M
mattcos1972
OK chaps I have a great one for all you thinkers out there..........
My friends company are renovating a house. Wiring in the house is all catered for so this question is just about the pool area power.
To be honest its a bloody mess (in my humble, yet not terribly experienced point of view) but here's what they have to the pool.
Pool power all comes from a second CCU in the house, which is itself fed by 25mm tails from a Henley Block (splitting a single phase TN-S supply between main house and aforementioned CCU). I have only had a brief look so not checked the means of earthing, but I am guessing no electrode has been used, although I would probably argue that none was necessary as 1 the supply is TN-S and 2 the pool is about 3" from the house (although it does have a separate roof there is some interconnection between the two buildings.)
Anyway (this is all existing btw).... we have going to the pool running direct in the ground around the house
1x 6mm SWA feeding a 6Kw Sauna heater
1x 6mm SWA feeding a 9Kw instantaneous water heater in the toilet (I am not sure of the breaker feeding that one, but I would be inclined to suggest a 45A cartridge fuse be used as the heater gobbles up 39A)
1x 6mm SWA feeding an electric shower (not sure of its wattage)
Ok so...assuming all is well at the house end (ie not too much being demanded from the main fuse (which is I believe a standard 100A BS 88 affair) I would say that so far all is, a little unorthodox perhaps, but generally OK, and more to the point, compliant.
Here's where it gets a little more interesting.....
There is also a 6mm SWA entering the pool and then being downsized at a connection block to 2.5mm T&E which feeds a row of (I believe) 4 sockets (may be doubles, will have to double check) and also spur off (unfused) to feed about 12 SELV downlighters.
My mate has asked if the radial can be converted into a ring from the connection unit where the 6mm SWA has been terminated and I have explained that it can only be a converted to a ring if it returns to the original consumer unit!!
They now want to use this 6mm SWA to feed another spur supplying 2 further sockets into which will be plugged a mascerator (excuse the spelling) in the toilet and a plug-in spa bath/ hot tub thing! Not sure of the power consumption for those but will have to find out (although they both come supplied with 13A fused plugs)
Obviously it's all a bloomin' nightmare but.....leaving the 3 original 6mm SWAs to do their prospective jobs I was thinking of terminating this rogue SWA into a little CCU. I think I am right in saying that a 6mm SWA reference method D (p280 in the BRB) would provide me with 46A, or thereabouts, so that should be more than adequate for the demand)
From the new CCU to change the existing set up to the following: Put all sockets (existing and proposed) on one ring final, run in 2.5mm on a 32A breaker and rewire SELV lights n their own circuit into a 6A breaker.
If the rewire of the lights is impractical as most of the building / decorating work is now complete, could I then find where they are looped off the sockets (which will by this stage be arranged in a ring) and simply put them on a fused spur off that ring?
I know there are a million other factors to consider, not least whether the place needs another supply coming in as there are 3 fully loaded consumer units in all (a further one servicing the garden and pond pump/ lighting etc) The place is gas heated but there is an electric NEFF oven that you could roast a whole bull in (standing up) and a massive halogen hob which I would imagine can draw a bit of juice in its own right!!
If I was to go near this place with a barge pole and ascertained that the power draw was not going to blow the main fuse every 10 seconds (which to be fair, has never blown to date) would my suggestions for the pool power be an acceptable solution? (just on that last 6mm SWA feed as the others are all catered for and not being touched)?
Many thanks in advance for any input.
Matt
My friends company are renovating a house. Wiring in the house is all catered for so this question is just about the pool area power.
To be honest its a bloody mess (in my humble, yet not terribly experienced point of view) but here's what they have to the pool.
Pool power all comes from a second CCU in the house, which is itself fed by 25mm tails from a Henley Block (splitting a single phase TN-S supply between main house and aforementioned CCU). I have only had a brief look so not checked the means of earthing, but I am guessing no electrode has been used, although I would probably argue that none was necessary as 1 the supply is TN-S and 2 the pool is about 3" from the house (although it does have a separate roof there is some interconnection between the two buildings.)
Anyway (this is all existing btw).... we have going to the pool running direct in the ground around the house
1x 6mm SWA feeding a 6Kw Sauna heater
1x 6mm SWA feeding a 9Kw instantaneous water heater in the toilet (I am not sure of the breaker feeding that one, but I would be inclined to suggest a 45A cartridge fuse be used as the heater gobbles up 39A)
1x 6mm SWA feeding an electric shower (not sure of its wattage)
Ok so...assuming all is well at the house end (ie not too much being demanded from the main fuse (which is I believe a standard 100A BS 88 affair) I would say that so far all is, a little unorthodox perhaps, but generally OK, and more to the point, compliant.
Here's where it gets a little more interesting.....
There is also a 6mm SWA entering the pool and then being downsized at a connection block to 2.5mm T&E which feeds a row of (I believe) 4 sockets (may be doubles, will have to double check) and also spur off (unfused) to feed about 12 SELV downlighters.
My mate has asked if the radial can be converted into a ring from the connection unit where the 6mm SWA has been terminated and I have explained that it can only be a converted to a ring if it returns to the original consumer unit!!
They now want to use this 6mm SWA to feed another spur supplying 2 further sockets into which will be plugged a mascerator (excuse the spelling) in the toilet and a plug-in spa bath/ hot tub thing! Not sure of the power consumption for those but will have to find out (although they both come supplied with 13A fused plugs)
Obviously it's all a bloomin' nightmare but.....leaving the 3 original 6mm SWAs to do their prospective jobs I was thinking of terminating this rogue SWA into a little CCU. I think I am right in saying that a 6mm SWA reference method D (p280 in the BRB) would provide me with 46A, or thereabouts, so that should be more than adequate for the demand)
From the new CCU to change the existing set up to the following: Put all sockets (existing and proposed) on one ring final, run in 2.5mm on a 32A breaker and rewire SELV lights n their own circuit into a 6A breaker.
If the rewire of the lights is impractical as most of the building / decorating work is now complete, could I then find where they are looped off the sockets (which will by this stage be arranged in a ring) and simply put them on a fused spur off that ring?
I know there are a million other factors to consider, not least whether the place needs another supply coming in as there are 3 fully loaded consumer units in all (a further one servicing the garden and pond pump/ lighting etc) The place is gas heated but there is an electric NEFF oven that you could roast a whole bull in (standing up
) and a massive halogen hob which I would imagine can draw a bit of juice in its own right!! If I was to go near this place with a barge pole and ascertained that the power draw was not going to blow the main fuse every 10 seconds (which to be fair, has never blown to date) would my suggestions for the pool power be an acceptable solution? (just on that last 6mm SWA feed as the others are all catered for and not being touched)?
Many thanks in advance for any input.
Matt
