I have posted a piece here which is also on the TT topic, but is more general and I think a new thread would be better. Your voice is heard. See below.
I have a notion that the growth of EV charging points in domestic circumstances will begin to probe the robustness against overheating of both the plastic and metal consumer units, their onboard devices and their tails connections.
I note that one accreditation body has set assessments in their EV charging installation course where the candidate will be required to use a spare way in an existing consumer unit. Yes they will be expected to carefully assess the existing loading and may err well on the safe side during assessment but whether that carries into real installations is another matter. Commercial pressure can often squeeze good sense to death!
I cannot sling mud at anyone who was responsible for causing fire damage due to their installation methods. When E7 ruled here way back in the 1980s, I razed a good part of a National Trust property. It was due to a faulty swichfuse but you know how muck sticks! Things were made very much worse when a week later a loose neutral connection on a contactor caused a fire brigade call out to commercial premises that we had just equipped with E7 heating! I thought the good Lord was definitely against me when another neutral connection in a switchfuse failed and burned back insulation which set off the fire alarm in a block of flats. Needless to say my erstwhile cosy relationship with a firm of consultants was terminated fairly sharply.
Ever since, my installations have been over-designed and checked thoroughly for appropriately secure connections.
I have a notion that the growth of EV charging points in domestic circumstances will begin to probe the robustness against overheating of both the plastic and metal consumer units, their onboard devices and their tails connections.
I note that one accreditation body has set assessments in their EV charging installation course where the candidate will be required to use a spare way in an existing consumer unit. Yes they will be expected to carefully assess the existing loading and may err well on the safe side during assessment but whether that carries into real installations is another matter. Commercial pressure can often squeeze good sense to death!
I cannot sling mud at anyone who was responsible for causing fire damage due to their installation methods. When E7 ruled here way back in the 1980s, I razed a good part of a National Trust property. It was due to a faulty swichfuse but you know how muck sticks! Things were made very much worse when a week later a loose neutral connection on a contactor caused a fire brigade call out to commercial premises that we had just equipped with E7 heating! I thought the good Lord was definitely against me when another neutral connection in a switchfuse failed and burned back insulation which set off the fire alarm in a block of flats. Needless to say my erstwhile cosy relationship with a firm of consultants was terminated fairly sharply.
Ever since, my installations have been over-designed and checked thoroughly for appropriately secure connections.
