Installing RCD protection on old rewireable c/u

[marky1]

Hi

Got a customer having kitchen refurb, therefore minor work extending cooker, lights & socket circuit, But no rcd protection. Customer thinks there board is up to date & is not happy at extra work. I have given him the option of new board or having inline RCD protection for the circuits i am working on.

Easy enough for cooker & lights but how do you install inline rcd on socket circuit? Do you take say 6mm feed from fuse to rcd then ring main as normal??

Help appreciated

Cheers

 

[alpha spark]

Yes I would

 

[marky1]

Thanks alpha spark

 

[ProDave]

This is a problem we all face.

By the time you have brought 3 circuits out from the rewireable fuse box to stand alone RCD's you will have one messy installation and the cost of the parts will probably equal the cost of a new CU.

It's at that point I really try very very hard to convince the customer that a new CU really is a much much neater, more future proof, and only slightly more expensive option.

But some won't listen and you end up with frankly a hideous, thought safe, installation and the customer is pleased because they saved

 

[betty swollocks]

Dave I've just had this scenario

Customer has six way wylex but over the last two years she has had

1). a new bathroom installed, with a new one way rcd db controlling the existing but now modified upstairs lighting

2). a new electric shower installed in en-suite, via new one way rcd db

3). A summer room built with socket radial and lighting circuit controlled by a new two way rcd db

4). And last week I installed a new two way rcd db to protect existing downstairs ring main for kitchen refit+ 1 spare way

So now she has a 6 way wylex only controlling the downstairs lighting and upstairs sockets( I.heater disconnected after new combi install, old cooker disconnected long time ago) and four additional shiny db's!

Two lots of henly 100A double pole connector blocks and a spiders legs of tails an absolute mess luckily under the stairs

The woman herself admitted paying over

 

[marky1]

Thanks Dave

Betty Swollocks - no doubt i can see the same happening

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

When just amending one circuit I can see it more economic to just stick the single RCD external to the CU...

But if you are altering two or three circuits.. at the same time..

with two or three extra RCD's.... {say approx

 

[Steve3948]

BG do one fully loaded Duel RCD 10 Way(5X5),

 

[Evans Electric]

A Control Gear 5 X 5 Dual RCD, fully loaded , Denmans @

 

[kme]

An MK 5 X 5 - loaded up -

 

[streetlighter]

The 10 way BG unit is

 

[Steve3948]

The 10 way BG unit is

 

[streetlighter]

Wonder if I'd get any trade point discount on that price. Very much doubt it never give any discount on electrical only plumbing and building materials.

 

[steptoe]

Wholesalers ripping off contractors again then, however they will say B&Q buy in 1000's for an excuse.

when I was on the isle of man buying anything was always the excuse of, 'we live on an island' , they usually shut up when I said Ireland is an island too and I can get it xx

 

[marky1]

Yea explained the diff to him in terms of work, materials & cost. Bottom line is that he thought his board was totally upto date & therefore needed no more doing to it! but as we all no 3 rcd's plus couple of hours labour fitting is cheaper than new board plus full days work potentially. However most people i no round my area charge 350 - 400 approx for that type of board change. so the rcd opton is cheaper although board change more practicle & safer for whole house.

 

[PC Electrics]

The trouble is that routing that many cables in and out of an old Wylex is likely to be very difficult. These boards are often full to the brim of cables already that look like an explosion in a spaghetti factory. Adding one off board RCD can be fiddly, three is just asking for trouble.

How much are they spending on their kitchen? 5 or 6 grand? And they're baulking at a premium of about

 

[tom1]

why not split tails and install a 5 way rcd board?

 

[streetlighter]

5-way board with RCBO on each circuit would also be good.

 

[SteveT]

Yea explained the diff to him in terms of work, materials & cost. Bottom line is that he thought his board was totally upto date & therefore needed no more doing to it! but as we all no 3 rcd's plus couple of hours labour fitting is cheaper than new board plus full days work potentially. However most people i no round my area charge 350 - 400 approx for that type of board change. so the rcd opton is cheaper although board change more practicle & safer for whole house.

Why not fit a single global RCD/mainswitch in the cu tails for so few ccts

 

[springcrocus]

Why not fit a single global RCD/mainswitch in the cu tails for so few ccts

Because you're not complying with [the spirit of] reg 314.1.1 (BRB - the green ones in the van)?