How Things Are Funny

[Badger]

2 days ago the city substation went up flames now the new ruiling comin in about consumer units nweding to be metal as they are fire proof is rubbush because the substation was brick wirh metal housedcequioment but the fire made the metal hot it fidnt contain any fire or damage as the fire was so severe its recked the sub completely does that mean metal consumer units wol in two years time due to the fire regs will fall foul

 

[Andy™]

just put the CU outside in a little brick building at the end of the garden. sorted

 

[Essex1]

This 'metal consumer unit' myth is getting very boring.

1. No where does it state that metal is the only material that can be used.

2. Surely to make a distribution board of material that is non-combustible is a sensible thing. With the amount of connections and weak points inside I am surprised the standard for manufacturing never reflected this anyway.

Stop falling for this silly scaremongering from the manufacturers that you must go out and purchase their over priced METAL boards and take some time to see what boards that are plastic are still classed as NC. There is equally metals that are not classed as non-combustible that would not meet this regulation. As there is some wood that is also non-combustable that would meet this regulation

 

[Andy™]

non combustible: 'made of material that does not burn if exposed to fire; incombustible'

most, if not all, plastic boards will burn if exposed to fire. therefore do not comply

 

[Essex1]

non combustible: 'made of material that does not burn if exposed to fire; incombustible'

most, if not all, plastic boards will burn if exposed to fire. therefore do not comply

Instead of looking in the dictionary look at BS 476-4:1970 which defines the test in what makes a material NC when referring to building materials. This is what is important.

 

[ProDave]

All the manufacturers are replacing their plastic CU's with metal ones because THEY don't think their plastic ones comply with the new regulations.  Show me one manufacturer of plastic CU's that claims their CU complies with ammendment 3 please?

And also show me someone selling a new WOODEN CU?

We all know the wooden ones rarely caught fire (probably more to do with using 2 screws for every connection than anything else) and we all know a metal CU will not contain a fire.  But unfortunately that is no defence if you fit a plastic one after 1st Jan and the house burns down 6 months later.

 

[Badger]

The problem lies with the cage terminals being crap unlike the good old screw terminals on the maim switch

 

[Dairyspark]

Wooden consumer units?? Wow haha

 

[Lurch]

non combustible: 'made of material that does not burn if exposed to fire; incombustible'

most, if not all, plastic boards will burn if exposed to fire. therefore do not comply

Metal is not the only non-combustible material.

 

[Blue Duck]

could you line a box with FP plasterboard and plonk it over ol Melty Mc Plastic?

 

[Lurch]

could you line a box with FP plasterboard and plonk it over ol Melty Mc Plastic?

Is this rhetorical, or a joke question, or have you over-indulged in the Chardonnay with your roast?

 

[Andy™]

could you line a box with FP plasterboard and plonk it over ol Melty Mc Plastic?

the way some plasterers work, there will be a fair few plastic CU that are fully enclosed in plaster somewhere

 

[ProDave]

Wooden consumer units?? Wow haha

Have you never seen one then?

 

[apprentice87]

Wait till i ring up the fire brigade and show them my new invention!!!! precast concrete consumer units!!!!! Ha, they will soon have a law passed and i will sell millions of them!!!!! Will not be made in  china either but good old wales using proper locally mixed concrete with seaweed essence and thoroughly mixed in a coracle.

Oh how i will laugh when you lot have to lift them up to fit them!!

john..

 

[Andy™]

concrete is no good, bits explode from it when subject to heat!

 

[kerching]

concrete is no good, bits explode from it when subject to heat!

Trumpton never mentioned explosions, or bits of shrapnel flying out and taking your face off!......only that it is non combustable

 

[Andy™]

oh well. carry on. on the plus side, concrete isnt a very good conductor, so ideal for TT systems...

 

[Dairyspark]

Have you never seen one then?

Never lol only 24 and don't do a lot of domestic lol was the whole thing wooden or only part of it?

 

[Blue Duck]

Wooden consumer units?? Wow haha

Look no Fire!! :lol:

One of the not so bad ones. No fuse for the neutral see.

there is also the woody wylex that is still common to find with a bakerlite cover.

See here for woody and other old and scary things. Some even come with a mixed wiring notice from the 17th edition!

http://www.flameport.com/electric_museum/old_equipment/wylex_standard_brown_wooden.cs4

 

[Dairyspark]

They look pretty decent lol much better quality than ones made these days