FCU's and Kitchens

[JohnW2]

I wonder how many people would do what I did, which was to replace the fuse and see what happened, rather than immediately start dismantling it?

I, for one, certainly would do, BUT ....

... And then, when it carried on working fine with the new fuse, I wonder how many people would shrug, rather than start dismantling it looking for a problem?

... I have much less experience of that, because, for fairly obvious reasons, nearly every time I've done the above, the pristine new fuse has immediately or soon therafter gone the way of its predecessor. It takes a fair bit (for a fair time) to blow a 13A BS1362 fuse, so (at least in my experience), there often (but not always) is 'a good reason' for such blowing that isn't going to go away!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[ebee]

My personal preference is that I feel a switch above the worktop feeding a socket below is better practice in terms of electrical safety and convenience.

That does not mean that a lack of such a switch is a defect as per regs are concerned.

That might not please all as far as aesthetics is concerned though.

Whether such a switch is on the ring itself feeing a spur or whether it is inline with the socket from a spur is of no matter.

If such a switch is incorporated with a fuse such as a switched fused connection unit then its fuse would be inline with the plugtop fuse and therefore discrimination not achievable (Although by the same token such a plugtop fuse would probably not discriminate with a 30/32A MCB supplying the ring anyhow!) .

You might feel , as I do, that a 20A DP switch would be a better solution.
However (pedantic ?) BS 1363 lists a switched fused connection unit as being acceptable to attach to a ring but does not list the 20A DP switch as such. You should mark it as a deviation and seek manufacturers assurance that the incoming terminals are suited to carry ring currents - Some of us have tried seeking this assurance without success although we feel that such manufacturers often use the same terminals as the fit in the SFCU (or better).

Such works in a kitchen is indeed notifiable in England a Wales.
That means you must go thru Building Control (or be a registered competent person and notify after the event).

What you MUST NOT do is get a registered person to "sign it off" for you!
That is a criminal offence committed by both parties to it.
Although we do know that it does happen just like speeding/driving without insurance/ dangerous driving does happen.

What I might do, as a Registered Competent Person, is allow the customer to labour on me or allow a fellow unregistered Electrician whose methods and procedures I trust implicitly to work with me as an employee/subcontractor providing that , and only providing that I have full and genuine supervision of their work such as I would with an apprentice or other employee. I would sign off as being my work/my responsibility/ the buck stops with me and only me - I would not do that lightly, it is me who would be "gripping the rail"

 

[JohnW2]

You might feel , as I do, that a 20A DP switch would be a better solution.

I, for one, certainly do.

However (pedantic ?) BS 1363 lists a switched fused connection unit as being acceptable to attach to a ring but does not list the 20A DP switch as such. You should mark it as a deviation and seek manufacturers assurance that the incoming terminals are suited to carry ring currents - Some of us have tried seeking this assurance without success although we feel that such manufacturers often use the same terminals as the fit in the SFCU (or better).

In terms of 20A DP plate switches, I think it is pretty pedantic (for the reasons you give), although I agree that an electrician theoretically has to regard it as a deviation. I'm a little more concerned (i.e. regard it as less pedantic) in terms of the DP grid switches which are quite often used (including by me) for this purpose - although, in reality, provided that the terminals will accommodate two conductors satisfactorily, I still don't think there is any real problem. Apart from anything else, unless one has very uneven distribution of loads, the current flowing in any part of the ring is rarely going to be above 20A, anyway.

Kind Regards, John.