Electrical Engineering - Immersion + sockets = 16amp??

Author

Immersion + sockets = 16amp??

mazzarc@googlemail.com

2007-08-18, 5:25 pm

Hi,

I'm not an electrician!

I'd like to ask anyone's advice who knows about things like the BS7671
regulations as to whether what we have is within the law or not.... I
know it's annoying as heck to have power tripping out!

We rent... need I say more?

So, we have a socket circuit and immersion heater on a 16amp MCB (I
think that's what they're called). This circuit has 3 computers
attached. When we add the fridge freezer, it's fine until the fridge
fan comes on, then it trips out. I'd just like to know if it's legal
or not to have the immersion heater on the same circuit as a bunch of
sockets? If it is, is there any chance of a quote from the standards
to send to my agent? Or is this because we shouldn't have the fridge
on the circuit? (which we don't now, it's on another one!)

I would be very grateful for any help you could offer.

Maz

Palindrome

2007-08-18, 5:25 pm

mazzarc@googlemail.com wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm not an electrician!
>
> I'd like to ask anyone's advice who knows about things like the BS7671
> regulations as to whether what we have is within the law or not.... I
> know it's annoying as heck to have power tripping out!
>
> We rent... need I say more?
>
> So, we have a socket circuit and immersion heater on a 16amp MCB (I
> think that's what they're called). This circuit has 3 computers
> attached. When we add the fridge freezer, it's fine until the fridge
> fan comes on, then it trips out. I'd just like to know if it's legal
> or not to have the immersion heater on the same circuit as a bunch of
> sockets? If it is, is there any chance of a quote from the standards
> to send to my agent? Or is this because we shouldn't have the fridge
> on the circuit? (which we don't now, it's on another one!)
>
> I would be very grateful for any help you could offer.
>

As it is an agent and not the owner, I would suggest that you simply put
in writing that you suspect that there is a house wiring fault, explain
that the breaker trips and that the sockets appear to be wired off the
immersion heater circuit. Ask when the last electrical safety
certificate was issued.

It isn't mandatory that the landlord has an electrical safety inspection
carried out regularly, unlike gas systems. His insurance company may
insist on it. His agent may insist on it.

With the tenant having reported a problem, the landlord would be in deep
doggy doo if he didn't take action when a fault was reported - and
something further transpired. The agent will want to make sure that he
can't be sued, either.

It isn't a question of "within the law". It sounds like someone,
possibly the owner, is into a bit of diy. If he didn't follow best
practice by using a dedicated circuit and breaker for the immersion
heater, heaven knows what else he got up to. It may just be bad
practice. It may, OTOH, be highly unsafe.

If that doesn't work - tell the agent that you are going to take your
worries to the building control office of your local council. Plus a
copy going to whatever professional organisation the agent claims to
belong to.. But I doubt that it will go that far.

--
Sue

Andrew Gabriel

2007-08-18, 5:25 pm

In article <1187463796.713445.290750@50g2000hsm.googlegroups.com>,
mazzarc@googlemail.com writes:
> Hi,
>
> I'm not an electrician!
>
> I'd like to ask anyone's advice who knows about things like the BS7671
> regulations as to whether what we have is within the law or not.... I
> know it's annoying as heck to have power tripping out!
>
> We rent... need I say more?
>
> So, we have a socket circuit and immersion heater on a 16amp MCB (I
> think that's what they're called). This circuit has 3 computers
> attached. When we add the fridge freezer, it's fine until the fridge
> fan comes on, then it trips out. I'd just like to know if it's legal
> or not to have the immersion heater on the same circuit as a bunch of
> sockets? If it is, is there any chance of a quote from the standards
> to send to my agent? Or is this because we shouldn't have the fridge
> on the circuit? (which we don't now, it's on another one!)
>
> I would be very grateful for any help you could offer.

Sounds like you are in the UK, but you should say?

The 16A circuit was probably intended for the immersion
heater alone. It's not a normally used circuit rating for
socket outlets. So I suspect it's been extended without
due consideration for the loading. An immersion heater
is not allowed any diversity (unless it's a tiny under-
sink one heating only 20 litres of water), so when sizing
a circuit, the full continuous load must be allowed for.
This normally means it can't share a circuit with socket
outlets, which depend heavily on diversity.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

mazzarc@googlemail.com

2007-08-18, 5:25 pm

Yes, in the UK, sorry I forgot to mention that.

Thank you for your input, it is giving me an idea of what to do. I
have already reported this and am having an inspection done by the
agent's electrician... but I'm not sure I trust them as they put it
in. I'll probably ask for an independent one.

Regards,

Maz

LinkBot