240v consumer wiring/info thread.

or alternatively does anyone have a link to a consumer unit that is compliant from the off? so far i'm only £7 down from buying the 2 new breakers today as my brother gave me the unit, if the doubles are £20 each a whole unit that's correct may be cheaper?

 

is this compliant?
http://www.xtremevan.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=5088

 

they use to but i have not fitted one in a year you could give them a call.

In homes in this county we normally we use a single pole mcb/switches to switch the live only so one of the first tests on a house is that all switches are on the live.
Most of the rest of the EU use double pole mcbs and switches on every thing so getting L&N the right way round isn't as important to them.

As campers/motorhomes are so dangerous (they have a special section in the regs) they say to use double pole to cover all bases

 

Its been double pole for quite a while to be honest. My old one had single pole breakers. Im not dead yet. The rcd is double pole

 

The rcd on my picture you mean?

 

Go for the double pole ones if you can get them. Belt and braces and saves messing about testing the mains wherever you go?

 

I know, just annoying I paid for 2 "normal" ones. Also I want 3 ideally but most seem to take 2 spaces- Matty linked a 16a single space up there ^^ but I can't find a 10 or less, also at £20 for one breaker it's getting to the point where it might be cheaper to buy a ready made double pole unit hence me asking if anyone had a link.

 

I'm not intending to use single now I know- I need this right from the start

 

half the price and in different sizes or go down your local wholesaler

6a
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Schneider...854675?hash=item1a0c615393:g:NSQAAOSwEetWBRkB

10a
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Merlin-Sc...146571?hash=item1a0c197c8b:g:lcQAAOSwVL1WBSLG

16a
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Merlin-Sc...146711?hash=item1a0c197d17:g:w44AAOSwVL1WBSN~

 

Thanks @matty is the 6a suitable? TypeC? I thought I was looking at B's?

 

I meant mine actually but RCDs are double pole anyway. I cant recall ever coming across one that only switched the live but that dosnt mean they dont exist.

There are different types of breaker. Their function is to disconnect the mains in event of an overload or short circuit. A single pole one, in effect, measures the current in the live conductor and disconnects, ie switches off when it senses either a constant overload above its rated capacity ie if its 6 amp and you have 20 amps flowing then within a designed time (to cater for small overloads of short duration which wont necessarily cause damage to the wiring) it will disconnect the breaker, i.e. it automatically switches off. The same applies to a short circuit, which is a fault which isnt an overload, i.e. not because youve plugged to much in but for instance but that there is say a wiring fault which shorts out the live and neutral. Lots of current flows and the breaker operates before the cable becomes damaged and a fire occurs. How fast these things go by design relates to the ratio of time to the current passing through them and is described as the "type" of breaker.

A double pole breaker monitors the current in both live and neutral. Some breakers are single pole, switched neutral. These monitor the live but will disconnect both live and neutral connections. This is fine also. A single pole breaker operating on a sytem where the polarity of the supply is reversed will operate, however this means that everything remains live right through your wiring, through any items of equipment plugged in and all the way back to the breaker. This means the fault is still there, is still live and ready to shock you when you start to investigate the fault or even continue drawing current if this is flowing to earth until a breaker back at the connection point goes, hopefully.

It also means that you cant disconnect the fault and get the power back on to everything else.

Your RCD is primarily designed to protect against electric shock. It monitors the current going through the live and neutral conductors. If there is an imbalance between the two then it automatically trips out the supply. That level of current imbalance and the time it takes the breaker to trip is set at a level which is likely to limit any shock to be non lethal.

So... Your electrical system, ie its breakers and rcd are there to protect against overload, fire, and shock and do all this in a number of ways!

Incidentally your rcd doesnt care which way your mains is connected, neither does a double pole breaker. It is imperative to have an earth connection on the van to ensure the devices do their job properly. I would definately recommend a socket tester as not only will this confirm correct polarity they also indicate whether you have an earth connection too. By that i mean not just from the elctrical system in the van to the van chassis but also through the connection lead and the site outlet.

Minimum size of cable quoted by regs for your mains lead is 2.5 mm to cater for the load over the standard distance of the cable to reduce volt drop in the cable, mitigate against any heating effect in the cable and provide a low resistance earth path. The regulations for the wiring on sites states that the maximum distance from the furtherst point on the pitch to the site connection should be a max of 25 m, hence the requirement for your lead to be 25m. It also says that there shouldnt be any connections in the lead, this includes those made by plug and socket. This is so that any plug and socket isnt sitting in water on the ground which the couplers are not rated for in term sof their ingress protection ( im not up for an argument on this as its constantly ignored as people either dont want to carry such a big lead so may use two leads connected together....)


I could go on, i have a bit already but the issue of polarity can be a seious one. You can get converters which plug in to right a wrong polarity. But think about it. Its very easy to cross the wires over in the lead if your using more than one connected together and on euro sites still using schuko plugs you can actually swap them around in the socket.


So.... Am i compliant..... No, im not. I dont do the 2.5 25m thing and ive taken my own route to providing the protection above which is compliant but not quite as desribed. Also the inlet on my van is the schuko type so can be reversed. I carry a socket tester and do test when i hook up.

Think ive got most of that as i meant to say it and hope it helps. Hats of to @rickyrooo1 for wanting to get it as it should be. Im sick of the RCD extension lead argument. Im happy to be corrected by those in the know if any of the above isnt as it should be but not up for an argument with someone who just wants to justify their sub-standard install based on the fact they arent dead yet.

 

So when you're perusing Ebay for a cheapy lead, note that 19 out of 20 on offer are 1.5mm!
Thanks to Dicky and Matty and others for previously pointing this out I got the right one.

 

well said
Putting 230v in a metal box thats subjected to high vibrations and mounted on 4 insulators on wet/muddy ground is a serious thing to do. Electrical installation is not about making it work its about making it safe when things go wrong.

 

Excellent post @Dicky and @matty can one of you confirm my query on the breakers Matty linked above? I'd like to order as soon as I know they are correct. Thanks

 

Type B

 

So the 6a one Matty linked is wrong?

 

The 6 amp would appear to be type C. You need a type B.

 

Also, if you use DP breakers, you'll need to modify the neutral wiring inside your consumer unit, so it won't be the same as in your previous pic.

 

that will be my next question, i'm deffo going to use doubles, can't find a 6a type b single size though and it doesn't look like screwfix do doubles

 

You'll have trouble finding DP breakers.

Mods: you'll need to remove the neutral output wire from the top-left neutral terminal, then wire individual neutral cables from the screw terminal strip to the N input of each breaker (so three wires). You'd then take each neutral output individually from each breaker, as per the lives. Should work, but the whole lot might not physically fit.