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Does a SPD need a dedicated MCB?

Discuss Does a SPD need a dedicated MCB? in the UK Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

oscar21

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Does a SPD need a dedicated way?

I need an extra way in this unit for a 3 phase car charger

IMG_20240503_132821_535.jpg


As you can see its a small unit with no extra ways, the building is rented and the tenant is adamant that the board is not to be changed as he has been told no major alterations. We have already bodged it somewhat on his say so by adding a small single phase board for some extra lighting and sockets he wanted (we shuffled the circuits about so all the socket/water heater circuits were spread across the phases and its just lighting sat on the single phase board, thats was last year and everything has been fine so far. I would have fitted an aditional 3ph unit but the mains cupboard is tiny.

He now wants to do similar with the car charger but I need three ways so it would mean moving three socket circuits all onto one phase. But I was thinking, the little unit below has the SPD in it which is fed from a 32A 3 phase MCB, any reason the car charger can't share the same MCB from a regs point of view?

I know its a bodge but I'll be bodging it anyway in one way or another, I also cant say no as its the bloke's office that gives us tonnes of work.

Now for the second question, I don't normally fit car chargers, this is the unit he's bought,


Cant make head nor tail of the instructions, they have a whole paragraph dedicated to how the lead might strangle a kid but nothing that I can find on the type of connection, rating etc, main question is will it need an RCD, the supply cable wont need it as its back to back with the mains unit.

I hate getting involved in stuff like this, its always far from straightforward.
 
Another thing I've just thought of, what about all the other RCBO's in the board, I've not had to touch them yet but if the charger is installed could the DC affect them, do they need changing to type A (if they aren't already) or even type B's.

I honestly don't know why anyone would get involved in this game, its an absolute minefield, thats not to mention the costs involved. It could cost a householder thousands to get up to spec just for the privilege of driving an electric vehicle, which isn't much cheaper than a diesel to run. And that's without adding the install costs to it, then you have to wait all day to "fill it up" and it only has a limited distance compared to normal fuel.

Then there are the repair costs, if something goes wrong you cant work on them yourself, I took our DPF to bits at the weekend and jet-washed it out, good as new. People must be absolutely nuts to go electric, I don't see one plus point, not even close.

Your info on electric cars is out of date.
 
This might as well be posted in the DIY section.

Little difference between what's going on in this thread and a homeowner thinking they know enough to do without paying an electrician, then coming on here expecting all the answers.

This industry has been changing since its inception and people have continually needed to learn. If you no longer want to do that, then step aside on these jobs and let people who know (and care about) what they're doing take over.
 
The DNO need to know so that they can estimate and plan future works to improve the infrastructure.

If a load of EV charge points are put in without them knowing… there will be sections of their network carrying much more than it was designed for.


Whether we like it or not, the govt are pushing EV, and if you don’t take it up…. You will be left behind.
Absolutely. I have a 75 kWh Citroën ë-Dispatch. Great van.
 

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