Splitting commercial HW heater supply....

[nozspark]

Hi, I've got a customer who wants me to disconnect his HW heater (100L) and put a socket in it's place.

To this he wants to be able to connect either the HW heater or a Pizza oven (6kW) with a socket.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong but don't water heaters over 15L need their own supplies and shouldn't be connected by plug and socket..

Would using a change over switch feeding the water heater and Pizza oven allow this to comply or should I stick to my guns and give the pizza oven a new circuit.

Cheers

 

[plugwash]

IIRC the OSG suggests that large water heaters should be on thier own supply but I don't think there is a reg actually requiring it. I would imagine the same is true of comments about plugs and sockets.

 

[Spark123]

You're in the realms of 32A commando plug and socket for the oven, what rating is the immersion?
I take it a new circuit for the oven is out of the question?

 

[Lectrician]

When the immersion heater is plugged in, it would be on its own dedicated circuit, and would not be sharing a circuit.

And visa versa for the pizza oven.

The reg is there to prevent overloading of utility socket circuits.

I see no probs with the proposal, but would prefer to see a new circuit installed.

 

[nozspark]

Here's a bit more info for you:

HW heater is a Heatrae Sadia Multipoint 100 (6kW) fed via a B32A MCB and 6.0mm T&E and a DP isolator switch

The Pizza oven is a Chef King double oven (230V 6kW - 3 eleements)

My preffered method of installation would be to run a new circuit (B32A MCB and 6.0 T&E in surface mounted trunking to a DP isolator) - but the Turk owner wants me to break into the water heater circuit (post isolator) and fit a 32A ceeform socket. Then fit ceeform plugs to the water heater and pizza oven.

 

[securespark]

That set-up allows both to be connected at the same time.

A new circuit would be best practice, but how about a change-over switch?

 

[nozspark]

Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear

Disconnect HW heater and fit ceeform socket after the isolator switch

Fit ceeform plugs to pizza oven and HW heater.

He wants to keep the cost down, so a C/O sw is probably too expensive!!

I WANT A NEW CIRCUIT (it's only 8m away from the CU, but no spare ways!!), but I said I would look into cheaper options for him - fekin' cheap skate got a 520i out on the road!! Told him to put hand in pocket and bring out some cash but he don't want to

 

[RF Lighting]

I've got fed up with customers like this, and have very strictly adopted a policy of "either I do the job properly, or you find someone else"

I just got fed up with people asking me to bodge stuff to save a few quid, and then getting greif because there penny pinching has resulted in the installation not working as well as it could.

If it were me, I'd tell him where to stick his oven.

 

[securespark]

You do have the option of declining to do the work...

I visited a property where the (obviously) wealthy owner could not understand why I condemned a circuit and advised total rewiring, when:

It was wired partly in VIR

There was no cpc

It was on a 6A fuse.

There were JB's outside - standard ones!

Every socket had one cable to it.

He claimed he could not afford it so I could not resist mentioning the 45K Merc on the drive.

He looked at me like thunder & boomed, "THAT CAR DID NOT COST 45K! How DARE you! I paid 60K for it last year!"

I think I made my point...

 

[nozspark]

I think I'll tell him new circuit or won't do it.. for god's sake it's only a couple of hundred notes!!

 

[RF Lighting]

You do have the option of declining to do the work...

I think you just said the same as me, but phrased it much more eloquently

 

[securespark]

I did a job once when I was S/E.

Before I started I explained that I would change the light fitting and that it would cost £30.

"Is this OK?"

"Yes." she said.

So I took down the old light fitting.

Quick as a flash, she reappeared.

"My friend down the road says he can do two for £15."

When she left the room, I quietly put the old fitting back and was walking down the hall when she came out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to let your friend down the road fit your light for you. Good day."

 

[333rocky333]

What if he forgets or cannot be bothered to use the isolater/switch.
Without using a ceeform socket with a linked isolater/switch, what would stop him swapping the plugs while on load,the pins will soon be damaged I would have thought.
Have seen a few of these with burnt out pins when only loaded about 30 amps, and that's with them plugged in permanent.

 

[Spark123]

I'm with Rob and Simon on this one, new circuit or walk away. As 333 says, how long till you are called back because something has gone wrong and he loses a nights pizza production!?

 

[nozspark]

You'd think that this guy would learn.

18 months ago he got this shop and did it out, I went in a worked on the lighting circuit and a radial feeding a display heater. 2 weeks after opening the place burn't down due to some wires that were connected to an old socket (now removed) being twisted together and overheating now they were tiled over.

Like I say the place burn't down (3 engines and the platform engine) ground floor, 1st floor and roof gone. He just about got the place done up on the landlords insurance as he had no contents cover.

Now he want's stuff done by half measures!!!