On Sat, 23 Oct 2004 17:26:47 +0100, Peter Ramm
wrote:

I am going to replace two existing old "fuse box" consumer units (in
the garage) with a new MK Sentry 12-way split load unit.

One of the existing fuse boxes is about 15 inches below the ceiling -
but the other is about 3 inches below the ceiling and separated
laterally from the other box by about 18 inches.

There is no slack in cables coming from the ceiling void.

The problem:
I can fit the new CU close to the ceiling - distance governed by
shortest cable going in to ceiling void - but it is going to be a
bugger to work on.

Could I mount some sort of covered terminal blocks next to the ceiling
(cables then going from terminal blocks straight in to ceiling void)
with the terminal block(s) fed from CU.

I can see it will be a neat solution and easy to work on if it is
permissible.

Any suggestions?


First on the subject of the CU itself, the MK ones are excellent -
I've used several of them in different applications together with
their breakers etc. If you are buying a bunch of stuff, it is worth
going along to an electrical wholesaler and negotiating a discount.
Consider going for a larger CU if 12 only just covers it. The
incremental cost is negligible and far better than kicking yourself
later when you want to add something.

For the connections, you could do the required extensions in a number
of ways. One would be to fit an enclosure with DIN rail close to
the ceiling and use DIN rail terminals, one per conductor.
Another would be to use crimp connectors, again one per conductor.

In either case, it's very important to take care with connections and
preferably to number them with cable identifiers to ensure that you
don't mix connections to different circuits.

If you do any bunching together of cables (e.g. with conduits or
ducts), read the IEE Wiring Regulations tables carefully to ensure
that you don't exceed ratings.




..andy

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