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I am an old school Leccy having done 24 years in the Royal Navy as an electrical/electronic engineer (Control Electrical Mechanic) maintaining and repairing submarine sonar sets.
When I left I went to Highbury Tech in Portsmouth and did my C&Gs to the 16th edition of the IEEE edition of the regs.
I did the odd job but at the time there were enough Leccys out there so I went into MoD work working for Plessey GEC Marconi etc.
I took early retirement and moved to France and after a while found the need to work which I did with a firm in the Limoges area as an Electrician.
It didn't take me long to realise (about half an hour) that the French don't wire houses the same as us Brits. It also struck me that the French and probably other areas of Europe do have some good methods of house bashing.
So why is it that us Brits still house bash the way we do.
The French use Interupteurs (RCDS) and Interupteurs Differentials (RCDs that are used specifically for electrical bits of kit subject to cliches and spikes such as washing machines etc) They feed Disjonctuers (MCBs) like our MCBs but both sides are ie phase and neutral are wired thru the MCBs OK so now we have RCBOs that take the place of both the RCD and the MCB is that a good move? Food for thought some one obviously thinks so.
The French don't have a socket ring main but a spured system of between 5 and 8 sockets depending on the cummulative total current/wattage of the equipment being supplied.
Things like washing machines, Freezers etc have their own supply. ie all on seperate disjoncteurs
Most cable runs are in gaine (plastic concertina type plastic conduit) and are run as single cores so 2.5 TWE as it would be here would be three 2.5 single core 2.5mm sheathed cable even the earth!!! Which I have never understood here why the earth in a 2.5 TWE flat sheathed cable has a 1.5mm core and not sheathed !!
This system makes it easy to when you need odd cabling systems such as two or three way light switching or control cables for heaters etc.
Joining or adding cables to a Cct the French very rarely use 'choc block and never use those brown or white circular bakelite excuse for a JB but use push fitted connectors such as the WAGO connectors into purpose built square or round plastic JBs. When I was doing some work on my bungalow about three years back and went into CEF to see if they had any there was a lot of teeth sucking and tutting why?? I daren't ask !
I'm not saying everything the French do or did was good but a lot of it made sense.
TNS systems weren't very apparent and trying to get a decent earth connection on an earth spike was sometimes fun NOT!
Anyway I guess I have sufficiently wound up some of you with my rantings but surely isn't it about time we brought our house bashing techniques into the 21st century??
When I left I went to Highbury Tech in Portsmouth and did my C&Gs to the 16th edition of the IEEE edition of the regs.
I did the odd job but at the time there were enough Leccys out there so I went into MoD work working for Plessey GEC Marconi etc.
I took early retirement and moved to France and after a while found the need to work which I did with a firm in the Limoges area as an Electrician.
It didn't take me long to realise (about half an hour) that the French don't wire houses the same as us Brits. It also struck me that the French and probably other areas of Europe do have some good methods of house bashing.
So why is it that us Brits still house bash the way we do.
The French use Interupteurs (RCDS) and Interupteurs Differentials (RCDs that are used specifically for electrical bits of kit subject to cliches and spikes such as washing machines etc) They feed Disjonctuers (MCBs) like our MCBs but both sides are ie phase and neutral are wired thru the MCBs OK so now we have RCBOs that take the place of both the RCD and the MCB is that a good move? Food for thought some one obviously thinks so.
The French don't have a socket ring main but a spured system of between 5 and 8 sockets depending on the cummulative total current/wattage of the equipment being supplied.
Things like washing machines, Freezers etc have their own supply. ie all on seperate disjoncteurs
Most cable runs are in gaine (plastic concertina type plastic conduit) and are run as single cores so 2.5 TWE as it would be here would be three 2.5 single core 2.5mm sheathed cable even the earth!!! Which I have never understood here why the earth in a 2.5 TWE flat sheathed cable has a 1.5mm core and not sheathed !!
This system makes it easy to when you need odd cabling systems such as two or three way light switching or control cables for heaters etc.
Joining or adding cables to a Cct the French very rarely use 'choc block and never use those brown or white circular bakelite excuse for a JB but use push fitted connectors such as the WAGO connectors into purpose built square or round plastic JBs. When I was doing some work on my bungalow about three years back and went into CEF to see if they had any there was a lot of teeth sucking and tutting why?? I daren't ask !
I'm not saying everything the French do or did was good but a lot of it made sense.
TNS systems weren't very apparent and trying to get a decent earth connection on an earth spike was sometimes fun NOT!
Anyway I guess I have sufficiently wound up some of you with my rantings but surely isn't it about time we brought our house bashing techniques into the 21st century??