Can anyone confirm that BS7288 rcd Socket outlets were accidentally left out as of bs7671 as suitable for additional protection and are going to be in the update? Or perhaps provide a reason as why they have been omitted?
My concern is on what grounds have they been omitted, is there an issue with their effective operation ? Do the persons involved believe they are no longer fit for purpose ? Or is it just an error, and they have been left out by mistake ?
Doubts have certainly been aired about the suitability of BS 7288 devices - everything from their breaking capacity to contact gaps not necessarily being wide enough to provide isolation - to most damning of all, the statement in BS 7288 itself that upstream the circuit must itself be provided with additional protection. On the other hand that requires belief that BS 7288 devices are inherently not suitable for their intended purpose - which takes a bit of swallowing.
I think your options for the moment might be:
1. Get your contractor to contact their trade body, who will likely advise them that BS 7288 devices are suitable and a deviation on the certificate is acceptable, or
2. Stick with ordinary sockets and an an RCCB in a separate enclosure next to the DB, or
3. Start replacing the DBs with modern ones that can take RCDs.
My concern is on what grounds have they been omitted, is there an issue with their effective operation ? Do the persons involved believe they are no longer fit for purpose ? Or is it just an error, and they have been left out by mistake ?
Doubts have certainly been aired about the suitability of BS 7288 devices - everything from their breaking capacity to contact gaps not necessarily being wide enough to provide isolation - to most damning of all, the statement in BS 7288 itself that upstream the circuit must itself be provided with additional protection. On the other hand that requires belief that BS 7288 devices are inherently not suitable for their intended purpose - which takes a bit of swallowing.
I think your options for the moment might be:
1. Get your contractor to contact their trade body, who will likely advise them that BS 7288 devices are suitable and a deviation on the certificate is acceptable, or
2. Stick with ordinary sockets and an an RCCB in a separate enclosure next to the DB, or
3. Start replacing the DBs with modern ones that can take RCDs.
