Rating of electric cable used to supply cooker panels?

[pwdrive]

All mine are protected by RCBs including the armoured cable to the "caravan"

Good look with the alterations Gary, hope all comes well.

Lawrence

[ppppenguin]

There is some debate over whether an outdoor circuit, such pwdrive's caravan, should have its RCD at the source or destination. It must have an RCD (since 15th ed) since it's outside the equipotential bonding zone.

The armoured cable itself need not be covered by an RCD since it's protected by an earthed surround but it's still nice to have the extra protection. The reason for having the RCD at the load end is convenience if it trips. Think of user stumbling back to house in darkness to reset the RCD.

Cascading RCDs is a waste of time. Even if they are rated at different trip currents there's no guarantee about which will trip first in the event of a fault. That would need a time delay RCD (relatively rare and expensive) in the upstream position.

[Radio Fixer]

You have certainly made a study of the Regs Jeffrey. So over kill on the conduit but not a lot more work. I can see clipping the wires to the surface being acceptable but just left dangling and loose behind and below the units did surprise me. A friend has recently had a new kitchen and many of her cables run across the tops of the units. She is a little bit put out by this as being house proud she likes to get up and clean the tops. I may have to volunteer to go round and hopefully bundle them and Tie-Wrap them together.

Thanks for your comments, its been helpful and interesting.

Gary

[camallison]

For the outdoor feed to our motorhome, for charging, I have fitted one of the external power kits sold by the likes of Screwfix or Toolstation that has the RCD adaptor to plug into a normal 13amp socket in the house. The cable then goes through the house wall and into an IP65 rated double socket on the outside. From there is a trailing lead just the same as would be used on hook up when on a site. Our local leccie guy signed it off for me when he signed off my house rewire. It was his suggestion as the easiest way of getting external "garden" power.

Colin

[ppppenguin]

If it plugs into a 13A socket it's not techincally part of the permanent wiring and hence falls outside the scope of the wiring regs. No need for anything to be signed off. Though if somebody gets hurt or something burns and it turns out to be your fault then it could be tough on you.

Gary, when you say cables across the tops of units I assume you mean out of sight above high cupboards. Again acceptable though they should be clipped to the wall at decent intervals. Just lurking loose in an accessible position isn't acceptable. I would call above top cupboards accessible but behind or below base units not so.

[pwdrive]

When I did our place I was lucky enough to get a vertical drop down for the cables down to all the light switches/sockets/outlets etc, kitchens can be a pain as there is normally a lot going on in them in appliance terms. Used to hate working with sparky on site when they were chasing walls, they used a power chaser, dust everywhere like thick fog.

Lawrence.

[Radio Fixer]

Yes! Jeffrey that's how its described to me, across the tops of high cupboards that have a plinth at the front so cant be seen. Of course you have to climb up to them or get a tall pair of steps in so anyone who does that is maybe interfering. I investigate and see if cable ties will at least tidy it up for cleaning purposes.

Gary

[Radio Fixer]

Yesterday the electrician came at 8 and was gone by 4-30.

The speed of working with him and 2 mates + me was amazing. Basically all the kitchen is wired and all wiring run to the utility for the new one. So no more disruption upstairs. A new consumer unit is in place and partial use. It will get finished wired and the old fuse box removed on his next visit.

Guy was on turbo. I had done circuit diagrams of how the kitchen was wired in the 70's, modified by me with ring main extensions for utility and conservatory in the 90's and how he had told me how it was going to be when he finished. But he still found a wire that I hadn't seen. So machine gun questions.

Not a mains power tool in site but masses of Makita everything: SDS drills and power chisels (done by one of the mates and no face masks in use) with fog dust as you said Lawrence. Then cordless circular saws, multi-tools, very powerful screw drivers, even torches.

I had allowed a week and it took a day, well plus a bit more for finishing the consumer unit and testing the house.

But he did say “It was a great help that you had done so much prep” and one mate said “I have never started on such a well organised job”.

Nice when your efforts are appreciated.

Gary

[pwdrive]

Spot on.

Lawrence.

[colly0410]

Good to hear you've got it all sorted RF.

Enjoyed reading this thread, thanks for starting it..