Notifying The Council Of Cu Change And Additional Garage Submain

[Manator]

:slap :slap :slap

 

[Steve3948]

well, that had to be worth a scoob,

see, proves my point about Iphones,

only an idiot stoopid enough to cut both his arms off would have one.! :slap

back at you, scoobed :Applaud

 

[ProDave]

Well lets be honest here,,,, how many garages are actually used to only store motor vehicles (notice I didn't say cars, just for your bikes Steps ) ??

I must be unique among mankind that I specifically built a house with a double garage (proper double, two single doors) so that we could keep two cars in there.

I wish I had built a tripple now (next house perhaps) as my poor Landrover has to live outside.

Yes I do use it as a workshop as well. But it was built big enough to have a decent sized workbench in there at the same time as the 2 cars. And the upstairs loft space of the garage is divided into a further work room and a store room.

Perish the thought of putting fridges, freezers, washing machines in there. that's what the utility room was built for.

 

[steptoe]

Dave, does your mrs have any sisters that are as understanding as her?

I can feel wife 3 coming on, :|

that is what a garage is for,!

 

[amateursparky]

I must be unique among mankind that I specifically built a house with a double garage (proper double, two single doors) so that we could keep two cars in there.

I wish I had built a tripple now (next house perhaps) as my poor Landrover has to live outside.

Yes I do use it as a workshop as well. But it was built big enough to have a decent sized workbench in there at the same time as the 2 cars. And the upstairs loft space of the garage is divided into a further work room and a store room.

Perish the thought of putting fridges, freezers, washing machines in there. that's what the utility room was built for.

Wow prodave I'd love to have a garage as big as yours. We'd have plenty of space for my dad and my electronics stuff. I can host electronics geek club there!! In my dreams though.

All the cables are run within the ceiling void/ underneath floor boards. There is a short run of twin & earth cable to the alarm panel that's surface mounted. If I enclosed that in conduit it'll be fine wouldn't it? The regs say "cables buried in the wall less than 50mm without mechanical protection need RCD converage right? The alarm panel is in a cupboard underneath the stairs.

 

[PC Electrics]

The only fridge that should be in a garage is the little one full of beer.

 

[ProDave]

Dave, does your mrs have any sisters that are as understanding as her?

I can feel wife 3 coming on, :|

that is what a garage is for,!

Mrs PD has 4 sisters. All married I'm afraid. well one is just getting divorced but don't think she's "on the market"

The double garage was a requirement from Mrs PD. At out last house I had a single garage (built when I was still single) and it was always a bone of contention that my car sat in the garage and on a frosty morning I could just get in and drive off, but her car sat outside and she had to get busy with the ice scraper first. So this time it was both cars inside, or NONE inside.

 

[PC Electrics]

Amatuer,

how come you only show 1 smoke alarm?

 

[ProDave]

Wow prodave I'd love to have a garage as big as yours. We'd have plenty of space for my dad and my electronics stuff. I can host electronics geek club there!! In my dreams though.

It's what you get when you self build.When we retire and want to downsize, I'll be looking for a detached 3 bedroom house with a tripple garage. I think that will have to be another self build as I doubt I'll find that for sale.

 

[Evans Electric]

So Mr DIY is out there and using a circular saw, he cuts both arms off and the lead to the saw, he cant phone for help, he has no arms.

The wife is watching Eastenders and cannot hear his screams, so he bleeds to death

Eh!

 

[amateursparky]

There's two one upstairs and one downstairs. It's not really important in terms of sizing the mcb and cable is it? I got the impression from the inspector I spoke to he only require the gernal idea of what am doing.

The regs say "cables buried in the wall less than 50mm without mechanical protection need RCD converage right? The alarm panel is in a cupboard underneath the stairs.

Just checked in the onsite guide it's " without earthed metal cover" Then I'll just enclose it in steel conduit with cpc problem solved right?

Also steptoe said I can't change the configuration of the cu but he said using the one mcb for smoke/ burgular alarm is easy way, what's the alternative that would allow me to seperate them then?

 

[NozSpark]

If it's not buried and not supplying (in general terms) a socket then it doesn't need RCD or mechanical protection

 

[Evans Electric]

So there are people who actually notify somebody when they do a little job , they must be few and far between though ?? :C

 

[amateursparky]

Sorry Nozspark can you explain why there no discrimination on my garage circuit? Unless I've not being paying attension in class, I doubt we done much on this. Perhaps coming later in my course.

 

[NozSpark]

Well, the way you have it there is a RCD protecting the submain and another in the garage, you may aswell flip a coin as to which will trip first with a fault on either of the final circuits

 

[Sharpend]

HAHAHA Sorry didn't know the boiler uses that little.

So do you not put a 3amp fuse in the fuse spur for boiler?

 

[ProDave]

no it's a cti board. Can I just move the rcd? The neutral links are formed (bent to shape) so I don't think it'll reach

I "found" a link to a picture of your CU on another forum [cough]

the two non RCD protected MCB's are immediately adjacent to the right hand bank of RCD protected MCB's.

Simply shorten the busbar for the right hand bank of protected MCB's, and then replace the non protected busbar with a 4 way bit, and there you have it, the the right most 3 mcb's are non rcd protected.

No messing about altering pre formed neutral bars or otherwise butchering it.

Simple.

the only issue is the non protected neutral bar is a bit short and only has 2 vacant positions, so you will have to double up the neutrals of two of your circuits.

With the protected and non protected MCB's being adjacent like that, pay particular attention when you fix the labels to the front of the CU so it's completely clear which are RCD protected and which are not.

It would IMO be better when selecting which MCB feeds which circuit if you can have a blank between the protected and non protected banks.

 

[ProDave]

Another observation:

Are you missing some bits? I don't see how the L gets from the output of the main switch, into the input of the two RCD's (all I see is the L link between the input of the two RCD's)

 

[steptoe]

I have one in my van Dave, a CPN [but its exactly the same] I'll take a pic when I get home.

 

[brianabsolute]

Hi Amateursparky

Not wishing to upset other posters, but the Fire Safety (Approved Doc B) contains the following in relation to smoke and heat alarms:

"The detectors and alarms are required to be permanently wired with an independent circuit to the distribution board (cu), or preferably supplied from a local, regularly used lighting circuit (there should be a means of isolating the supply to the alarms without switching off the lighting;"

So, no sharing with the house alarm. Instead, suggest you install a switched FCU next to the cu, with the supply from one of the lighting circuits (existing "smokes" supply cable connected to the load side of the FCU). This method has been through numerous NICEIC inspections!!

Other comments:

As a minimum you'll need a smoke alarm on each floor;

Lighting - I use 1.5mm T&E, because there's no need to de-rate if running in thermal insulation (e.g. if first floor lighting cabling in the loft) ;

Garage Dist Circuit - I'd put it on a RCD protected way at the CU and then just use a DP isolator in the garage cu (especially if the garage supply is in T&E, rather than SWA;

Presumably the 32A "Kitchen Sockets" 2.5mm circuit is a ring, not a radial?

Agree you need to de-rate the "boiler" to a 6A MCB, or put a 5A FCU at the load end;

Cheers & good luck with the inspection