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Are RCD's Required?

Nano Brewery
Hi, looking to understand if an RCD would be a required regulation (and/or just highly recommended) in the following situation.  The additional cost of installing four or five 3-Phase RCDs is quite substantial and I would prefer to avoid it if still deemed as safe and not legally required.  Earthing system is TN-C-S.


For connecting up 4x Immersion Elements (9kW, 9kW, 6kW, 3kW) in Brewery Tanks I am looking at either:


A.  SWA Cable clipped direct to basket from the Control Panel to IP rated Plugs/Sockets mounted on the wall.  Then floating SY Cable (recommended by electrician) from the wall to the Tanks, which is about a 2m run.  Thinking Plugs/Sockets just to make life easy if I ever want to move things around and also for easier access for cleaning.


B.  Same as above but swapping the Plugs/Sockets for Isolators.


Look forward to your feedback and opinions.  Cheers.
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  • 0
    AJJewsbury:
    Chris Pearson:
    AJJewsbury:
    switched via PID for temperature control

    How does the PID (proportional–integral–derivative) temperature controller vary the power? If it's chopping the a.c. waveform (like a big dimmer) as I understand some do - I'd be very wary of putting RCDs downstream of it.


    Andy, I think that you meant upstream.




    This time I did mean what I wrote ? - there have been suggestions for individal RCDs (RCCBs or RCBOs) for each immersion heater - which would have to go downstream of the controller. I really don't like the idea of feeding an RCD a non-sinusoidal supply (the potential for the residual current being non-sinusoidal is another issue).




    I thought that we had reached the conclusion that we just need an RCBO in the DB if at all. However, I interpreted your message as being cautious about the type of RCBO. i.e type AC might not be compatible with the PID, but type A might. AFAIK, TPN RCBOs are type A.


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  • 0
    AJJewsbury:
    Chris Pearson:
    AJJewsbury:
    switched via PID for temperature control

    How does the PID (proportional–integral–derivative) temperature controller vary the power? If it's chopping the a.c. waveform (like a big dimmer) as I understand some do - I'd be very wary of putting RCDs downstream of it.


    Andy, I think that you meant upstream.




    This time I did mean what I wrote ? - there have been suggestions for individal RCDs (RCCBs or RCBOs) for each immersion heater - which would have to go downstream of the controller. I really don't like the idea of feeding an RCD a non-sinusoidal supply (the potential for the residual current being non-sinusoidal is another issue).




    I thought that we had reached the conclusion that we just need an RCBO in the DB if at all. However, I interpreted your message as being cautious about the type of RCBO. i.e type AC might not be compatible with the PID, but type A might. AFAIK, TPN RCBOs are type A.


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