My First Cu Installation - Newbie

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seen far worse and far better. Not bad for first job - it's never easy to get decent tidy cable runs with older installs, because you need to run cables 'just so' to achieve that, for which you really need completely new cable runs. One question though, did you double over ends of smaller cables when fitting into Neutral and Earth bars? With the smaller cables it is possible to virtually cut through them with screw, which needless to say isn't good.

 
yes we were taught that I got lazy. :Blushing   I shall do it tomorrow. I'm happy that it's working at least and I didn't break the screws on the main switch.

At one point I had trouble tightening the neutral meter tail. No matter how hard I tried I could wriggle it loose without much effort. I thought I had broke

it some how but seems fine now. I might have a go at testing it with my fluke.

 
amateursparky said:
hi

sorry about the delay been busy revising. I'm pleased to say I've passed my 17th edition.

Constructive criticism only please! :Blushing This has been tidied up now. It was a mess before with wires tangled into each other. btw the picture is taken at an angle. The cu isn't installed at an angle!
Click to expand...
So you've switched it on with no testing? Is there no cover for the busbar?

Surly even though your re installing old cables you could of got them neater before posting a pic?

I'm sorry but even as a newbie, the saying 'I'm just glad it works' is not a very good attitude!

Sorry if that sounds hard but from the age of 16 it was drilled into me to make things neat and tidy.

 
Every single  person on this forum had to do "A first job" maybe yesterday, maybe 50 years ago   it's still a "First  Job".

You have to   do the first one before you can do the second one or the third or fourth.

He was brave enough to   come on and show us, lets give constructive   comments not ""looks like a pi$$ed spider, dying in ink!", that is not helpful .

 
And for a change.......

I`m not the neatest when installing CUs - they can look as untidy as yours - sometimes more so, when there`s a lot of final ccts, etc - so I`m NOT going to say anything about the neatness and tidiness of your board.

I`ve a question - the MCB next to the RCBo - what does it feed? Why do you believe it doesn`t require residual current protection?

My criticism to you is: if you`ve installed and energised this, without testing, how do you know everything works properly? No testing means the earthing could be faulty; there might be a N-E fault, which will inhibit correct operation of the nice, new, shiny RCDs. 

Doing it and making it look nice is all well and good; but, for me,

Doing it, testing it and certifying it is safe to use is 1000% more important than the appearance of the inside of the DB.

KME

ps Philbas - agree. 

p.p.s - I can only see one earth cable that looks appropriate for EC or MBC - are there others?

 
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philbas said:
Every single  person on this forum had to do "A first job" maybe yesterday, maybe 50 years ago   it's still a "First  Job".

You have to   do the first one before you can do the second one or the third or fourth.

He was brave enough to   come on and show us, lets give constructive   comments not ""looks like a pi$$ed spider, dying in ink!", that is not helpful .
Click to expand...
Thank you. Hat off to you. :Salute   Somone that's helpful. 

 
A bit of constructive criticism. That looks like a BG board which i dont believe comes 12 way, it 13  & it looks like the whole  lot is pushed up to the left with a blank next to the main switch. Although nothing wrong,if thats correct the blank should be next to a breaker. The busbar cover is missing.  Try to get all the cables terminated so no copper is seen & the insulation is butted right up to the breakers.  I wrap a bit of tape round the manufactures links if the copper is showing like in the top of the Rcd. Have you checked all the factory connections, they are often not too tight and finally, try to straighten up all the cables.

 
Well as KME has said the tidiness will come with practice. But like has already been asked I would be interested to know about circuit 2............why no rcd/rcbo? and I assume MEB's are off the earth terminal below the cu?

Back to trying to keep conductors tidy in the cu, I would lay even money you connected all the conductors up while all the mcb's/rcd's & din rail were fitted?

My tip if you have time  (you will get quicker), remove the din rail/mcb's/rcd's -  lay the circuit tails in through the cutouts to where the mcb's for each circuit will be - strip each sheath in turn & using a sharpie pen (or other perm marker) draw lines across the conductors (1 line for circuit 1 and so on) - (at this point I tend to do the dead testing) now you can connect the neutral conductors to their respective terminals, keeping the conductors nicely bunched - do the same with the cpcs (sleeved of course) - refit din rail & rcd's - connect meter tails to main switch - put each mcb in & connect line conductors as you go, adding the nice loop.

Don't be disheartened by critics, it is the best way to learn & improve...........................one day I might post a picture of my own cu, meets 16th regs for the TT supply when I put it in........... but tidy it is not.

 
EDIT,

it doesnt look so bad at all, and, I wasnt even convinced that he would get it into the gap it was supposed to go into,  :eek:

Ive seen a lot worse,

 
M107 said:
Or shower :slap

No sorry I must not take the mick..................
Click to expand...

I did have to rewire a 9.5Kw shower last week, that had a 20m run in 2.5. It had been in a year and the cable looked ok when removed so i used it for the cooker (joking about the last bit as i cant remember how you put the line through letters)

 
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amateursparky said:
hi 

sorry about the delay been busy revising. I'm pleased to say I've passed my 17th edition. 

Constructive criticism only please! :Blushing  This has been tidied up now. It was a mess before with wires tangled into each other. btw the  picture is taken at an angle. The cu isn't installed at an angle!
Click to expand...

As Binky said..

Seen worse and seen better.....

Practical examples?????

Just be trawling though some old job photos to try and illustrate a bit....

First remember there are two distinct tasks related to CU's..

1/ getting it fitted and working in the first place....

2/ Doing inspection and testing at a later date...

If you are the person doing 2..

you will be well pi55ed off if the person doing 1 just slung everything in as quick as they could...

This was a CU I came across on a job I was doing some minor alterations on...

I did offer a price to tidy it all up..

but the customer didn't want it...

apparently it was installed by their uncle who now lives quite a distance away but he was an electrician!!!!!!???

RATS NEST CU.jpg

B00dy nightmare to try and find the L-N&E of each circuit!!!!

Whereas this was a double CU stacked that I did a few years back...

CU TEMP PIC.JPG

Hopefully much easier to match the L @ MCB  N @ N bar and E @ E bar....

Tips...

1/ Always form a short straight length on every conductor as it leaves the termination bar or MCB..

2/ Always add a short loop just after the straight bit on each conductor. 

3/ ALWAYS follow rigorous numbering..  MCB 3 = N3 = E3,  MCB 4 = N4 = E4..

Do not just terminate in the first free space!!!

4/ Wherever possible mount the CU on battens and utlise the rear entry points not the horizontal top/bottom surface knock-outs!   It can make it easier to form cables tidy!

5/ Have a beer at the end of each days work  Guinness

:popcorn

 
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Spec Loc - I bet your first ever CU didn't look that good! It is nice to have something to aspire to!

Some useful tips for the newbies.

Can I ask - why the blue coil? Why not just shorten the cable?

 
Apache said:
Spec Loc - I bet your first ever CU didn't look that good! It is nice to have something to aspire to!

Some useful tips for the newbies.

Can I ask - why the blue coil? Why not just shorten the cable?
Click to expand...

1/ It came like that out of the packet..

2/ JUST in case it was dodgy and needed to be sent back to supplier..  (e.g moaning oh no.. you have cut it  that invalidates the warranty)

3/ there was enough room in the CU

4/ I couldn't be arsed to cut it..

5/  Guinness

 

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