Can a new circuit be added to this old CU?

[ericmark]

Someone has found something that doesn't fit the board!

OK point taken. However my point is some electricians are more worried about regulations to others, remember regulations are not law, in an ideal world one could fit a DB with say a 45 amp MCB and have it feed a second DB (distribution board) but to do that one needs the 45 amp MCB, I assume since some one has done the botch, that you can't get MCB's for that board?

Unfortunately, they both have dementia

Yes know the problem, I wanted to rewire mothers house, and time was more important as rest bite homes are expensive, so had to get it done and dusted while she was in a home for medical reasons.

However for small faults the council was very helpful, they had a group called care and repair, and for small issues they would come and sort things either free or low charge, would not do whole re-wire, but did stretch to a new kitchen. In the main they do things like fitting hand rails.

At 73 they have fitted hand rails for me, it seems there is a cost limit per year, so it is limited, but you need to get a social worker assigned so they can assist with problems like this.

I live in Wales, but seems England has some thing similar. I have also been helped by Age Cymru Powys, again some free stuff, and some low charge.

 

[martygturner]

No it would be OK to work on it, but a consumer unit is a type tested distribution board, and the type testing means you can only fit items made by the same manufacturer as the board, and clearly by the manufacturer to be used in that board. There is clearly at least one MCB which does not seem to fit right, so seems likely that board is discontinued, and some one has found something to fit the board.

It is up to the guy doing the work, as to how much he will bend the rules.

You might want to check that type testing thing, as its now certification to a standard as type testing led to loads of problems. If you think about it to be type tested a device could not be changed eg if you send a cu to be type tested you could only sell it with the the same mix of mcb/rcbo etc etc in exactly the same position as it was type tested.

We have conformity testing now..if you have a look at cu certs you will see that they are for the cu itself, some include the main isolater. Manufacturers now state that boards should be populated with their own brand kit.. note should...

 

[Taylortwocities]

You might want to check that type testing thing, as its now certification to a standard as type testing led to loads of problems. If you think about it to be type tested a device could not be changed eg if you send a cu to be type tested you could only sell it with the the same mix of mcb/rcbo etc etc in exactly the same position as it was type tested.

We have conformity testing now..if you have a look at cu certs you will see that they are for the cu itself, some include the main isolater. Manufacturers now state that boards should be populated with their own brand kit.. note should...

Yeah yeah. Even if that abortion on the photo passes conformity testing, it doesn’t pass the visual test. That offends my eyes!!

 

[ericmark]

You might want to check that type testing thing

I did try, no were have a found anything to say I must use a consumer unit rather than a distribution board when designed for use of an ordinary person. I would assume building regulations some where, but not found it.

It is Chinese whispers, we were told it in collage, like many other things, GS 38 for example and it took me some time to find it was a HSE thing.

Most the BS publications are expensive, OK we may have a copy of BS 7671, but that refers to other documents which I simply don't have.

So we use some common sense, does what you are told make sense, if so likely true, but most consumer units use DIN rail, and that is a German standard, the old Wylex did have plug in units, there have been others, but this was before the consumer unit was invented, we are told the problem is heat from one device affecting another, and the way the devices clamp on the bus bar, some pull up, some push down, so they all need to do the same, or they may feel tight, but in real terms not clamped firm, does that make sense, well it does to me, so yes it seems to make sense that we can only install items the manufacturer says can be fitted in that board.

It is easy to find a regulation or law, and state it, much harder to show there never was any such law or regulation, be it hanging a Welshman in Chester, found within the city walls out of hours, (claimed to be a myth) or shooting a Scotsman wearing a kilt in the Isle of Man. These may or may not be true, but if I was a Scotsman I would still refrain from wearing a kilt in the Isle of Man.

In the same way, if a Wylex box, I fit Wylex parts.

 

[Milleniumaire]

...
At 73 they have fitted hand rails for me, it seems there is a cost limit per year, so it is limited, but you need to get a social worker assigned so they can assist with problems like this.

I live in Wales, but seems England has some thing similar. I have also been helped by Age Cymru Powys, again some free stuff, and some low charge.

I guess there is something similar in England as a few years ago my wife arranged for some additional wall hand rails to be fitted and it was all done free of charge. This came about as we witnessed a couple of "wobbles" by her 92 year old father as he was descending the stairs via the Ring cameras I installed so we could keep an eye on them (and the carers!). I was happy for the hand rails NOT to be installed but she overruled me

 

[Adam_151]

That's a complete rip off

I don't care what anyone else says, thats blatent profiteering when when folk have no other option.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I don't care what anyone else says, thats blatent profiteering when when folk have no other option.

The companies doing it, do well out of it, the people working for them likewise, for a minimal amount of work, skill, and effort, only the customer, who is often over a barrel, suffers.

 

[Ragnar_AT]

The DIN rail is a common fixing standard but the position and design of the terminals vary enough that you absolutely shouldn‘t mix MCB or RCBO brands and models on one bus bar. In Germany you can get around that by cutting the bus bar if it’s designed to be cut and using wire links of appropriate CSA.