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Advice Please - Mains cartridge fused Isolator switch or MCB and isolator Switch.
Former Community Member
I manage a residential mobile home park with homes that individually have mains supply TT coming to a meter box recessed into a breeze block shed. The tails then come from the meter into the shed and into an old style bakelite rewireable 40a fused isolator switch. There is then an outgoing 10mm SWA cable running from the isolator switch underground from the shed to the home and then into the consumer unit for the home (total run approx. 8 to 10 metres). Having had an EICR for one of the homes I have been adviced that these isolator switches will need to be replaced as the swa cable is not properly terminated (it is not glanded in to the isolator switch and the wire stranded sheathing is twisted together and connected to the earth block.) My question is can this isolator switch be replaced with an 18th edition 3 way metal enclosure with double pole isolator switch and 40a mcb or should it be replaced with a 60a (or 40a) cartridge fused double poled mains isolator switch. Additionally would it a be a good idea to put a 60a RCD into the shed and either use a five way enclosure (in place of 3 way enclosure) or a 2 way enclosure fed from the cartridge isolator switch. All the homes have a standard consumer unit containing either a 60a or 80a RCD and 3 to 5 suitable MCB's (32a, 16a, 6a).
From the description in the original post it seems this installation has never been safe or compliant installation.
A couple of photos would indicate if this installation is as dangerous as it sounds from the description, in the meantime you should be advised to consider isolating the installation until remedial work has been carried out.
In reality if these are occupied homes isolating the supply’s isn’t going to feasible, so you need an electrical contractor in ASAP to replace the intake equipment ensuring that adequate RCD protection is installed to protect the distribution circuits to the park homes, because if there is a fault on the distribution circuits the fuse may not clear the fault and everything that is connected to the the earthing of the installation may be live at 240 volts, as I have seen happen.
From the description in the original post it seems this installation has never been safe or compliant installation.
A couple of photos would indicate if this installation is as dangerous as it sounds from the description, in the meantime you should be advised to consider isolating the installation until remedial work has been carried out.
In reality if these are occupied homes isolating the supply’s isn’t going to feasible, so you need an electrical contractor in ASAP to replace the intake equipment ensuring that adequate RCD protection is installed to protect the distribution circuits to the park homes, because if there is a fault on the distribution circuits the fuse may not clear the fault and everything that is connected to the the earthing of the installation may be live at 240 volts, as I have seen happen.