Lights on non rcd board

Talk Electrician Forum

Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

simon-0116

Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2016
Messages
18
Reaction score
0
Location
Yorkshire
Hi just looked at a job to fit spots into bedroom. Board is not rcd. Just main switch.  As I read regs as I'm extending cables ie 1 pendant to 5 spots my cables need to be rcd protected.  So extra cost in a rcbo.  Other electrican that's quote  says no rcd needed as existing wiring and new wiring dosnt go over bathroom.

Also board is mem memera 2000 so rcbo are not that cheap. 

 
As murdoch says. If you are NOT altering the switch drop then cables above a ceiling don't need rcd protection.  If you alter the switch drop then the cables burried less than 50mm deep in a wall kicks in.

I'm doimg the same in a kitchen rewire, also with a Memera 2000

A Wylex rcbo is a perfect fit in a memera, but the "mix and match police" will be along in a minute to say you can't do that because obviously a wylex rcbo would catch fire if placed adjacent to a memera mcb, but is quite happy to be sandwiched between two wylex mcb's forever without getting even a little warm. :innocent

 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you for reply.  No cables buried in wall just new  cables clipped to timbers. Just always been taught rcd from now on. But yes regs says less than 50mm or above bathroom.

Do wylex rcbo fit in said board. Mainly do 3ph and no mem 2 only fit mem 2.

 
I'd guess that tomorrow , about 1000 sparks will do a job just like yours ...they'll remove a pendant , fit 5 spots , get paid , move on and everyone will be happy . 

In 40 years time  "The Cables buried more than 50mm Deep in the Wall Police"   will turn up , launch an enquiry but never find you .   

Just do it .   Life is short.   Three years ago that installation was deemed to be A1 , safe  & good to go.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank god, finally people with common sense who live in the real world! There's another forum I visit occasionally and I get sick of people saying, " you mustn't mix breakers, you must never work live, you can't issue a cert on an install with a plastic board". I swear some people have never been on a big job, if you have to mix a breaker, then providing it fits properly without butchering anything then that's fine by me, I don't have a problem with it. Likewise working live, if I judge the situation safe then I'll do it, and as for plastic boards, well if it complied with the regs in force at the time of install and it still complies with those regs now then where's the problem!

Personally I can see it getting interesting in a couple of years when people who bought expensive new builds just before amdt 3 came out start having inspections and getting told by some of the idiots that the board doesn't comply and if they don't get it replaced they'll all be burned to death while they sleep.

Bring back some common sense into the industry, PLEASE! 

 
Somebody will come along and suggest rcd needs to be fitted so that the circuit complies to the regs..... But as eloquently written above you have to apply common sense!

Your minor works needs to state what you've done, then it's ok......

Tin hat on!

 
Talking of regs and new houses. Found on an EICR this week in a 10 year old house. A ceiling rose and hanging pendant  in the bathroom.  It has been a LOT longer than 10 years since you could do that.
 

 
I did a job the other week, an electrician had been in and fitted a brand new BG board only a couple of weeks previous, and then in the intervening days some other clown had been to fit a vehicle charging point and shoved a Chint MCB on the end of the row. The job was 5 mins from 3 suppliers that all carried BG MCB's. Sometimes I mix and match but if making a very small effort means they match then I'll do that. I did a job the other day, which TBF I had done originally and then added bits to over the years so there was a Square D Main switch, a Hager HRC and a Crabtree MCB in a 4 mod enclosure, swapped it all for Hager just because.  Obviously no courgettes given by some people though as long it'll just jam in somewhere.

 
Top