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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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#1
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together.
The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. |
#2
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Friday, January 18, 2019 at 5:04:50 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. "obvs" I mean blue ! Must be time for the weekend. |
#3
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
sm_jamieson Wrote in message:
On Friday, January 18, 2019 at 5:04:50 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. "obvs" I mean blue ! Must be time for the weekend. Still time before it starts ;-) -- Jim K ----Android NewsGroup Reader---- http://usenet.sinaapp.com/ |
#4
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Friday, 18 January 2019 17:04:50 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Yes, although to comply with type approval it should really be a genuine MK part. http://www.sparkiespares.com/index.p...ct&id_la ng=2 If you do make your own, some will say it should have crimped ferrules. Owain |
#5
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Fri, 18 Jan 2019 18:15:25 +0000 (GMT+00:00), "Jim K.."
wrote: sm_jamieson Wrote in message: On Friday, January 18, 2019 at 5:04:50 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. "obvs" I mean blue ! Must be time for the weekend. Still time before it starts ;-) LWT used to start transmitting at 7.00pm on Friday evening. That always marked the start of the weekend for me. |
#6
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Friday, 18 January 2019 19:55:43 UTC, wrote:
On Friday, 18 January 2019 17:04:50 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Yes, although to comply with type approval it should really be a genuine MK part. http://www.sparkiespares.com/index.p...ct&id_la ng=2 If you do make your own, some will say it should have crimped ferrules. Owain I don't think that cable will fit in the neutral terminal block, it is for joining switches and only fits in the top of the switch which has much wider "holes". Surely crimped ferules is only for fine strand cable ? The point about using the 16mm singles cable is that being made of a few thick "wires" it does not need a ferrule. Simon. |
#7
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Friday, 18 January 2019 20:42:15 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
On Friday, 18 January 2019 19:55:43 UTC, wrote: On Friday, 18 January 2019 17:04:50 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Yes, although to comply with type approval it should really be a genuine MK part. http://www.sparkiespares.com/index.p...ct&id_la ng=2 If you do make your own, some will say it should have crimped ferrules. Owain I don't think that cable will fit in the neutral terminal block, it is for joining switches and only fits in the top of the switch which has much wider "holes". Surely crimped ferules is only for fine strand cable ? The point about using the 16mm singles cable is that being made of a few thick "wires" it does not need a ferrule. Simon. The factory made split load 16mm tri-rated cables have on one end a rectangular ferrule about 2mm x 8mm, and on the other end something like in the following link, although this does not look like a crimp, more like a solder item. https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Cembre-A3-p...1094519&chn=ps |
#8
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Friday, 18 January 2019 22:59:11 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
On Friday, 18 January 2019 20:42:15 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: On Friday, 18 January 2019 19:55:43 UTC, wrote: On Friday, 18 January 2019 17:04:50 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Yes, although to comply with type approval it should really be a genuine MK part. http://www.sparkiespares.com/index.p...ct&id_la ng=2 If you do make your own, some will say it should have crimped ferrules. Owain I don't think that cable will fit in the neutral terminal block, it is for joining switches and only fits in the top of the switch which has much wider "holes". Surely crimped ferules is only for fine strand cable ? The point about using the 16mm singles cable is that being made of a few thick "wires" it does not need a ferrule. Simon. The factory made split load 16mm tri-rated cables have on one end a rectangular ferrule about 2mm x 8mm, and on the other end something like in the following link, although this does not look like a crimp, more like a solder item. https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Cembre-A3-p...1094519&chn=ps Ah, this says they are crimps: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/crimp...ctors/8092366/ The magic phrase is 16MM UN-INSULATED REDUCING PIN CRIMP. But when crimp the shape seems to turn into an indented hexagon, so that is a heavy duty crimping tool. I could find a local electrical firm that could modify my spare split load cables by putting one of those on the other end. I'm not sure about reducing the conductor size so much, but that seems to be the way it is done. I suppose its only a few millimetres at the reduced size. Simon. |
#10
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On 18/01/2019 17:18, sm_jamieson wrote:
On Friday, January 18, 2019 at 5:04:50 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. "obvs" I mean blue ! Must be time for the weekend. Use black for that pre 2004 experience. -- Adam |
#11
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On 18/01/2019 17:04, sm_jamieson wrote:
I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. 16mm will have 7 strands. It will be fine. -- Adam |
#12
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 11:27:42 AM UTC, ARW wrote:
On 18/01/2019 17:04, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. 16mm will have 7 strands. It will be fine. -- Adam OK thanks, just needed to check it would pass inspection ! Putting in more RCBOs I need to tidy the wiring up a bit. I have plenty of slack. It seems like the best practice is to run the incoming circuit cables quite low behind the RCBOs and then loop them back up to be connected. That way you avoid a rats nest crammed in above the RCBOs. Simon. |
#13
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 12:03:40 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 11:27:42 AM UTC, ARW wrote: On 18/01/2019 17:04, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. 16mm will have 7 strands. It will be fine. -- Adam OK thanks, just needed to check it would pass inspection ! Putting in more RCBOs I need to tidy the wiring up a bit. I have plenty of slack. It seems like the best practice is to run the incoming circuit cables quite low behind the RCBOs and then loop them back up to be connected. That way you avoid a rats nest crammed in above the RCBOs. Simon. Just a thought. Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Perhaps without fitting a whole second mini-CU, henley blocks, etc. e.g. via a fused switch directly from the main incomers. Simon. |
#14
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Saturday, 19 January 2019 12:19:37 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 12:03:40 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 11:27:42 AM UTC, ARW wrote: On 18/01/2019 17:04, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. 16mm will have 7 strands. It will be fine. -- Adam OK thanks, just needed to check it would pass inspection ! Putting in more RCBOs I need to tidy the wiring up a bit. I have plenty of slack. It seems like the best practice is to run the incoming circuit cables quite low behind the RCBOs and then loop them back up to be connected. That way you avoid a rats nest crammed in above the RCBOs. Simon. Just a thought. Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Perhaps without fitting a whole second mini-CU, henley blocks, etc. e.g. via a fused switch directly from the main incomers. Simon. I suppose if you've got the live bus bar out you could just run a wire to energize the light in cupboard circuit, but the main switch would have to be on. |
#15
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Saturday, 19 January 2019 12:19:37 UTC, sm_jamieson wrote:
Just a thought. Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Simplest is a battery backed up emergency lighting unit from a lighting MCB. You can't do a FCU from the main incomers as a BS1362 plug fuse won't have the breaking capacity (6 kA). BS1361 type I are 16.5 kA (HBC cartridge fuses for consumer units) and BS1361 type II (supplier cutouts) are 33 kA. Owain |
#16
Posted to uk.d-i-y
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
sm_jamieson wrote:
Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Non-maintained emergency light fed from a circuit on the CU, if mains fails or you turn that MCB off, the light comes on ... |
#17
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
sm_jamieson formulated the question :
Just a thought. Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Perhaps without fitting a whole second mini-CU, henley blocks, etc. e.g. via a fused switch directly from the main incomers. There is no other way I can think of. Unless you think in terms of an emergency light, or some sort of battery powered light. |
#18
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On Saturday, 19 January 2019 12:41:28 UTC, Harry Bloomfield wrote:
sm_jamieson formulated the question : Just a thought. Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Perhaps without fitting a whole second mini-CU, henley blocks, etc. e.g. via a fused switch directly from the main incomers. There is no other way I can think of. Unless you think in terms of an emergency light, or some sort of battery powered light. Thanks all, yes an emergency light is the best idea of course, and if the power is lost competely it comes on (to state the obvious). |
#19
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
In article ,
sm_jamieson wrote: On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 12:03:40 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 11:27:42 AM UTC, ARW wrote: On 18/01/2019 17:04, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. 16mm will have 7 strands. It will be fine. -- Adam OK thanks, just needed to check it would pass inspection ! Putting in more RCBOs I need to tidy the wiring up a bit. I have plenty of slack. It seems like the best practice is to run the incoming circuit cables quite low behind the RCBOs and then loop them back up to be connected. That way you avoid a rats nest crammed in above the RCBOs. Simon. Just a thought. Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Perhaps without fitting a whole second mini-CU, henley blocks, etc. e.g. via a fused switch directly from the main incomers. Use a good head-mounted LED llight -- from KT24 in Surrey, England "I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle |
#20
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
"sm_jamieson" wrote in message ... On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 12:03:40 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 11:27:42 AM UTC, ARW wrote: On 18/01/2019 17:04, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. 16mm will have 7 strands. It will be fine. OK thanks, just needed to check it would pass inspection ! Putting in more RCBOs I need to tidy the wiring up a bit. I have plenty of slack. It seems like the best practice is to run the incoming circuit cables quite low behind the RCBOs and then loop them back up to be connected. That way you avoid a rats nest crammed in above the RCBOs. Just a thought. Too radical by far. Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Perhaps without fitting a whole second mini-CU, henley blocks, etc. e.g. via a fused switch directly from the main incomers. Use one of those battery powered movement sensor leds. |
#21
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Joining CU neutral terminal blocks
On 19/01/2019 16:30, charles wrote:
In article , sm_jamieson wrote: On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 12:03:40 PM UTC, sm_jamieson wrote: On Saturday, January 19, 2019 at 11:27:42 AM UTC, ARW wrote: On 18/01/2019 17:04, sm_jamieson wrote: I have a MK Sentry split load CU that I am turning into an all-RCBO board, so I need to join the neutral bars together. The existing board had 4 neutral sections with the first two joined together by a rather thin-looking U shaped link. The neutral bars are supposed to be able to take 16mm cable. Can I just join them together with 16mm rigid cable like the stuff you use for large earth connections (obviously will be sleeved in brown) ? Thanks, Simon. 16mm will have 7 strands. It will be fine. -- Adam OK thanks, just needed to check it would pass inspection ! Putting in more RCBOs I need to tidy the wiring up a bit. I have plenty of slack. It seems like the best practice is to run the incoming circuit cables quite low behind the RCBOs and then loop them back up to be connected. That way you avoid a rats nest crammed in above the RCBOs. Simon. Just a thought. Its nice to have light in the CU cupboard ! What is the simplest acceptable way to wire (surface-wired) a light so it can be on when the CU main switch is off ? Perhaps without fitting a whole second mini-CU, henley blocks, etc. e.g. via a fused switch directly from the main incomers. Use a good head-mounted LED llight https://www.toolstation.com/nightsea...p-torch/p21740 just aim it upwards and it lights up most things. -- Adam |
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