I have a Client that will not provide a Risk Assessment to omit an RCD Commando Socket for a Data Cabinet. He wishes to employ a local isolator for the Cabinet, however he is concerned that the PDU Strip that arrived on site from the factory and pre-fitted within the data cabinet would still need an RCD. It is my opinion that the Factory built Data Rack is classed as a piece of equipment and as such does not form part of the Contractor's installation. If the Rack had arrived on site without the PDU strip fitted and it was installed by the Contractor then this would form part of the installation and therefore would require an RCD. Any advice/assistance would be appreciated.
I have a Client that will not provide a Risk Assessment to omit an RCD Commando Socket for a Data Cabinet. He wishes to employ a local isolator for the Cabinet, however he is concerned that the PDU Strip that arrived on site from the factory and pre-fitted within the data cabinet would still need an RCD. It is my opinion that the Factory built Data Rack is classed as a piece of equipment and as such does not form part of the Contractor's installation. If the Rack had arrived on site without the PDU strip fitted and it was installed by the Contractor then this would form part of the installation and therefore would require an RCD. Any advice/assistance would be appreciated.
Apologies for the apparent tangents - we're still debating the finer points.
So far we seem to agree that if the PDUs contain BS 1363 socket outlets then the 30mA RCD requirements would apply - so somehow or other that would need to be dealt with - either by a 30mA RCD in the supply circuit, or one or more 30mA RCDs within the PDU arrangement (or better still by risk assessment to eliminate the need for RCDs altogether - probably what most PDU manufacturers assume). Ditto if there are BS EN 60309 sockets (or even BS 546 sockets) rated 32A or less within the rack.
We seem to have mixed opinions still if other types of 'connectors' are used - e.g. the IEC 60320s chassis mount outlets often found on PDUs.
To me, trying to supply an IT rack without an risk assessment to omit 30mA RCDs is rather like trying to run a taxi service without a driving licence - while it's not impossible, the contortions you have to go through (hard wiring things that should be pluggable, perhaps needing 30mA RCDs when they're not really needed) make it a very dubious choice in the long run.
I have a Client that will not provide a Risk Assessment to omit an RCD Commando Socket for a Data Cabinet. He wishes to employ a local isolator for the Cabinet, however he is concerned that the PDU Strip that arrived on site from the factory and pre-fitted within the data cabinet would still need an RCD. It is my opinion that the Factory built Data Rack is classed as a piece of equipment and as such does not form part of the Contractor's installation. If the Rack had arrived on site without the PDU strip fitted and it was installed by the Contractor then this would form part of the installation and therefore would require an RCD. Any advice/assistance would be appreciated.
Apologies for the apparent tangents - we're still debating the finer points.
So far we seem to agree that if the PDUs contain BS 1363 socket outlets then the 30mA RCD requirements would apply - so somehow or other that would need to be dealt with - either by a 30mA RCD in the supply circuit, or one or more 30mA RCDs within the PDU arrangement (or better still by risk assessment to eliminate the need for RCDs altogether - probably what most PDU manufacturers assume). Ditto if there are BS EN 60309 sockets (or even BS 546 sockets) rated 32A or less within the rack.
We seem to have mixed opinions still if other types of 'connectors' are used - e.g. the IEC 60320s chassis mount outlets often found on PDUs.
To me, trying to supply an IT rack without an risk assessment to omit 30mA RCDs is rather like trying to run a taxi service without a driving licence - while it's not impossible, the contortions you have to go through (hard wiring things that should be pluggable, perhaps needing 30mA RCDs when they're not really needed) make it a very dubious choice in the long run.
