Commercial Fuse box covered with plywood casing

James Jones · Feb 22, 2018

At work we have a fuse box with a door that will not close due to a broken latch. The fuse box is located by a fire door in an office.
To hide the issue a plain plywood box has been used to completely cover the fuse box. I have raised a safety issue with this but there is disagreement on it's safety. Could somebody point me to any regulations that cover this?

Thanks in anticipation.

westward10 · Feb 22, 2018

Show us some pics.

Strima · Feb 22, 2018

Tens of thousands of boards have been boxed in with no issues. As long as access is easy for maintenance and repair then no rules have been broken.

However a picture would be of help in this situation.

James Jones · Feb 22, 2018

Sorry, no picture. It was a box with an opening which was placed over the fuse box completely covering it, no ventilation. Access was easy as box could simply be lifted off.

westward10 · Feb 22, 2018

Strima said:
Tens of thousands of boards have been boxed in with no issues. As long as access is easy for maintenance and repair then no rules have been broken.

However a picture would be of help in this situation.

Not sure I agree with that. Combustible items on or near escape routes should be avoided but would need to see a pic.

Strima · Feb 22, 2018

westward10 said:
Not sure I agree with that. Combustible items on or near escape routes should be avoided but would need to see a pic.

That's why I put a however in at the bottom.

sevuk · Feb 22, 2018

When one thing its noticed, and you think it's not good but might be alright, you start feeling tempted to have a look for other things. It may make you wonder if there's a pyramid of quick fixes leading to a dangerous circumstance.

PEG · Feb 22, 2018

Bring the person to my office,who commissioned the construction and fitting of this plywood box...and never fixed a single catch.

Deleted member 105166 · Feb 22, 2018

I'd be concerned with that scenario if it were an AMD 3 board in a domestic premise, where the inability to close it may compromise it's non-combustibility (421.1.201)

davesparks · Feb 23, 2018

TonyMitchell said:
I'd be concerned with that scenario if it were an AMD 3 board in a domestic premise, where the inability to close it may compromise it's non-combustibility (421.1.201)

How would the lid being open make the material it is constructed from more combustible?

Spoon · Feb 23, 2018

davesparks said:
How would the lid being open make the material it is constructed from more combustible?

Haha.. You read @TonyMitchell post and this is what you got from it.....

Pete999 · Feb 23, 2018

davesparks said:
How would the lid being open make the material it is constructed from more combustible?

Flames could come out via the open lid

only joking

PEG · Feb 23, 2018

Dave is referring to it's non-compliant state,not it's ability to help get a bbq going

davesparks · Feb 23, 2018

Spoon said:
Haha.. You read @TonyMitchell post and this is what you got from it.....

What did you get from it?

Deleted member 105166 · Feb 23, 2018

davesparks said:
How would the lid being open make the material it is constructed from more combustible?

If the lid was open and a fire started within (CB/cabling) it may spread to outside of the board, i.e. containment would be compromised and the end result may be the same as if the board were of plastic...

davesparks · Feb 23, 2018

TonyMitchell said:
If the lid was open and a fire started within (CB/cabling) it may spread to outside of the board, i.e. containment would be compromised and the end result may be the same as if the board were of plastic...

The same will happen with the lid closed, the steel CUs currently being sold are not in any way rated as fire barriers or fire containment, they are manufactured from a non-combustible material as per bs7671.
‘Manufactured from non-combustible material’ means that the material used to make the enclosure does not combust, it makes no mention of containing or restricting the spread of fire.

Pete999 · Feb 23, 2018

In my opinion the onset of the decision and reports of CU fires are a bottom covering excercise by those with the clout to change things, and to eleviate the poor installation methods taught to unsuspecting people, who attend short courses with the promise of becoming a qualified Electrician at the end of the course, and allowed to charge the unsuspecting public, to let them carry out electrical work within their dwellings. Combustable CUs where a common occurrence in Domestic premises far in advance of the reports of CU fires with that the assumption for the fire was the fact that the fire was caused by the CU construction,the fires, apparently had nothing to do with poorly trained people, well thats my take any way.

Deleted member 105166 · Feb 23, 2018

davesparks said:
The same will happen with the lid closed, the steel CUs currently being sold are not in any way rated as fire barriers or fire containment, they are manufactured from a non-combustible material as per bs7671.
‘Manufactured from non-combustible material’ means that the material used to make the enclosure does not combust, it makes no mention of containing or restricting the spread of fire.

Are you saying a fire or by-product of a fire, such as molten metal, is not more likely to remain contained and extinguish within a metal unit, as opposed to a plastic one? That's where I'm coming from.

westward10 · Feb 23, 2018

A metal consumer unit will not contain a fire and it is inevitable that it will spread if it is not noticed but not as rapidly as a plastic enclosure which aids fire spread.

Spoon · Feb 23, 2018

westward10 said:
A metal consumer unit will not contain a fire and it is inevitable that it will spread if it is not noticed but not as rapidly as a plastic enclosure which aids fire spread.

Has there been any tests for fires within metal consumer units?
Isn't there the possibility that the metal CU will produce enough smoke in the CU to extinguish the fire? This is of course you don't put a hole in the back of the CU and put the cables through that, stating that there is no IP rating for the back of the CU in the regs....... (Unless you put suitable sealant round them)

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