I have just got off the phone after talking to our son. He has recently bought a 1940's house and wants to upgrade the kitchen and central heating.
He has spoken to a 'kitchen fitter' who has told him that he needs to re-wire his kitchen by giving it its own ring main. I can live with this, as this is the modern way, but the fitter has gone on to say that he also needs an RCD in this, so that if you pour the kettle into the toaster, the whole kitchen shuts down.
Is any of this in the regs?
Dave
Not if he's quick. Currently, only sockets that might be used to power equipment used outside must have RCD's. However RCD's make a significant contribution to electrical safety, and will become mandatory with the 17th Ed wiring regs.
A separate ring circuit for the kitchen is a very sensible way forward. In the current regs (soon to change) the need for the RCD is dictated by the likelihood of the sockets on the circuit being used to power portable appliances that may be used outside (quite likely in many kitchens). High power fixed kitchen appliances like electric hobs would normally be fed from their own non RCD protected circuit. All in all use of an RCD for a kitchen circuit is sensible choice.
Note if the house has a type of earthing arrangement that is common in properties fed from an overhead supply then he may need a RCD for all circuits.
Not necessarily.
The kitchen might need its own circuit if that is what is required to satisfy the anticipated demand, but it could be a ring or radial.
It requires RCD protection if:
It would be beneficial to give the fridge/freezer its own *non* RCD supply, so that it doesn't get shut down along with the rest of the kitchen.
Anyway, pouring the kettle into the toaster should create a L-N overcurrent which would trip the MCB or blow the plug fuse. It might not trip the RCD at all if it was a plastic toaster.
Owain
No
Thanks for that Owain. I had a little chuckle while reading about the plastic toaster :-)
I'll cut and paste that and post it onto him.
Dave
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