Plastic Consumer units

[binky]

I am not disagreeing with your theory, but if it’s a fire in the c/u then the stairs are quite an important escape route!!

most understairs cupboards are wooden with wooden stairs, so defo a fire risk in those locations. However, that's no reason to change an existing board installed before the requirements changed to metal.

 

[UNG]

When you look at the fire stats over the 10 years that ultimately prempted the reg change they lacked any break down to provide any clarity as to why in one brigade area the fires in consumer units were rapidly increasing year on year and peaking at 258 in one year and the rest of the UK stats remained largely stable and not even getting to double figures
When you look at all the comments in the industry press by the experts most suggest that poor installation is a contributing cause yet there has been no real effort to improve the training or clamp down on the get trained quick establishments while the solution seems to be to contain the fire in a metal box

 

[Chewbacca]

When you look at the fire stats over the 10 years that ultimately prempted the reg change they lacked any break down to provide any clarity as to why in one brigade area the fires in consumer units were rapidly increasing year on year and peaking at 258 in one year and the rest of the UK stats remained largely stable and not even getting to double figures
When you look at all the comments in the industry press by the experts most suggest that poor installation is a contributing cause yet there has been no real effort to improve the training or clamp down on the get trained quick establishments while the solution seems to be to contain the fire in a metal box

And in addition to that, there was no enforcement of the plastics used to be fire retardent, as per appropriate standards

 

[Murdoch]

Poor quality products don’t help either

 

[Andy™]

generally, if something is causing a repeated faulty, i.e fire, then the general idea is that you fix the problem of why its on fire. instead tins is just ignore the cause and stick it in a metal box that may or may not contain the fire

 

[Murdoch]

generally, if something is causing a repeated faulty, i.e fire, then the general idea is that you fix the problem of why its on fire. instead tins is just ignore the cause and stick it in a metal box that may or may not contain the fire

Very correct. The point I made to the Chair of Beema who wasn’t impressed

You can’t polish a turd

 

[Mike P]

I saw a few fires, normally in a cloakroom with coats and other general clothing covering the board, so any poorly terminated cables got hot and there was all the combustable material to feed a fire, right there!!

 

[Stevie G]

Hi
I seen this about a year a go ,and flagged it up to Efixx to see if they would do a video on it ,but they said had'nt heard of it and will look into it ,but when i contacted Efixx on follow up email, no response.
Think they look for payment for making videos ,which can compromise there take on the kit they are testing ,I Feel ?
Enviroburst fire suppression system ,fitted in consumer units . Might be better than no protection?

Would be interested in your thoughts .

 

[ProDave]

generally, if something is causing a repeated faulty, i.e fire, then the general idea is that you fix the problem of why its on fire. instead tins is just ignore the cause and stick it in a metal box that may or may not contain the fire

I remember discussing that very fact when the metal CU's were being proposed.

 

[UNG]

Hi
I seen this about a year a go ,and flagged it up to Efixx to see if they would do a video on it ,but they said had'nt heard of it and will look into it ,but when i contacted Efixx on follow up email, no response.
Think they look for payment for making videos ,which can compromise there take on the kit they are testing ,I Feel ?
Enviroburst fire suppression system ,fitted in consumer units . Might be better than no protection?

Would be interested in your thoughts .

The fire supression tubes have been around for a good number of years, they are just one of many fire suppression products produced / sold by Envirograf

 

[Badger]

Im not being funny but surely these old plastic consumer uniys which have fuses in didnt do this because the connections in them days were far better than modern clamp type plus wouldnt it be morw advisable to have a tighten test done maybe once every so often or when you work on equioment ie a safety check of the connection tightness

 

[Andy™]

old wylex 3036 board 2 screws into each terminal. newer cage clamp with ****** screws. tighten to torque, move cable slightly and now its loose

 

[ProDave]

Im not being funny but surely these old plastic consumer uniys which have fuses in didnt do this because the connections in them days were far better than modern clamp type plus wouldnt it be morw advisable to have a tighten test done maybe once every so often or when you work on equioment ie a safety check of the connection tightness

I can't help myself but go round all the terminals and check tightness whenever I am in a CU.

Perhaps the old wooden wylex's rarely caught fire because they had 2 screws for every termination, and they didn't have a silly busbar that relied on the installer getting it the right side of the clamp in the MCB because most manufacturers still seem incapable of designing a clamp with a guard piece that makes it physically impossible to put the busbar finger the wrong side of the clamp.

EDIT: Andy beat me to it.

 

[Mike P]

Im not being funny but surely these old plastic consumer uniys which have fuses in didnt do this because the connections in them days were far better than modern clamp type plus wouldnt it be morw advisable to have a tighten test done maybe once every so often or when you work on equioment ie a safety check of the connection tightness

Had an old Wylex plastic board (white) catch fire. loose connection on Fuse terminal.