what its minimum height of a consumer unit..

[lumnjani]

Hi all. Customer asking me to fix 3 phase consumer unit on a new shop . Its brand new installation . He want to use every part of shops and he asking me to go as lover as possible. Anyone know what its minimum height of bottom of consumer unit i can go in comercial installation.

 

[littlespark]

"working height" or at a suitable height for working at.

So 2 feet above floor, not 2 inches.


(sorry, no help.... but ive not got my book at hand)

 

[Jukv96]

Brooo.... Seriously the board needs to be mounted at a safe working height which is suitable for operation and maintenance.

We don't need to be told everything to the exact mm, sometimes we can apply common sense!!!

Apply your judgement then communicate this to you client with your justification and don't let them bully you into a poor design.

 

[pc1966]

Probably stick with the part M building regulations which, AFIK, are between 450 mm and 1200 mm from finished floor level?

EDIT: Just to add, I would say at a push those are for parts that need to be operated or read, so the board bottom could be lower so long as the lowest/highest door catch/switch/MCB/meter fall in those ranges.

 

[nicebutdim]

...with consideration given to size of the DB in question. The bottom of a 20 way board would obviously be set lower than that of a 6 way board.


Somewhat ironically, I googled this very question about domestic DBs last week and found a link that stated switches in a domestic premises should be mounted 1350-1400 from finished floor level and promptly ignored it. Not sure how I might have arranged a two row board so that both rows fell within a 2" space.

 

[pc1966]

Somewhat ironically, I googled this very question about domestic DBs last week and found a link that stated switches in a domestic premises should be mounted 1350-1400 from finished floor level and promptly ignored it.

I think in the domestic case it is to make it harder for toddlers to access the CU while keeping it in range for wheelchair users.

Yes, that seems to be a very hard circle to square...

 

[lumnjani]

Brooo.... Seriously the board needs to be mounted at a safe working height which is suitable for operation and maintenance.

We don't need to be told everything to the exact mm, sometimes we can apply common sense!!!

Apply your judgement then communicate this to you client with your justification and don't let them bully you into a poor design.

i know have to be on working hight but he wants to make shelfs from top of consumer units to display their product .
anyway..if he not accept my decision im gona live

 

[loz2754]

Extract from Approved Document M, applicable to new or materially altered buildings other than dwellings - (about as clear as mud.....)

Provisions
4.30 Switches, outlets and controls will
satisfy Requirement M1 if:
a. wall-mounted socket outlets, telephone
points and TV sockets are located
between 400mm and 1000mm above
the floor, with a preference for the lower
end of the range;
b. switches for permanently wired
appliances are located between 400mm
and 1200mm above the floor, unless
needed at a higher level for particular
appliances;
c. all switches and controls that require
precise hand movements are located
between 750mm and 1200mm above
the floor;
d. simple push button controls that require
limited dexterity are not more than
1200mm above the floor;
e. pull cords for emergency alarm systems
are coloured red, located as close to
a wall as possible and have two red
50mm diameter bangles, one set at
100mm and the other set between
800mm and 1000mm above the floor;
f. controls that need close vision are
located between 1200mm and 1400mm
above the floor so that readings may be
taken by a person sitting or standing (with
thermostats at the top of the range);
g. socket outlets are located consistently
in relation to doorways and room
corners, but in any case no nearer
than 350mm from room corners;
h. light switches for use by the general
public have large push pads and align
horizontally with door handles within
the range 900 to 1100mm, for ease of
location when entering a room;
i. where switches described in 4.30(h)
cannot be provided, lighting pull cords
are set between 900mm and 1100mm
above floor level, and fitted with a
50mm diameter bangle visually
contrasting with its background and
distinguishable visually from any
emergency assistance pull cord;
j the operation of switches, outlets and
controls does not require the simultaneous
use of both hands, except where this
mode of operation is necessary for
safety reasons;
k. switched socket outlets indicate
whether they are ‘on’;
l. mains and circuit isolator switches
clearly indicate that they are on or off;
m. front plates contrast visually with their
backgrounds.

 

[Dustydazzler]

So long as you don't have to lay on your belly to wire it up then its all good , in the same way you don't really want to fit it so high you need steps to reset an rcbo.

 

[littlespark]

The main thing is continued access to the board after the shop fitting has been done.

Not just for maintenance, but for emergency.

Initial planning stage would determine best location for board… somewhere accessible.
Not behind some shelving.