UK Proteus FC005 circuit breaker switch hunt.

[Singed]

I need to replace an old FC005 5amp fuse holding switch with snapped switch due to old plastic.
Having trouble finding one and hope someone out there has a box of them somewhere I may be able to buy.
If you could advise on what could replace it if not that would be great.

 

[westward10]

Found this used one online.

PROTEUS 5 AMP TRIPLE POLE FUSE CARRIER FC005 240V BS 1361 | Circuit Breaker Specialists

PROTEUS 5 AMP TRIPLE POLE FUSE CARRIER FC005 240V BS 1361

circuitbreakerspecialists.co.uk

 

[Singed]

Can I replace single with triple and just use one of the switches?
I do have room on the rail for it physically

 

[westward10]

Is yours just single pole.

 

[pc1966]

Single pole fuse holder here. Uses 8.5 x 31mm fuse, not BS1361 but you can get 4A or 6A fuses to match:

25A Single Pole Fuse Disconnector Black

For AM and GG fuses

www.cef.co.uk

If you really want the same size:

Buy Fuseholders Online | Fuse Carriers | CEF

 

[telectrix]

Can I replace single with triple and just use one of the switches?
I do have room on the rail for it physically

no reason why not, but might be an idea to see if a singlepole proteus MCB will fit.

 

[pc1966]

What is the whole assembly doing? Can you post a picture?

If the fuse holder has snapped due to age/plastic fatigue it might be worth looking at the bigger picture and seeing if it could or should be replaced with something newer. As Telectrix says, a MCB would offer a trouble-free way to reset after a fault if there is no special reason why a fuse was originally used.

 

[Singed]

this is definitely old but can’t afford the replacement at present. I have bought the triple pole that was suggested and intend to swap the two current light switches for two of the replacement switches. Thanks for all advise and help people it’s been an education. Sadly I’ll be back.

 

[pc1966]

Be aware the 3-pole will be physically linked so all 3 disconnect together!

If it will take 6A MCB such as these Proteus ones:

6A Single Pole 6kA B Curve MCB

Thermo-magnetic, current limiting type

www.cef.co.uk

That would be much better as resetting after a light goes "pop" is faster and safer than trying to change fuse. If practical I would change both lighting circuits to MCBs for that reason (and the other fuse holder can't be far behind in lifetime).

Normally folk here would advise DIYers against doing anything to the CU but you may find it hard to get anyone just now. Be very careful as there may be exposed live around in incoming switch even in the off position. Some useful background points can be found in this best practice guide:

https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/media/1258/consumer-unit-connections.pdf

But don't please attempt a new CU by yourself as not only can it be horribly dangerous, it is also notifiable work in England & Wales.

 

[westward10]

As above an mcb will fit straight in.

 

[Singed]

now I’ve looked at mcb’s I want to swap them all out, is that a good idea or just fix what’s broken and move along.

 

[telectrix]

if you are competent to do it, go for it. make sure main switch and RCD are both OFF. a quick test for the main switch could be to first test the RCD withthe test button, then reset. with the main switch off, try thee RCD again. if main switch is off, the RCD won'ttrip.

one thing to bear in mind is to ensure that the busbar prongs are correctly located in the MCB cage terminals, and not behind the clamp.

 

[pc1966]

Certainly you need to fix what is broken as no lights and/or an exposed live fuse are both real and immediate dangers.

Can you post a photograph of the inside? (Carefully, as things might be live) That way we might be able to see if there is any obvious trouble brewing with your plan.

In principle it is straightforward to swap all of them out, the main thing is to make sure you work systematically don't mix up circuits when replacing them.

This is particularly important for the ring circuits (your 13A sockets) because if you cross-connect them it will "work" in the sense all sockets have power, but then you have a single double-length ring fed from two 32A breakers in parallel and that is dangerous as the fault current can exceed the cable rating by a large margin.
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Also worth knowing before you start is most DIN rail mounting accessories have the ability for the rail clip to be opened to make it practical to fit it on the rail from above (i.e. not sliding it on from the end). Here are some photos of a DIN rail fuse holder where you have to use a screwdriver to pull back the plastic moulded clip, and a MCB where you can easily slide the clip open or closed and it stays in place without any tricks.

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It probably is not the case in your unit, but some CU have a DIN rail with only half of the "lip" for holding the MCB, etc, and the other half is fixed by the connection in to a rigid bus-bar. In those cases unscrewing the bus-bar connection allows the device to be removed.

 

[Singed]

I can isolate this whole board at an old master switch in the garage.
you don’t want to see that lot.

 

[telectrix]

veryconcerned her. that looks like all those MCBs are direct from the main switch, and the RCD is feeding circuit/s without overload protection. in plain terms, it looks dangerous.

 

[pc1966]

veryconcerned her. that looks like all those MCBs are direct from the main switch, and the RCD is feeding circuit/s without overload protection. in plain terms, it looks dangerous.

I think it is a 16A RCBO for one circuit.
The lack of RCD on the board for the rest is not good, but probably the norm when it was installed.
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Overall it looks professionally installed and I don't see any major issue with replacing the broken fuse holder, etc.

The main thing to be careful of is the point that Telectrix mentioned to make sure the bus-bar pints are fitting properly in to the cable-cage of the MCB so when tightened up they are properly gripped. Without seeing a new Proteus MCB along side one of the fuse holders it is not possible to be sure they are interchangeable, but given the low cost of the MCB worth getting one or two to test it out.

The screws need to be tight, but not too tight! It is very hard to describe what that means but medium single-hand force on a screwdriver is about right. Then one you are done, wiggle everything a little to make sure nothing pulls out, and check the screws once more.

 

[westward10]

Difficult to see the schematic on my phone but I would say that is an rcd not an rcbo.

 

[pc1966]

Hard to say, it is labelled "16L/1p+N/0,03" but no indication of B/C/D trip so I am not sure if the '16' is the limit for a small RCD or the thermal trip for a RCBO.
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@Singed Could you post a close-up photograph of the RCD device on the left please?

 

[westward10]

I am certain that is an rcd. From the writing on the front L-16A nr22 I suspect that is third party produced Moeller maybe as I cannot find anything similar by Proteus in a search.

 

[pc1966]

I am certain that is an rcd. From the writing on the front L-16A nr22 I suspect that is third party produced Moeller maybe as I cannot find anything similar by Proteus in a search.

I see CEF/Proteus do sell a 16A rated RCD so they are available.
Very worrying as then we have some 2.5mm direct from a 60A+ supply! BAD!
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@Singed Could you post a close-up photograph of the RCD device on the left please?

Can you also tell us what it is used for?