The Arc Fault Detection Device… again.

QUOTE:

"Retrofit is always the side of the regs that isn't thought about. Because the regs are applied from the point forward of their publication, it seems to me that the authors and manufacturers think of them as only being for shiny new builds.

That the same technology has to be applied to the understairs cupboard for Mrs Scroggins when her BS3036 board is no longer adequate falls by the wayside. Imagine too the nightmare of being called out for an AFDD trip if you have retrofitted a new AFDD CU onto an older installation. One can test for and apply some detective work to overload/earth leakage faults, but potentially trying to locate a loose connection 'somewhere in the house' could be a nightmare.


Overzealous cable clipping, pinched/pulled cables, a DIY junction box some idiot hid under the floorboards thirty years ago, a connected appliance with internal damage to its flex/connection position... it could keep you running around for hours with fruitless results. If such a device trips intermittently, how likely is it that the fault can be tracked down without decorative damage (pulling up floors, opening walls etc.) On a new build, you know there are no hidden junctions and the wiring has been tested as sound before commissioning, but applying this technology to older installations without the option to be able to fall back to a non-AFDD solution could be very problematic as dead-testing prior to upgrade may not indicate you're going to be left with a nuisance tripping problem afterwards. "

QUOTE:

"Retrofit is always the side of the regs that isn't thought about. Because the regs are applied from the point forward of their publication, it seems to me that the authors and manufacturers think of them as only being for shiny new builds.

That the same technology has to be applied to the understairs cupboard for Mrs Scroggins when her BS3036 board is no longer adequate falls by the wayside. Imagine too the nightmare of being called out for an AFDD trip if you have retrofitted a new AFDD CU onto an older installation. One can test for and apply some detective work to overload/earth leakage faults, but potentially trying to locate a loose connection 'somewhere in the house' could be a nightmare.


Overzealous cable clipping, pinched/pulled cables, a DIY junction box some idiot hid under the floorboards thirty years ago, a connected appliance with internal damage to its flex/connection position... it could keep you running around for hours with fruitless results. If such a device trips intermittently, how likely is it that the fault can be tracked down without decorative damage (pulling up floors, opening walls etc.) On a new build, you know there are no hidden junctions and the wiring has been tested as sound before commissioning, but applying this technology to older installations without the option to be able to fall back to a non-AFDD solution could be very problematic as dead-testing prior to upgrade may not indicate you're going to be left with a nuisance tripping problem afterwards. "