RCBO fly leads

[somersetsparks]

Heres a debate for you, seeing as this place is as dead as a doornail today.
I have been testing a street of domestic properties recently, wired in 2008 with all rcbo's. In some properties the electrician has put all the white fly-leads into one terminal in the earth bar, In the others they have put each one in with the respective circuits cpc.

Which way do you do it?

I'll start the ball rolling by saying I would put them all into the same terminal (for domestic anyways) for the following reasons
a) When you come to doing an EICR, you only have to undo one connection to test the circuits using method 2 rather then disturb every single earth connection.
b) its a lot bl***y easier to install.

When it comes to commercial where there may be only 1 or 2 rcbo's in a TPN board then I would put them with their respective cpc.

Opinions?

 

[markc123]

Each to there own bar - that's why they're numbered

 

[Stroppy]

As a side question: do you sleeve the white flylead in green/yellow? Most I've seen (admittedly not thousands) are sleeved, but according to the 'official' colours, cream is the colour of 'functional earth' not G/Y.

 

[somersetsparks]

As a side question: do you sleeve the white flylead in green/yellow? Most I've seen (admittedly not thousands) are sleeved, but according to the 'official' colours, cream is the colour of 'functional earth' not G/Y.

Don't sleeve them, They would be green/yellow if they were meant to be, as you rightly say, cream is the colour for a functional earth.

 

[Guest55]

both in same terminal.
if your CU has the facility to provide 2 earth terminals for each circuit , then i would reserve the use of the second terminal for high integrity earthed circuits that require a seperate connection for both protective conductors.

 

[somersetsparks]

both in same terminal.
if your CU has the facility to provide 2 earth terminals for each circuit , then i would reserve the use of the second terminal for high integrity earthed circuits that require a seperate connection for each protective conductor.

I used to always do it that way biff but after testing a lot of houses, it makes it a right B***ard to megger, you have to disturb the cpc of every circuit to remove the flylead. From now on I am putting all the cream coloured leads into a group and into one terminal of the earth bar as it makes doing insulation resistance an easy job.

Either way its completely inconsequential, i'm just debating for the sake of it really

 

[Guest55]

i've also bunged all the rcbo leads together into 1 terminal at the end of the earth bar.
depends on layout / configuration of db i suppose.

 

[somersetsparks]

I like the term 'bungled', makes me sound like a right bodging *** lol. I just think it makes sense when thinking of future EICR's on properites although it may sound a bit rough

 

[markc123]

I like the term 'bungled', makes me sound like a right bodging *** lol. I just think it makes sense when thinking of future EICR's on properites although it may sound a bit rough

Doesn't really matter does it - can and is done either way.

Just over time and with several other electricians in things get tangled ... if everything seperate, should you ever have to replace the RCBO then it is usually easier to figure out which fly-lead is which when they're seperate.

That's the only reason i try put them in there corresponding earth terminals.

 

[NDG Elecs]

I always strip approx 100mm of the insulation off the fly lead and then obviously twist it together nice and tight with the cpc......as it should be done!!!!!

Seriously though I usually put fly lead with the respective cpc

 

[Darkwood]

I Just cut them off cos they are so fiddly ...... PS. just a joke for any gullible

 

[Guest55]

I always strip approx 100mm of the insulation off the fly lead and then obviously twist it together nice and tight with the cpc......as it should be done!!!!!

Seriously though I usually put fly lead with the respective cpc

twisting tri-rate with solid cores or stranded ?

cough* bodge *cough
;-)

 

[Brightspark2]

I put them in with the circuit CPC....

But thats because most of the DBs I work on will just have a few in rather that a full DB as in a domestic...

Does make sense to put them all in bar, never seen it done...

 

[Tuttle]

I generally put them all into one terminal

 

[dmcturk]

I recently had to install some BG RCBOs from screwfix (BG 32A Single Pole B Type RCBO | NoLinkingToThis), and these don't come with a functional earth!

 

[somersetsparks]

I recently had to install some BG RCBOs from screwfix (BG 32A Single Pole B Type RCBO | NoLinkingToThis), and these don't come with a functional earth!

I have never quite understood the need for them anyways, as all rcbo's will test fine with them disconnected? Looks like another string to the BG bow!

 

[Guest55]

mem eaton also do not use earth flyleads.
much neater job without.
thumbs up

 

[High Tower]

Does anyone cut excessively long fly leads down?

 

[Guest55]

yep.
it looks an utter dogs dinner when you dont lol.
;-)

 

[NDG Elecs]

Does anyone cut excessively long fly leads down?

Always do, as Biff says - looks even naffer than naff if you dont..