Adding a Plug Socket in the Attic

[echoes]

Thanks for that, so to clarify I have 2 RCBO's (Sockets and Garage Sockets), identified as they have the black switches towards the top? Seems strange that despite being a mix or a RCD and a MCB it uses only 1 slot yet a singular RCD takes up 2? Have I misunderstood something here?

RCDs in the consumer unit usually cover multiple circuits, are usually rated at > 63A, and break both live and neutral. As Winston says, they are usually 'double width' taking up 2 slots.
You are right the RCBOs have the little black test buttons; they are physically larger than MCBs despite only taking one slot, but typically they only isolate the live.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

You have a 16 amp RCBO and a 32 amp RCBO labelled as sockets

No he doesn't. The 16 amp RCBO is labelled "GARAGE sockets."

Can you see the two RCBOs labelled as sockets now?

 

[winston1]

NO. NO. NO. The 16 amp one is labelled "GARAGE sockets". It is actually labelled "GARAGE", someone has added the word sockets underneath.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Its twelth night tomorrow. It is heartening to see that the season of goodwill to all men has now left the building

 

[colc1705]

Garage sockets are in a garage, not in a house or cabling in a loft.

How do you know it's not an attached garage?

 

[333rocky333]

No he doesn't. The 16 amp RCBO is labelled "GARAGE sockets."

Its a bungalow its not unheard of for a back to back socket from an attached garage.
One should not assume things

 

[echoes]

@bmouthboyo Don't get put off by the squabbling - it's provided with compliments for your amusement

 

[333rocky333]

The doorbell likely has or did have a transformer near the fusebox to save on batteries, it was often on its own circuit so you could turn it off for peace..

The Immersion is only 3kw aprox 13 amps so on a 16 Amp trip
The shower could be 6Kw minimum, aprox 26 amps or more, so on a bigger trip hence your 40 amp, the cabling will be larger to allow this.

As for the board i think its a Memsheild 2 board, i think the Rcd pod clips on your exixting Mcb, thus making it a Rcbo and could be expensive, our resident MEM expert JohnD will know

 

[Iggifer]

Yea Eaton MR30 RCBO pod - as above but they’re EXPENSIVE. If you just want to fit one RCBO then it’s not too bad but any more and you may as well consider changing the board.

MEMshield 3 do not fit, they changed the bus bar arrangement. Think I might have a photo

 

[Iggifer]

Untitled

• Iggifer
• 14 Jun 2013
• 1

Untitled

• Iggifer
• 14 Jun 2013
• 1

As you can see they line up but the MEM2 is a much wider terminal and as such the 2 busbar prongs are much wider than those on the 3 so they don’t fit.

Height is also considerably different on the two breakers so the busbar prong doesn’t reach a 3 if there’s 2’s in there.

 

[chivers67]

The junction box to me looks like lighting with a three core 1.5mm for two way switching and 1mm T&E. Very difficult to tell though.

Looking at the board it looks like the lighting circuits all go up with a Shower cable and the sockets head off to the right of the board; one ring final and a radial (that could serve the garage) with Earth bonding towards the gas as it looks like a Gas isolator.

Worth Mechanically Testing the RCBOs if you're ok to have the power turn off

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Imagine a CU with MCBs labelled

• Kitchen Sockets
• Downstairs Sockets
• Upstairs Sockets
• Utility Room Sockets
• Garage Sockets
• Shed Sockets
• Garden Sockets

People *********** would say that there were 7 breakers labelled as sockets

******************

 

[bmouthboyo]

I am getting a bit confused as to why it is such an issue someone said I have a 32RCBO and a 16RCBO for my 2 socket sets? I am assuming the one labeled 'sockets' is my bungalow ring sockets? and the one labeled garage sockets is for the 3 sockets in my garage? Does this have a big impact?

Sorry just a bit lost as to why this has caused an argument, does this imply something regarding my main ring?

As far as I can tell the original statement by 333rockey333

You have a 16 amp RCBO and a 32 amp RCBO labelled as sockets

is true in that I have two RCBO's for my 2 socket sets? (Sockets and GARAGE SOCKETS

I checked yesterday and my wall sockets do have 2 x TandE cables coming down from above. I will dig about a bit more this weekend. I think I can test it is a ring by turning off the MCB for the SOCKETS and using a multimeter to check for continuity between the 2 RED positive cables at a socket?

 

[bmouthboyo]

Yea Eaton MR30 RCBO pod - as above but they’re EXPENSIVE. If you just want to fit one RCBO then it’s not too bad but any more and you may as well consider changing the board.

MEMshield 3 do not fit, they changed the bus bar arrangement. Think I might have a photo

Any indication of how expensive to add the RCD to my existing 60Amp Shower MCB?

Thanks

 

[Taylortwocities]

About £80+ for one of those!
https://www.electrical2go.co.uk/memshield-2-30ma-field-fit-rcd-pod-mr30.html

Cheaper to just fit an external RCD unit and cable it in.