Consumer units Ask questions and find answers to many subjects relating to electrics and electrical work

[kt2409]

I am working on an installation that has 2 consumer units 1 is carring all the usual household circuits and 1 is carrying only the night storage heater fuses. Can I put other fuses on the box carrying the night storage fuses? I am trying to run power out to my shed but the max load on the household consumer unit is already just about 100A.
Or because the main consumer unit is split load does that mean I can go up to 100A on the RCD side and 100A on the fuse protected side?

[sang kibet]

Hi
working on consumer units are quite lethal and usefull.therefore ensure that all the fuses are connected on the busbars and each fuse to supply different subcircuits.this means that your external power shed will have adifferent subcircuit and its own fuse perhaps 15A for lighting from the unit.
also ensure that all the 2 consumer units are properly grounded/earthed.

[sang kibet]

Introducing any circuit, especially in "special areas" such as bathrooms and external is subject to Building Regulation approval under Part P. Please go to our project on part P of the building regulations before you attempt any electrical work.

[Gloucester Sparky]

Firstly,
Any additional circuits you install on the sub consumer unit (Night storage heater side) will only work during the night time.
Secondly,
If your maximum allowance is 100amps then that is your limit for the whole of the house regardless of how many consumer units (split load or otherwise).

Now to answer your next question…….. NO……. you cannot stick a bigger fuse in this fuse belongs to your supplier

Hope this helps

[thedoctor]

MANY OF THE ANSWERS TO YOUR POSTS CAN BE FOUND, WITH DIAGRAMS, IN THE DIYDOCTOR PROJECTS SECTION. CLICK HERE www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects.htm

[Chris Langham]

You should not be working on the consumer unit unless you are a competent person under Part P of the Building Regulations.

You are in fact talking about diversity here, which is well discussed in BS7671

[Gaz]

Is the main DP switch on a consumer unit just an isolator or is it a circuit breaker aswell?

[sparx]

only an isolator,
may be an RCD But these don,t give any overload protection, only earth fault protection,
Sparx