Seperate Circuit For Fridge/freezer !!

[Golden_Boy]

After returning from Greece after a two week break I found my Kitchen RCBO had tripped.:icon9:
However as I had the forsight to provide a dedicated circuit for the freezer all is well.
Why dont folk heed the advice and do this when having a rewire as a matter of course?

 

[malcolmsanford]

After returning from Greece after a two week break I found my Kitchen RCBO had tripped.:icon9:
However as I had the forsight to provide a dedicated circuit for the freezer all is well.
Why dont folk heed the advice and do this when having a rewire as a matter of course?

Did you find why it tripped. I could understand an RCD going out that covered multiple circuits, but an RCBO tripping would indicate to me a fault situation.

 

[telectrix]

could also be a spike on the supply.

 

[brizospark]

im sure the client would be happy with surface mounting a radial on a rewire!!!

 

[JamesBrownLive]

Just interpreting the regs brizo....all circuits buried at a depth of less than 50mm and not having suitable mechanical protection from nails, screws and the like...to be given additional protection by meens of an rcd with a max residual opperating current 30mA.

Just how far does that extend??

Surface mounting is fine, but I presume that at some point the cable has to go through a wall, is it not then bound by that reg and would still need RCD protection??

Cheers

 

[Deleted member 26818]

The reference in the Regulation is to the cables being concealed in walls. A cable that passes through a wall would not be considered as being concealled.

 

[davelerave]

i don't rcd freezers on new work

i'll be keeping the fire risk from fridges and freezers at the back of my mind anymore when installing smoke alarms
Danfoss warns UK public of fridge and freezer fire risk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jul/05/beko-fridge-freezer-fire-warning

don't know if the 30mA would protect on any of these faults-apparently they go up like a bonfire

 

[kamkam]

Am I right in thinking that in the new amendments of the 17th all final circuits require RCD protection regardless of installation method? or was that wholesaler counter banter?

 

[Deleted member 26818]

No, there's been no change on that score.

 

[Paul P]

I have done a couple of fridge freezer job and chased in 20mm galv conduit down the wall and earthed it.

 

[Lighthouse Phil]

Here in Ireland, its standard practise to have the freezer on a seperate RCBO for new jobs.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Well since the advent of the 16th split load board, I've always prefered to place fridges and freezers, along with cookers on separate non-RCD protected circuits.
The introduction of more stringent requirements for RCD protection, does not now make me want to change my preferences.

 

[davelerave]

dont like the rcbo phil-i do a separate radial and switched fcu

Here in Ireland, its standard practise to have the freezer on a seperate RCBO for new jobs.

 

[davelerave]

im talkin irish rules btw

 

[SPARTYKUS]

cut the plug off the freezer and wire it into a connection unit. Therefore no one can moan about the socket being used for other purposes. Put the freezer in the dedicated freezer house outside the main house. Get the owner to sign sommat to accept that he is now an "instructed person" and accepts full responsibility for management of the freezer room and it's use

 

[Lighthouse Phil]

The use of the FSU would do away with the requirement for the RCBO / RCD protection - makes sense.
I was on a RECI course recently and a few of the sparks were giving out about having to use a RCBO for the freezer, the RECI guy was kindda insisting it was a reqirement under the ETCI regs.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

There's no point in using an FCU.
BS7671 only requires socket-outlets intended for general use by ordinary persons to have RCD protection.
If a socket-outlet is intended for use with a specific appliance, such as a fridge, freezer, washing machine, etc. even a TV, Sky box or a computer, there is no requirement for it to be RCD protected.
Of course, if the cable supplying a socket-outlet is concealed in a wall, then that's another matter.
As forgetting a house holder to sign something stating they are an skilled or instructed person.
It wouldn't be worth the paper it's written on.
BS7671 allows for skilled or instructed persons in commercial/industrial installations, because legislation (EAWR) requires that they be so.
There is no legislation requiring any one using a domestic installation to be skilled or instructed.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Hence the reason why all circuits within a domestic shall be protected by means of an rcd.....

Actually, there is no requirement to protect any circuits, other than those of a special location in BS7671

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I go down the RCBO route for freezers and smoke alarms. But i always install a non rcd protected socket, usually a twin directly at the side of the consumer unit, then if the RCD or whatever does have a tantrum the the customer has a get out of jail card if i have been drinking etc and cant get there tonight. I do this irrespective of the Consumer unit location and make a note to the effect on the EIC of "Socket adjacent to Consumer unit is for emergency use only and has no RCD protection, and must under no circumstance be used to power appliances outside without the use of a plugin or similar Residual Current Device". I have been doing this forever, and even the Elecsa assessor thought it was a good idea on one of the jobs i was assessed on a year or 3 back. I know it doesn't help if the householder is away, but they could always plug the freezer into it for the duration of their abscence.

Cheers.........Howard

 

[SirKit Breaker]

With the greatest respect circuit why do you put smokes and heats on an rcbo? I thought it was classed as a safety circuit and so wouldn`t it be ok to pull a feed from a lighting way? The theory being that if the lights go out then so does the feed to the smokes. It would be unreasonable for people to walk around in the dark? My theory may be wrong...

As far as i am aware you can do either. On a new install i put a seperate circuit in for the smokes and use a dedicated RCBO so that if one of the RCD banks goes down the smoke alarms dont. If i retrofit and cant shove a new circuit in then i tap into the lighting as you say and then fit RF bases. I would much prefer to put smokes on a MCB with no bloody RCD but we cant unfortunately unless we move heaven and earth digging out walls or any other ways and means at our disposal to comply with the regs. I think the "Using a normally used lighting circuit" has something to do with the MCB rating of the light circuit, and if the lights have power then so do the alarms, but the alarms have a green indicator light anyway to show they have power.

Cheers...........Howard