Sbs Trade Sales

[SBS Dave]

JUST TO REMIND YOU OF MY FELO TORQUE SCREWDRIVER RANGE

I have all the blade types in stock and can also offer an extra exposed tip version (the horizontal one shown) for deep terminals.

MY CURRENT DEAL

Buy 1 x Felo Torque Screwdriver handle (£45.00) and 1 x blade (of your choice) (£5.00) and

GET ANOTHER BLADE (of your choice)   FREE OF CHARGE.

That's £50.00, which gets you a 5% discount anyway  = £47.50.

If it's ordered with other items and the order is over £100.00, that means 10% discount = £45.00 + VAT for the 3-piece set.

Carriage for the screwdriver only is £3.00, but would be FOC, if shipped with other items.

I now have a few more Felo Bottle Openers in stock, so you will also receive one FOC, while stocks last.

Don't also forget the Double Magnet Bit & Screw Holder @ £12.00 + VAT.

It's great for 1-handed screwing (if you pardon the expression!!)

SBS Dave

 

[SBS Dave]

Just posted on the Torque Screwdriver thread, so I may get an evaluation of my Torque Screwdriver.

If any of the Forum Members who have bought my TS, want to comment, I would appreciate that.

NOW THE BAD NEWS.

4 Cartons of Compact RCBOs left China last week , but only 3 arrived at my place.

The missing carton most likely got palletised on a wrong order by mistake, so could be anywhere in the world by now.

And it is not likely to be redirected to me.

The missing carton contained all the 16As ordered, plus some of the 20As, so I am going to run out of these sizes in the next few days.

China has just completed a one week National Holiday, so getting replacement delivery information is a bit iffy.

I still have a full range of Standard RCBOs, which I believe are still the best price around.

I have most sizes of AMD3 boxes in stock and they are very much suited to the Standard RCBOs, as well as Compacts.

SBS Dave

 

[SBS Dave]

OCTOBER WAS A FUNNY MONTH

The number of populated boxes I sold in October was  60% LESS  than normal, which could have been really bad news for my business.

But, with plastic 17th Edition Boards being offered at knockdown prices, I expected some reduction, anyway.

However, during the same period, I sold 20% MORE RCBOs than normal!!. A big chunk of that was3 unexpected bulk orders a 6A Compacts (which is why I am out of stock of that size at the moment), but that left a lot more RCBOs bought without boxes.

It seems the reason for this is that more and more electricians are upgrading existing plastic boards, rather than replacing them with new plastic ones.

One advantage of that, is that you can't be accused of knowingly installing a new plastic CU now, which theoretically won't comply with the REGs after 1 January 2016. Another explanation could be that some electricians are buying empty boxes, much cheaper than mine and populating them with my RCBOs.

Whatever the reasons, I've moved a shed load of RCBOs last month, so,

OCTOBER WAS A CRACKING MONTH.

Many thanks to those who bought from me

SBS Dave

 

[Phoenix]

On the drive home one day the other week, in between listening to the confession on Radio 2 and wondering what to have for tea.

The thought occured to me that what would be ideal is a double pole MCB the same format as the compact rcbos. So that you don't have to have a special position on the busbar for MCBs, you can just use them interchangeably.

However, I bet there isn't such an item manufactured?

 

[SBS Dave]

Hi Phoenix,

There are quite a few on the market, but do not seem to be compatible with my Compact(or any other for that matter).

They are designed for LIVE at the top, the usual way in Australia, but I have established that the one above can also work with LIVE at the bottom. It took me ages to establish that fact, because the average Chinese manufacturer knows sod all about application.

The problem is that the N terminal is on the left rather than the right as per my Compact and I have yet to establish if the terminals are offset to accommodate the twin busbars. I should be getting a sample shortly, so I may be able to come up with some arrangement that eliminates the use of the neutral terminal bar. In the meantime, I can arrange for a standard MCB to be on the same busbar, preferably next to the Main Switch. I am sure it would be possible to have it in other positions on the DIN rail and I will look at that in more detail.

SBS Dave

 

[Rob_the_rich]

Hi Dave, amd3 has forced manufacturers to produce all metal CUs, but the regs allow plastic CUs if installed in metal enclosures. But you don't see any good looking metal enclosures. Would this be something you would be interested in providing?

I am thinking of a backless box with a door/lid basically.

 

[Lurch]

Hi Dave, amd3 has forced manufacturers to produce all metal CUs, but the regs allow plastic CUs if installed in metal enclosures.

Technically the manufacturers have chosen to make all metal CU's as it is the easiest way to comply with the non-combustible requirement, although plastic could be used.

It'll be interesting to see if anyone ever starts producing plastic non-combustible units.

 

[kerching]

Cast your mind back to the NIC webinar

Little fat bloke ( same initials as LFB!!). Said MCBs were made of a special,plastic that did not combust. I asked if CUs could not be made from the same material!

I await their reply......

 

[Essex1]

Cast your mind back to the NIC webinar

Little fat bloke ( same initials as LFB!!). Said MCBs were made of a special,plastic that did not combust. I asked if CUs could not be made from the same material!

I await their reply......

You don't need to wait. The answer is yes.

 

[kerching]

I know what the answer is.....I want them to say it!

I am on their Radar....they do not like me, they have issues with me being confrontational, as others on here are well aware of!

Just saying

 

[SBS Dave]

Hi Rob,

I have looked into the metal box solution, but the combined price of the metal enclosure and the plastic CU would be higher than a metal CU.

I don't think my range of metal boxes are ugly, but that is a matter of personal opinion. Schneider have just launched their new range of metal CUs, which can be specified in a range of décor colours, or woodgrain finish, or even graphics and photos to adorn the front cover. You can order the photos on-line. ( I know I am promoting a competitor, but I am a Forum Member, as well as a Forum Sponsor and I am just trying to help).

Regarding plastic boxes, to my knowledge, there is no plastic material, suitable for CU construction, that would satisfy the "non-combustible" criterion. The best option would have been the 960c coil-test compounds, but they have kicked into touch by BS7671:2008 AMD3.

SBS Dave

 

[Lurch]

I was talking to one of the wholesalers recently and they have had one of the companies say they were looking to release a non-metal non-combustible CU. They couldn't remember who it was though.

 

[roys]

Nomex covered Kevlar should do it still find it incredible we are being forced down the metal CU route.

 

[Andy™]

proper screw terminals like a 3036 wylex board and there wouldnt be any loose terminals to cause a fire...

 

[Sidewinder]

proper screw terminals like a 3036 wylex board and there wouldnt be any loose terminals to cause a fire...

Yes there would, you would still have the muppets who would not tighten them enough, leaving the thing loose to overheat, or too much and strip the thread, or crack the barrel, and thus leave it loose to overheat.

Both times without knowing any better.

 

[OnOff]

A favourite assumption I'm sure by Mr DIY is that the pre-wired connections on the RCDs, DP main switch etc in the cu they've bought from one of the sheds are already tight so they don't check them 'cos surely they must be tight! :lol:   

 

[Essex1]

I have done tail connections up as tight as possible at the start of a DB change. Completed the rest of the DB. On checking all connections again the tails are loose.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

I have done tail connections up as tight as possible at the start of a DB change. Completed the rest of the DB. On checking all connections again the tails are loose.

Ditto

I have also torqued up connections correctly and can pull out 25mm tails.

 

[kerching]

I have said this many times before..

Always Finish off with.a.quick tug

If 25 mm tails...then i flatten them slightly first, instead of letting the screwdriver try to,do,it and fail

 

[SBS Dave]

Further to Phoenix's question about MCBs and Compact RCBOs on the same DIN rail, the attached photos shows MCBs next to the Main Switch, in the middle of the run and at the end.

This configuration requires my modification of the busbars, but you still don't need a neutral link to the neutral terminal bar. All the MCB neutrals are fed into the busbar neutrals of the adjacent RCBO.

Obviously, the best answer would be a matching 1-mod/2-pole MCB, but until I find one, the above arrangement should work fine.

This is a very rough mock-up, to illustrate the idea. 

SBS Dave