I have been trying to wire in the last few circuits into my previously installed CU and have been having problems with the fixings.
From previous posts you may recall that barring three cables coming down the wall the rest come from beneath the floor in trunking beside the CU, and all cables enter the CU from behind. To facilitate this the CU is on stand-offs and it is these that I underestimated and have been trying to insert larger ones to accommodate the additional cables. The issue that has developed is that the wall is made of cinder "breeze" blocks and the metal wall plugs have worked themselves loose. Unfortunately the CU cannot be re-sited owing to being surrounded by meters , cutout and isolator switch further restricted by having to fit under a worktop. So what are my options?

One option is to embed studding into wall securing it with epoxy or car body filler. Are these fire rated?

Second option is to fit a ply or chipboard back board feeding the cables behind with holes to match the cable entry holes. Advantage of this is that it gives me options to find sound fixing points in the wall and screwing the CU to the board. it would alleviate some of the issue of having to feed the cables into the CU before securing to the wall as it is the weight of the cables that causes the above issues of pulling out the plugs before the CU can be firmly secured. I have seen plenty of CUs attached this way inside exterior service boxes. Would this now meet current fire ratings?

Option three having seen CUs mounted on drywalling I presume PB is regarded as adequate fire rated. I could cover the board in option 2?

The plan was/is to seal all gaps and openings with fire rated foam to ensure the integrity of the CU.

I would be grateful for any opinions on my proposals or any alternatives. Currently the CU has only wired with the original circuits and is precariously hanging off two not so secure screws, so no pressure

Richard

On Thursday, 22 October 2020 23:03:17 UTC+1, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I have been trying to wire in the last few circuits into my
previously installed CU and have been having problems with the fixings.

Cables have to have fire resistant fixings. Consumer units don't :-)

Battens may be better than a board, as it's easier to poke a cable behind a CU on battens.

Studding seems sensible. By the time a fire in a CU has spread outside the CU you've got other problems... Fairly sure there should be fire-resistant epoxy studding in concrete glue as it must be a fairly common requirement ...

JBWeld High Heat?

Owain


Owain

On 22/10/2020 23:03, Tricky Dicky wrote:


The plan was/is to seal all gaps and openings with fire rated foam to ensure the integrity of the CU.


I'd not use spray foam near all those moving parts when there's stuff like

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsen...te-310ml/5689r


--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

On 22/10/2020 23:03, Tricky Dicky wrote:
I have been trying to wire in the last few circuits into my previously installed CU and have been having problems with the fixings.
From previous posts you may recall that barring three cables coming down the wall the rest come from beneath the floor in trunking beside the CU, and all cables enter the CU from behind. To facilitate this the CU is on stand-offs and it is these that I underestimated and have been trying to insert larger ones to accommodate the additional cables. The issue that has developed is that the wall is made of cinder "breeze" blocks and the metal wall plugs have worked themselves loose. Unfortunately the CU cannot be re-sited owing to being surrounded by meters , cutout and isolator switch further restricted by having to fit under a worktop. So what are my options?

One option is to embed studding into wall securing it with epoxy or car body filler. Are these fire rated?

Second option is to fit a ply or chipboard back board feeding the cables behind with holes to match the cable entry holes. Advantage of this is that it gives me options to find sound fixing points in the wall and screwing the CU to the board. it would alleviate some of the issue of having to feed the cables into the CU before securing to the wall as it is the weight of the cables that causes the above issues of pulling out the plugs before the CU can be firmly secured. I have seen plenty of CUs attached this way inside exterior service boxes. Would this now meet current fire ratings?

Option three having seen CUs mounted on drywalling I presume PB is regarded as adequate fire rated. I could cover the board in option 2?

The plan was/is to seal all gaps and openings with fire rated foam to ensure the integrity of the CU.

I would be grateful for any opinions on my proposals or any alternatives. Currently the CU has only wired with the original circuits and is precariously hanging off two not so secure screws, so no pressure

Richard


Fermacell ?. Be sneaky and trouser a few of the little rectangle
samples that BM's sometimes have.

On Friday, 23 October 2020 at 11:49:04 UTC+1, Robin wrote:
On 22/10/2020 23:03, Tricky Dicky wrote:


The plan was/is to seal all gaps and openings with fire rated foam to ensure the integrity of the CU.

I'd not use spray foam near all those moving parts when there's stuff like

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsen...te-310ml/5689r


--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

Decided to go with the piece of ply to mount the CU. Studding would need to have a jig made and be virtually mm perfect as the fixing holes are only 5..5mm in diam and although could be drilled out larger there is not much wiggle room. I can get the board prepared with cutouts for the cables and fastened up in half the time it would take trying to fix studs. Robin I take your point and will use the intumescent sealant. Thanks for all your replies.

Richard

In article ,
Tricky Dicky wrote:
On Friday, 23 October 2020 at 11:49:04 UTC+1, Robin wrote:
On 22/10/2020 23:03, Tricky Dicky wrote:


The plan was/is to seal all gaps and openings with fire rated foam to ensure the integrity of the CU.

I'd not use spray foam near all those moving parts when there's stuff like

https://www.screwfix.com/p/no-nonsen...te-310ml/5689r


--
Robin
reply-to address is (intended to be) valid

Decided to go with the piece of ply to mount the CU. Studding would need
to have a jig made and be virtually mm perfect as the fixing holes are
only 5.5mm in diam and although could be drilled out larger there is not
much wiggle room. I can get the board prepared with cutouts for the
cables and fastened up in half the time it would take trying to fix
studs. Robin I take your point and will use the intumescent sealant.
Thanks for all your replies.

That's how the electric bits like CU and meters were always fitted round
here. With porcelain insulators for the screws fixing the plywood to the
wall.

Mine is on the wall at the top of the cellar stairs. Was just brick. On
changing the CU, dry lined it with plaster board with wood studs fixed to
the brick. Set the studs to give a decent fixing for the CU - and to allow
cables to be routed behind, both above and below. Looks lovely. ;-)

--
*On the seventh day He brewed beer *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.