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Do I need a new consumer unit for 3 new smoke alarms?

Stephen Baldry

Hi. I have just had a garage conversion, and in order to get final sign off by building regs, need 3 wired and radio linked smoke alarms. 

Building regs are happy that the wired alarms use the existing downstairs lighting circuit, but I have been given inconsistent advice from the sparks that I have had quotes from. 

The existing consumer unit has a 100 Ma trip protection. Some tell me that I will need 30 Ma trip to comply, others not. Obviously that makes the cost of just 3 smoke alarms quite a bit more expensive, so I wanted to get a view from this forum. 

The alarms would be wired to the local circuit, and in the ceiling bottom and top of stairs, as well as the new room

Help would be really appreciated thanks

Steve

Parents
  • 0

    I can actually see it would be possible to install the smoke alarms without upgrading the RCD protection, but I am really unable to see how an electrician could have certified the garage conversion without having done so.

    Merely plastering over an existing surface mounted light switch cable concealing a previously exposed cable would be enough to trigger a requirement to up upgrade the RCD protection and I can think of many more reasons why it would be required.

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  • 0

    I can actually see it would be possible to install the smoke alarms without upgrading the RCD protection, but I am really unable to see how an electrician could have certified the garage conversion without having done so.

    Merely plastering over an existing surface mounted light switch cable concealing a previously exposed cable would be enough to trigger a requirement to up upgrade the RCD protection and I can think of many more reasons why it would be required.

Children
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