I am getting a bit cautious of new regs where Grenfell is used as a reason for there introduction, there are so many theories as to what happened at Grenfell and I have heard so many different stories of what supposedly was the cause of the fire I'm now beginning to wonder if the true cause will ever be resolved and positively identified . If the fire was caused by a fridge / freezer why has there been no recall or checks instigated on the model of fridge / freezer involved over 3 years on, surely if the seat of the fire is an appliance then this potentially presents a bigger risk to more lives and households than how the cladding on a building allowed the fire to spread. Maybe we need an inquiry into why these inquiries take so long and cost so much to produce any meaningful results
When you look at the information available there are too many if's with AFDD's with regard to what they can detect and when they will operate, currently we can check an RCD / RCBO is operating correctly and within tolerance with the appropriate test equipment, other than pressing a button on the front of an AFDD we have no other means of verifying it's correct operation and that it is still within tolerance. Then there is the question how do you identify a faulty AFDD or a fault on the circuit, I don't know if AFDD's susceptible to mains borne noise or harmonics which would then cause nuisance trips
Mandating the use of AFDD's will no doubt in the short term have an effect on the general safety of older installations as the cost to update an old CU will become considerably more expensive and beyond some householders budgets, it remains to be seen if AFDD's will become a lot cheaper as more are used and production is ramped up to meet the increased demand and the cost of CU's become more affordable again
When you look at the information available there are too many if's with AFDD's with regard to what they can detect and when they will operate, currently we can check an RCD / RCBO is operating correctly and within tolerance with the appropriate test equipment, other than pressing a button on the front of an AFDD we have no other means of verifying it's correct operation and that it is still within tolerance. Then there is the question how do you identify a faulty AFDD or a fault on the circuit, I don't know if AFDD's susceptible to mains borne noise or harmonics which would then cause nuisance trips
Mandating the use of AFDD's will no doubt in the short term have an effect on the general safety of older installations as the cost to update an old CU will become considerably more expensive and beyond some householders budgets, it remains to be seen if AFDD's will become a lot cheaper as more are used and production is ramped up to meet the increased demand and the cost of CU's become more affordable again
