The consumer unit question again

[rankoutsider]

Hello to all.

Having read through alot of old posts, and gaining an insight into safe electrical installations here in thailand i am in need of a little help with my proposed consumer unit and all it entails.

ok first up the consumer unit a bticino 16 way

This is the plug in type of breaker not din mounted [this has cropped up before in another post some time ago and did not get alot of air time for its unusual split configuration.]

The consumer unit i wanted was the schneider 16 way [no have] and as all my breakers are schneider,[did not have the req breakers for the bticino unit either.] a helpfull assistant or three at global house explained the bticino is the same, and that the schneider breakers will fit, and proceeded to show me, and indeed they did so happy, off home i went

Some more pics then to the questions phew.

In the last picture this is how i intend to configure the unit if ok, as i believe in this diagram that came with the unit

will upload this lot first more to follow thanx for reading

[rankoutsider]

ok to follow on i will have 15 breakers in total and 1 spare

3 16amp lighting circuit [ seems the sparks have used 2.5mm wire for this any probs with breaker size]

5 20amp power circuit

3 25amp shower unit circuits

4 32amp air con circuits [not set in stone as yet]

all of this on a 63amp RCBO main incomer fed by 25mm alu from a 15/45 meter

is this sounding ok and safe all on just the main trip, i am trying to steer clear of a split system for now

as this bticino unit is a bit of a pigs arse to set up see pic

so is it safe to configure as in previous post but will require the split neutral bar to be conected by suitable conducter [wire] is this safe. see pic of neutral bar

[Crossy]

No issues with hooking the unit up as shown in their diagrams. Feeding the incoming neutral via the ground bar now seems to be the standard Thai way of implementing MEN, it's the same as the NEC in the US and the inspector will expect to see it done that way.

RCBO incomer, check

PEA may want you to use a 50A incomer on a 15/45 meter (they did with us).

16A on lighting circuits seems heavy, but on 2.5mm² cable will be no issue (check they really did use 2.5).

I would expect the water heaters to be the 32A supplies, 25A on the A/C.

Is your CU incomer rated for Al cable? If not (or you don't know) splice 16mm² copper tails before you enter the house to keep any potential loose connections (and the associated fire) outside.

Linking across the neutral break is fine, use 3 strands of 2.5 or whatever you have that will fit

[rankoutsider]

Thanx crossy was hoping you would get onboard, ok the reason behind the 63amp incomer was taken from the thai drawings [another one of your usefull web sites the free goverment plans] if i have read it correct Think this also explains the 2.5mm wire can not see any ref to 1.5.

The showers which are not on the drawing, i have only got one up to now and its a 3.7kw want to see if it just takes the chill off in the colder months and this according to manufacture booklet will be fine on 2.5mm cable at 20amp but thinking of putting in 4mm cable on 25amps for all three incase of upgrade but will not be going any higher than say 5.5kw if that size exsists dont req scolding hot water so is 25 ok or is it 32 which requires 6mm cable i believe.

As for the alu connection i dont know thats somthing i had not given thought to, but i see whot you mean with the loose connection, how would i be able to find out.

Thanx again crossy for your time

[bankruatsteve]

I realize this will be criticized but just to throw it out... Schneider doesn't seem to have 15a breakers (only 16a) so I went ahead with lighting circuits on 1.5mm2 and using the 16a. And I really don't think that will be a problem.

[Crossy]

Thanx crossy was hoping you would get onboard, ok the reason behind the 63amp incomer was taken from the thai drawings [another one of your usefull web sites the free goverment plans] if i have read it correctE-01.jpg Think this also explains the 2.5mm wire can not see any ref to 1.5.

The showers which are not on the drawing, i have only got one up to now and its a 3.7kw want to see if it just takes the chill off in the colder months and this according to manufacture booklet will be fine on 2.5mm cable at 20amp but thinking of putting in 4mm cable on 25amps for all three incase of upgrade but will not be going any higher than say 5.5kw if that size exsists dont req scolding hot water so is 25 ok or is it 32 which requires 6mm cable i believe.

As for the alu connection i dont know thats somthing i had not given thought to, but i see whot you mean with the loose connection, how would i be able to find out.

Thanx again crossy for your time

Many Thai homes (including those government plans) put lights and power on the same circuits wired entirely in 2.5mm² the concept of separate lighting and power is something relatively new here. From the original plans our home is supposed to be running on three 16A breakers not the twenty assorted breakers that we have Your sparks probably used 2.5 throughout because that's what he's done in the past.

For the relatively small extra cost I'd run 6mm for the heaters (use a 2.5mm earth).

Ask the manufacturer about using aluminium cable, the issue is that Al cold flows very easily and can retreat from the connector screw, it then oxidizes leading to a fizzing (very hot) connection. We have 35mm² copper from the CU to the point where the overheads arrive at the house, overheads are 16mm² copper on a 15/45 meter. The idea being that if we ever want a 100A service we don't have to rip out the walls.

Al in sizes smaller than 50mm² is not permitted in the UK after a period in the 70s when many homes were wired with it resulted in a significant rise in electrically triggered house fires. It's cheap and safe when used correctly.

I realize this will be criticized but just to throw it out... Schneider doesn't seem to have 15a breakers (only 16a) so I went ahead with lighting circuits on 1.5mm2 and using the 16a. And I really don't think that will be a problem.

No issue whatever Steve

[rankoutsider]

A few more questions and done i think,[ with answers come more questions ]

Forgot to say i will be fitting an isolator knife switch before the cu so would this except the alu cable,

then wire from this to the cu in 16mm copper to be sure and safe or am i back to the same problem, or in other words is there a alu specified knife switch available for the job.

and one more question which may be stupid or not to a qualified sparks but i was sold em this way and nobody checked or said anything [not that i would expect em too]

my 63amp RCBO is marked 10ka and all the MCBs are marked 6ka is this ok, looking at crossys site on electrics depends on the fuse size and may or may not be present.

many thanx.