OK I'm getting lost .

[Evans Electric]

Re-hashing an office full of the usual  PC,s  next week .  Dado trunking etc .    Gives me the  chance to upgrade the circuit from   3036  to  MCB /  RCD .  

But ..........to be honest I don't know which one  to use .       It seems our old favourite , everyday  type  Arseedee  is not good enough anymore . 

So :- 

Type AC     ?

Type A       ?

Type F       ?

Type B       ? 

 

[kerching]

Get a 6 way board

bin the busbar

connect one of each in series

if it goes moody then one of them will trip

simples

it's marketed as a WTAF board

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

My gut feeling is, if these are modern type PC's.. they could well have NO earth connection anyway...

Just a double insulated, (plastic earth pin) power supply.

Hager do a useful quick reference guide to RCD types..

https://www.hager.co.uk/news-exhibitions-case-studies/18th-edition/selection-of-type-of-rcd/90066.htm

Guinness

 

[Evans Electric]

Thats useful  Specs  .   Thanks .  

Types  F & B  are out of it then .

Toss up between AC  & A 

Reading up on the type A   it says   "  Able to detect alternating  sinusoidal  residual current  & residual pulsating  DC  suddenly applied  or smoothly increasing  ".

So ,   if IT equipment dumps  any of that stuff down the earth  , a Type A  will be what  ? .... constantly tripping  or  will handle the dump without tripping ? 

I'm seriously thinking of  a old fashioned AC  type now   ...the printers will not be happy with the power going on & off  every time  someone clicks  "Delete"  

Get a 6 way board

This is a bone of contention at the printers   ,   this office is fed from the ground floor , old Wylex  double 12 way  3036  , 40 yrs old , mounted  about 10,000 feet above FFL  .

I've been offering  to resite it for 25 yrs   but as with many things , if it 'aint broke , don't fix it .     I understand the thinking , business is business .  

t's marketed as a WTAF board

I asked at Denmans for one of these but received blank looks. 

 

[Evans Electric]

if these are modern type PC's.. they could well have NO earth connection anyway...

I'll check that next week . 

 

[Doc Hudson]

My gut feeling is, if these are modern type PC's.. they could well have NO earth connection anyway...

Just a double insulated, (plastic earth pin) power supply.

Hager do a useful quick reference guide to RCD types..

https://www.hager.co.uk/news-exhibitions-case-studies/18th-edition/selection-of-type-of-rcd/90066.htm

Guinness

The two page PDF information sheet from the bottom of that link is quite good IMHO. (I have saved and printed a copy to keep with my own 'useful notes folder').

http://images.cloud.hager.com/Web/HAGERELECTRO/{6ca9c50a-bcd1-46d4-97e3-e63bd264b752}_UK_RCD_Types_web_friendly.pdf

Doc H.

 

[Evans Electric]

So ,   if IT equipment dumps  any of that stuff down the earth  , a Type A  will be what  ? .... constantly tripping  or  will handle the dump without tripping ? 

Anyone know  how  the RCD  reacts  to IT equipment ?     

This office / studio  move around has IT  equipment currently fed via  MCB  in one case  & 3036  rewirable  in the other .   I'm now obliged to introduce an RCD  which I don't need to be  tripping out 10 times a day ....what I don't understand is ...... do these newer ones  HANDLE  all this DC  current etc when detected ...  or do they TRIP when detected.      

I do understand that socket  circuits for IT  stuff  need to be kept   shorter  these days to earth wire currents low .  

 

[Murdoch]

Anyone know  how  the RCD  reacts  to IT equipment ?     

This office / studio  move around has IT  equipment currently fed via  MCB  in one case  & 3036  rewirable  in the other .   I'm now obliged to introduce an RCD  which I don't need to be  tripping out 10 times a day ....what I don't understand is ...... do these newer ones  HANDLE  all this DC  current etc when detected ...  or do they TRIP when detected.      

I do understand that socket  circuits for IT  stuff  need to be kept   shorter  these days to earth wire currents low .  

Are RCD sockets an option?

this would minimise inconvience in the case of tripping 

 

[Evans Electric]

Well the Regs  state that ALL sockets  under 20A   are to be RCD protected  .  Unless I can produce a risk assessment I believe ...which probably leaves you open to being responsible for your actions  until the collapse of the Sun  or the end of the universe , whichever is the sooner . 

At this place  I've installed stuff to the 16th  & 17th editions   and now I have to work to the 18th .

Most of the sockets there  installed by me have no RCD  because they were not  outside  .   

 

[pewter]

I thought sockets now have to be RCD protected,  in the old days of the 17th you could have them without RCD providing you signed your name to say its all your fault.

 

[Evans Electric]

I thought sockets now have to be RCD protected,  in the old days of the 17th you could have them without RCD providing you signed your name to say its all your fault.

I don't think it was worded in exactly that manner Pewter  but you have a nice line in sarcasm !!  

Was it the one about the sockets were under the control of a competent person who walked round them every day with a loop tester. ?