As a homeowner and (shh - DIY'er) my awareness of prescribed zones is something I find very useful and I try to maintain it whenever I do any work of my own. Just yesterday I ran a spur from an existing low level double socket to a single socket installed within a floating TV unit to avoid having a visible cable feeding the TV equipment and I made sure the cable followed a horizontal path from the low level socket before turning vertical into the new socket. It required me to shove my arm down into the void to shape the cable but seemed like the right thing to do. The itch from the insulation has settled down now... :) As for the Proteus boards, I'm a bit of a Fusebox fan myself but I do have a Proteus board which I installed in my garage a few years ago. Maybe they've changed the design now but I wish they had a design where the front cover could stay open like the Fusebox boards do. Also, I wish the cover flap had some rubber bumpers to avoid the cover rattling when I close my garage door. The latter complaint is very much specific to my situation but it's a steel framed agricultural style garage with timber side rails and purlins and the door is right next to the consumer unit. So when you close the door, it rattles the consumer unit lid annoyingly. I'll fix it with some self adhesive rubber dots like you use on kitchen cupboard doors so not a big deal. To be fair, this probably isn't a problem specific to Proteus but generally it'd be nice if the cover flap had some rubber stops. Really nice work on the consumer unit given that you didn't have as much cable length as you would have liked. Interesting to see that you favour having all the spare ways at the left hand side rather than interspersed like CJR Electrical seems to prefer. Any reason for that? Personally I like to spread out the spare ways so I can keep the heavier loads near to the main switch and lighter loads farther away. That said, I prefer the aesthetics of keeping the spare ways to the left. Thanks.
Hi Craig, consumer unit lids should all fall closed and should not be able to remain open. Proteus have drastically improved the entire range over the last decade. Very good quality across the board. Spacing of devices is always an option. Unless you have high loads for a considerable duration it really is of no benefit or detraction one way or another. People often confuse the temps within a consumer unit around derating. Biggest issue is the use of 608989 61009 devices in unheated spaces as rather than become more quick to operate they go the other way! Pollution factors are often ignored and 60947-2 comes into its own. If I had say an EV adjacent to a sauna or hot tub then you can see the benefit in spacing. But generally at a domestic level a pretty much non issue. I often change how I lay boards out, usually just for the sake of a change lol. Thanks
Great content Mark. I with you on the prescribed zones situation, this should be clear for all trades and homeowners really. It would be a good idea for homes to have a qr code on purchase with all related documents like condition reports gas certs etc possibly even area searches but also containing basic info like cable zones.
Doesn't really matter where the final circuits go on the 100A busbar. I did use to go largest to smallest as that's how I was taught. But makes zero difference. So yeah as in this case it's not worth extending conductors to achieve any particular layout over the other. In my opinion anyway. Cheers mate.
Hi My CU is fitted in the dining room ( originally the garage). It looks awful high up on the wall. Can it be repositioned in its own plastic electric box on the outside wall cavity?
What are you proposing to seal? Fire sealing internal to a consumer unit is not needed. The sealing should be done outside of it. Either via fire grommets and pads. In this case it’s on a solid brick wall with penetrations sealed. Hager for example prohibit sealing pads and such inside their consumer units entirely. An often misunderstood topic. Hope that helps.
Hi Mark Quick one, what's your take on the rear entry sealing. On an EICR, NAPIT Codebreaker Section 4.4 covers fire rating of CU and suggests C3 for excessive rear hole entry size with no thermal damage, but Section 5.13 says holes for cables passing through ceilings/walls/floors not made to the degree of fire rating to prevent the spread of fire should be marked as C2. This particular I'm working with is in a block of flats (top floor flat) but same would apply to other domestic settings. Thanks :) May drop the EFixx guys a message as well, can't find any videos where they've covered it, but doesn't mean they haven't....
If its fire compartmentation system all holes should be fixed and have fire pads in them, sockets, consuner units etc. For standard domestic it depends. If passing into a wall with a cavity. Say stud work then fire seal. If on masonry no need as the enclosure is fire rated with holes in it generally. Hope that helps.
@@electrician247 Thanks Mark. The whole place is metal stud partition walls & celings. The building construction is concrete floors between each level of the building. None of the plastic dryline socket or switch back-boxes have any fire pads in them and the accessories are all plastic as well. The owner is saying if it doesn't 'need it' then he doesn't want to pay for it, which I understand. I'm tempted to try and find a fire pad to stuff in the consumer unit hole, but loathed to pump it full of intumescent sealant as it makes any future works an absolute nightmare. The overall condition of the installation is very good. So tempted to put it as a C3 or not code it at all as its already covered as a C3 under Section 4.4. "excessive rear hole entry size"
@InTruServ if fire compartments apply any fire break between flats must be maintained. Sometimes they have fire break walls behind the actual walls of that makes sense. One to review with the fire officer.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
As a homeowner and (shh - DIY'er) my awareness of prescribed zones is something I find very useful and I try to maintain it whenever I do any work of my own. Just yesterday I ran a spur from an existing low level double socket to a single socket installed within a floating TV unit to avoid having a visible cable feeding the TV equipment and I made sure the cable followed a horizontal path from the low level socket before turning vertical into the new socket. It required me to shove my arm down into the void to shape the cable but seemed like the right thing to do. The itch from the insulation has settled down now... :)
As for the Proteus boards, I'm a bit of a Fusebox fan myself but I do have a Proteus board which I installed in my garage a few years ago. Maybe they've changed the design now but I wish they had a design where the front cover could stay open like the Fusebox boards do. Also, I wish the cover flap had some rubber bumpers to avoid the cover rattling when I close my garage door. The latter complaint is very much specific to my situation but it's a steel framed agricultural style garage with timber side rails and purlins and the door is right next to the consumer unit. So when you close the door, it rattles the consumer unit lid annoyingly. I'll fix it with some self adhesive rubber dots like you use on kitchen cupboard doors so not a big deal. To be fair, this probably isn't a problem specific to Proteus but generally it'd be nice if the cover flap had some rubber stops.
Really nice work on the consumer unit given that you didn't have as much cable length as you would have liked. Interesting to see that you favour having all the spare ways at the left hand side rather than interspersed like CJR Electrical seems to prefer. Any reason for that? Personally I like to spread out the spare ways so I can keep the heavier loads near to the main switch and lighter loads farther away. That said, I prefer the aesthetics of keeping the spare ways to the left.
Thanks.
Hi Craig, consumer unit lids should all fall closed and should not be able to remain open. Proteus have drastically improved the entire range over the last decade. Very good quality across the board.
Spacing of devices is always an option. Unless you have high loads for a considerable duration it really is of no benefit or detraction one way or another. People often confuse the temps within a consumer unit around derating. Biggest issue is the use of 608989 61009 devices in unheated spaces as rather than become more quick to operate they go the other way! Pollution factors are often ignored and 60947-2 comes into its own.
If I had say an EV adjacent to a sauna or hot tub then you can see the benefit in spacing. But generally at a domestic level a pretty much non issue. I often change how I lay boards out, usually just for the sake of a change lol.
Thanks
Appreciate Mark for time to explain the prescribed zones it really help us a lot
Great content Mark. I with you on the prescribed zones situation, this should be clear for all trades and homeowners really. It would be a good idea for homes to have a qr code on purchase with all related documents like condition reports gas certs etc possibly even area searches but also containing basic info like cable zones.
That's a really good shout on the QR code. We deffo need to educate home owners as most have no idea
Nice 1 Mark 👍top advise as always. For a second thought you was a vicar not an electrician with the vertical and horizontal hand gestures 😂 😂 😂
🤣🤣🤣🤣 I bless this wall amen 🙏
Thanks for the eFIXX shoutout Mark 🦾💕🦾
You mean the No1 sparky channel 💪. Always mate.
Always wondered what a zern was
Very neat mate 👏👏😎
Nice job. I normally install the heaviest loads next to the main switch. Did you position the oven and final ring circuits due to cable length ? 👍
Doesn't really matter where the final circuits go on the 100A busbar. I did use to go largest to smallest as that's how I was taught. But makes zero difference. So yeah as in this case it's not worth extending conductors to achieve any particular layout over the other. In my opinion anyway. Cheers mate.
Hi
My CU is fitted in the dining room ( originally the garage). It looks awful high up on the wall.
Can it be repositioned in its own plastic electric box on the outside wall cavity?
I wouldn't advise it no. Reposition somewhere else inside absolutely
@@electrician247 Thanks for your reply.
I read your advice "No".
This it forbidden by regulations?
@MrGuy999guy electrical.theiet.org/test/wm-in-progress/102-september-2024/external-consumer-units-for-electric-vehicles-in-a-domestic-environment/
Do you affect the warranty by cutting fly leads? Great content.
No mate. All good to cut
No. I’ve checked directly with a manufacturer
No fire sealant used?
What are you proposing to seal? Fire sealing internal to a consumer unit is not needed. The sealing should be done outside of it. Either via fire grommets and pads. In this case it’s on a solid brick wall with penetrations sealed.
Hager for example prohibit sealing pads and such inside their consumer units entirely. An often misunderstood topic. Hope that helps.
@@electrician247 Thanks for this piece of info 👍
Just curious. How do you isolate the meter tails as they would always be live even if the main switch is off? Would you have to contact IDO?
We either get isolations from the DNO or have tails isolators installed.
@@electrician247thank you mate
Hi Mark
Quick one, what's your take on the rear entry sealing. On an EICR, NAPIT Codebreaker Section 4.4 covers fire rating of CU and suggests C3 for excessive rear hole entry size with no thermal damage, but Section 5.13 says holes for cables passing through ceilings/walls/floors not made to the degree of fire rating to prevent the spread of fire should be marked as C2. This particular I'm working with is in a block of flats (top floor flat) but same would apply to other domestic settings. Thanks :)
May drop the EFixx guys a message as well, can't find any videos where they've covered it, but doesn't mean they haven't....
If its fire compartmentation system all holes should be fixed and have fire pads in them, sockets, consuner units etc.
For standard domestic it depends. If passing into a wall with a cavity. Say stud work then fire seal. If on masonry no need as the enclosure is fire rated with holes in it generally.
Hope that helps.
@@electrician247 Thanks Mark. The whole place is metal stud partition walls & celings. The building construction is concrete floors between each level of the building. None of the plastic dryline socket or switch back-boxes have any fire pads in them and the accessories are all plastic as well.
The owner is saying if it doesn't 'need it' then he doesn't want to pay for it, which I understand. I'm tempted to try and find a fire pad to stuff in the consumer unit hole, but loathed to pump it full of intumescent sealant as it makes any future works an absolute nightmare.
The overall condition of the installation is very good. So tempted to put it as a C3 or not code it at all as its already covered as a C3 under Section 4.4. "excessive rear hole entry size"
@InTruServ if fire compartments apply any fire break between flats must be maintained. Sometimes they have fire break walls behind the actual walls of that makes sense. One to review with the fire officer.
How did you extend the CPCs?
Lever connector rated to 32A. I could have twisted them together or used a choc block 🤢🤮
@@electrician247 wago?
@@IAmThe_RA nope.
@@electrician24732amps on the cpc, just in case?
👌
Zones 🦾
Horizontal OR vertical... Apparently 🙃
The drama some will create to raise profile is embarrassing
@@electrician247 either that or the IET really have put something in their water 🫣
Pipes don’t seem to have any zones they just seem run them where they feel like it 😂
100% 1mm below the plaster finish or floorboards 🤣
To fast for me to watch. Sorry but even when you added the narration it was well difficult.
You can always pause and catch up.
What make/Brand are your screwdrivers?
CK dextra glow in the dark
@@electrician247 Awesome. Thanks Mark
@@electrician247 Just an Update. My Dextras turned up today and already turning heads in Aus lol!