 10 years.

 

[pc1966]

If you add a "fake earth" terminal to the supply neutral of your test rig, rather like a PME earth coming off the DNO cut-out neutral, then you can use that only for your MFT's earth when doing RCD testing. That way you can trip the RCDs in your example CU without tripping the RCD plug supplying the system.

 

[telectrix]

Ah, could be. I haven’t touched an MK board for 10 years.

same with the 2 L's. that's how they are made. 2 cables in each ferrule. BG are similar i think.

 

[KadirUK]

“And then there was light “ thanks mate!!!
View attachment 65251

Thank you