The dreaded BSS

[MBA Marine]

Yes, not likely to be a professional fit, though most DIY'ers are aware of the regs and would fit the correct rating MCBs and stranded 3 core flex cable.

 

It does sound like a re-use of a consumer unit originally destined for a garage or shed, the 32 amp being for a ring main, and God knows what the 40 amp was intended for, not many cookers in garages !!

the 40a is most likely the main RCD

[Guest]

the 40a is most likely the main RCD

 

I was assuming that Frank was just looking at the distribution rail when he said "

I think it should have two 16amp ones" instead of the 40 and 25,

[MBA Marine]

I was assuming that Frank was just looking at the distribution rail when he said "

I think it should have two 16amp ones" instead of the 40 and 25,

Depends on what he has on the boat, but something like a 16a for sockets, 10a for immersion, 6a for a battery charger.  Do not take this for gospel as I do not know the boat in question or what equipment is on board. 

[Guest]

I meant it sounded like the 40 and the 32 were on the distribution rail rather than one of them being the main rcd.

[MBA Marine]

I meant it sounded like the 40 and the 32 were on the distribution rail rather than one of them being the main rcd.

yeah, it reads like that but its probably a garage unit with a 40a RCD and fitted with a single 32a MCB  

[Mowjo]

Thanks for the Help and replies folks but I think it's a it's a proper job! I just think at some point someone has changed and fitted the wrong RCD.s, It's all run in 2.5 blue artic cable, very neat job all clipped and even sleeved where it goes through the bulkheads, there's no immersion or battery charger, all there is one socket running off the 32amp MCB and off the 40amp one the are two single and two double sockets, I'll be changing them to 16amp anyway but one reason I asked is because my thinking is surely if the supply post are 16amp the MCB's should be 16amp or less or it won't trip if it goes wrong, while at Wroxham I noticed on the leccie supply the was the normal what I presume is 16amp outlet and the larger what I thought was a 32amp outlet as it has a much bigger fitting, also Mark was right the main RCD is 40amp, as I said I know basic electrical stuff and logic tells me that if something went wrong the MCB's wouldn't trip and do their job, I'm bit of a safety freak when it comes to the boat, so I tested everything, all the sockets with my testers and tester plug, did a visual check on ever inch of cable and found 50p under the floor, I've been checking online for fuseboxes and none come with a 40amp and 32 amp MCB even the shed 0nes come with a 32amp and a 6amp so I'm now thinking at some point the previous owner had something that kept tripping the 6amp one so he just changed it with the 40amp one,,,

Regards Frank,,

[Oddfellow]

Blue Artic is a start, but it really should be sleeved throughout, not clipped directly adjacent to 12v cables and properly marked with 240v labelling.

[ranworthbreeze]

 

Depends on what he has on the boat, but something like a 16a for sockets, 10a for immersion, 6a for a battery charger.  Do not take this for gospel as I do not know the boat in question or what equipment is on board.

 

Hello Mark,

A 10amp breaker might be ok for a 2kw immersion heater but the standard installation is normally rated at 16amps in case someone fits a 3kw heater.

As you say it sounds as if someone had fitted what they had in hand to the OP's boat. Also sometimes so called professional can get it wrong, a fiend of mine had to have a wet room conversion to his bathroom. The people who did the conversion installed a new consumer unit to wire in the new circuits for the bathroom. In a lapse of concentation the registered electrician wired up the shower onto the 6 amp breaker and put the lighting/fan onto the 45 amp breaker, in addition he also left off a blanking plate off of the consumer unit.

The above fault was only found after the elecrician had left the job and the plumbers were testing the shower which kept tripping out.

Saftety in a professional hands or what?

Regards

Alan

[MBA Marine]

 

 

Hello Mark,

A 10amp breaker might be ok for a 2kw immersion heater but the standard installation is normally rated at 16amps in case someone fits a 3kw heater.

As you say it sounds as if someone had fitted what they had in hand to the OP's boat. Also sometimes so called professional can get it wrong, a fiend of mine had to have a wet room conversion to his bathroom. The people who did the conversion installed a new consumer unit to wire in the new circuits for the bathroom. In a lapse of concentation the registered electrician wired up the shower onto the 6 amp breaker and put the lighting/fan onto the 45 amp breaker, in addition he also left off a blanking plate off of the consumer unit.

The above fault was only found after the elecrician had left the job and the plumbers were testing the shower which kept tripping out.

Saftety in a professional hands or what?

Regards

Alan

As stated depending on what equipment was on board.  A 3kw is way over kill unless its a very big boat with a lot of demand, and also if the boat is on a 16a hook up then your looking at tripping out when stick the kettle on just after you have washed up!  1.5kw-2kw is more than enough for your average boat, and no I would not fit a 16a in case the the immersion was up rated, if the immersion was to be changed then the breaker should be changed to suit as long as the wiring is suitable for the higher rated unit.

[Mowjo]

Right two new 16amp MCB's bought and ready to install, now I think I have got to the bottom of things, went through all the paperwork for the boat and found the invoice for the installation and it clearly states that two 16amp MCB's were fitted, so I rang the previous owner as I know he was anal about the boat and would only let a well known yard in Wroxham do any work on the boat and it turns out the mains electric was fitted via them, now here's where it gets interesting, as I said there is a single socket on it's own fuse the owner had put in just to run a fan heater, but it kept tripping while he was at Sutton Staithe so he popped into a yard in Stalham to see if they could look at it, and no it wasn't Richo's, they told him it may be a faulty heater but after checking by plugging other stuff they said it was the MCB, he asked if they could fix it and was told that while they were changing one MCB they may as well change them both, so he agreed and the job was done, so it was this yard that fitted the wrong MCB's, now I have no idea why they would change both, unless it was to charge him extra, but the owner told me the yard said they would have to go get the new ones as they don't carry them, and he came back 10 minutes later with the new ones, now as I moor at Broadsedge the only place I know that carry these MCB'S is the builders merchant where I just bought the two new ones, so my thinking is they had no 16amp in stock so they just bought what was there at the time, to me this is scary as the yard should have not fitted these wrong ones, I know 240v kills and hate to think what could happen if something went wrong, I won't say what yard it is but I know of at least two people that have had bad work and un-neccassary work carried out there,

Regards Frank,,

[MBA Marine]

Right two new 16amp MCB's bought and ready to install, now I think I have got to the bottom of things, went through all the paperwork for the boat and found the invoice for the installation and it clearly states that two 16amp MCB's were fitted, so I rang the previous owner as I know he was anal about the boat and would only let a well known yard in Wroxham do any work on the boat and it turns out the mains electric was fitted via them, now here's where it gets interesting, as I said there is a single socket on it's own fuse the owner had put in just to run a fan heater, but it kept tripping while he was at Sutton Staithe so he popped into a yard in Stalham to see if they could look at it, and no it wasn't Richo's, they told him it may be a faulty heater but after checking by plugging other stuff they said it was the MCB, he asked if they could fix it and was told that while they were changing one MCB they may as well change them both, so he agreed and the job was done, so it was this yard that fitted the wrong MCB's, now I have no idea why they would change both, unless it was to charge him extra, but the owner told me the yard said they would have to go get the new ones as they don't carry them, and he came back 10 minutes later with the new ones, now as I moor at Broadsedge the only place I know that carry these MCB'S is the builders merchant where I just bought the two new ones, so my thinking is they had no 16amp in stock so they just bought what was there at the time, to me this is scary as the yard should have not fitted these wrong ones, I know 240v kills and hate to think what could happen if something went wrong, I won't say what yard it is but I know of at least two people that have had bad work and un-neccassary work carried out there,

Regards Frank,,

Glad your now sorted, Bakers and back in 10mins but not Ricco's that does not leave many places!

[Mowjo]

Sounds like you worked out who I'm talking about Mark  I didn't actually say what yard it was but it really doesn't take a lot of working out, I couldn't say too much as I only have what the previous owner said and two good friends at our marina in Broadsedge, both had work done there, and both said they would never use them again, but I've also had people say how pleased they were with them, so it's a matter of balance really, I tend to go on recommendation so probably wouldn't use the myself, I believe there have been a few changes there in the last few months so hopefully things will change.

 

Regards Frank,,,

[teadaemon]

Just a small point, but it's worth pointing out that 12V DC can be just as dangerous as 240V AC, in fact due to the much higher currents involved, 12V can be a bigger problem.

 

Anyone who's ever accidentally shorted out a 12V battery will know exactly how much energy they store - enough to melt a decent sized spanner when it all gets discharged at once.

[MBA Marine]

Just a small point, but it's worth pointing out that 12V DC can be just as dangerous as 240V AC, in fact due to the much higher currents involved, 12V can be a bigger problem.

 

Anyone who's ever accidentally shorted out a 12V battery will know exactly how much energy they store - enough to melt a decent sized spanner when it all gets discharged at once.

Not only that but being Direct Current rather than Alternating Current, if enough current passes through the body its paralyzing as your brain will be saying let go but your body will not respond, same for AC but as its alternating there is slightly more chance of letting go.

I know my 13mm spanner has a small arc mark on it where i have arc'd across the terminals, the crack it makes as it sparks sticks in your mind as a reminder.

I have also been working on a Broom lately that was fire damaged, the fire started with the heavy bowthruster cables shorting out.  the above warning is very valid I tire of hearing people saying they are happy to do there own 12v in the boat but wont touch the mains, if thats the case they should not touch either.

[Hockham Admiral]

Just a small point, but it's worth pointing out that 12V DC can be just as dangerous as 240V AC, in fact due to the much higher currents involved, 12V can be a bigger problem.

 

Anyone who's ever accidentally shorted out a 12V battery will know exactly how much energy they store - enough to melt a decent sized spanner when it all gets discharged at once.

Absolutely. Anyone who has a metal watch/strap just must remove it before working on 12V batteries!

[ZimbiIV]

As the starter of the topic I must warn against the dangers of a 220 amp DC system, 2 batteries, a close friend had his finger burnt off when a screwdriver connected his wedding ring and the positive terminal!!!

I can and will tackle electrickery but not GAS.

Gas kills without you knowing, be it by suffocation or BOOM.

The only thing that really worries me about the BSS, is the boat I maybe moored next is not safe.

paul