went to see a chap thats having back of house extending wanted quote for electrics so far so good asked to look at fuse board and surprise its old wylex 6 way light ok but all socket rated at 20 amp and a 45a mcb for shower.
I explained that he needed a new cu but he was adament this wasnt option cos like I tried to explain could be fun when connecting rcds.
So I thought leave well alone and just henly 16mm tails and fit a 2 way rcd unit one for sockets and one for lights
awaiting response

Sounds like a plan to keep you "divorced" from the existing - you could also offer a front end 30mA to the wylex board as well as a upgrade of bonding (which you may well need anyway for your new DB) - and I'm not sure what problem you have with 20A radial power circuits ?

Regards

OMS

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Failure is always an option

RCCB in a modular enclosure next to the existing CU?

There's nothing wrong with BS 3036 fuses as such - they're recognised by BS 7671 - although cartridge types are preferred.

- Andy.

Nothing wrong with that, as long as the fuse cover is cut for the mcb, as the cover is designed to contain the effects of a rewireable fuse operating. Nothing wrong with 20A radials either.


or perhaps some 6A and 20A retrofit mcbs for the remaining five ways. These are readily available.


What about the danger of having more than one main switch for lights and sockets in a domestic property?


Regards,

Alan.

LoL - well we have two installations each with a main switch compliant with BS 7671, Alan

Regards

OMS

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Failure is always an option

If it's an old wylex it may have a wooden back


Stu

Or not, I opened one that had no back, just a wooden frame. It was chock full of the polystyrene balls pumped in for the wall insulation. (I've had the same problem with a ventilation grill in a bedroom, this bedroom had a gas boiler in the cupboard).

Regards

You must be wrong about that.
It's against some building regulation or the other to have polystyrene balls (or any other insulation, come to that!) pumped into cavities without checking that no cables are present.
I had a loft full of the stuff once - it was the plumber who found it investigating, why the water had stopped!! Apparently the firm doing it ran out of little balls and had to get another lorry load. No-one wondered were it might have gone!!

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Norman

Is that a double negative? You must be jesting! This was on the common wall, of an adjoining garage to a house in High Wycombe about 5 years ago, a Wylex wooden board with no back plate.

Regards

If you have access to the loft space and cavity pouring in a solution of PVA/water will stop leakage of the balls into areas where the cavity has been breached, failing that drill holes above the breach and squirt in the PVA solution.

regards

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"Take nothing but a picture,
leave nothing but footprints!"
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"Oh! The drama of it all."
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"You can throw all the philosophy you like at the problem, but at the end of the day it's just basic electrical theory!"
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you could suggest to him to replace the 3036's with MCBs and new carriers etc - without having to change the CCU - bit better for when the old fuses pop!

Tom

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Tom .... ( The TERMINATOR ).

handyTRADESMAN ... haha

Castle Builders

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