Faulty consumer unit

Type B RCDs are still ridiculously expensive (for reasons I don't really understand), so most EVSEs go for a Type A plus a current transformer around the car tails. Any imbalance and the EVSE cuts the power. They also monitor the line-neutral voltage and cut it if out of range, which would suggest a PEN fault.

This is a DIY EVSE from the Netherlands, but gives the general wiring idea:

Theo

When we bought our house the surveyor said the wiring was in urgent need of attention. This turned out to be because there was rubber insulated wiring running through the thatch! Only 10 years ago.

But that isn't illegal. (just unwise, and I'm surprised it was insurable)

It would be illegal to install it, but not to keep using it.

Andy

Only a few metres then ?, that's nothing to what was heaved out of Buck Palace, although the video shows cable that differs from the pure rubber insulated wiring that was in my grandparents house up to the the late 1970's, which literally turned to dust behind every lightswitch.

Then updating the regulations is pointless. I know of several houses with no RCD and wire fuses... ... if the regulations truly make things safer then there should be some push to get people to update after a major change.

Dave

According to that picture, the Netherlands has not adopted harmonised colours for 3-phase, which is strange.

Try telling the occupants (probably elderly) that they *must* spend up to £4,000 (or more) having their entire property ripped apart just to make it 'safe'. Then the replastering, redecorating, etc is on top of that.

Not going to happen.

Of course the regulations have a valid point. All new builds and extensions plus other electrical changes require adherence to the new standards. Nothing to stop these people downsizing to a nice modern, thermally efficient apartment with a lift.

My parents' house is one such, it hasn't burned down, I presume when the buyer moves in they will at least have a new CU fitted ... they may decide they need more than the two sockets per most rooms.

looks like (slightly off hue shades of) brown, black, grey and blue to me ...

Many EV chargers now incorporate the required protection within the charger, removing the need for feeding it from an external RCD.

The separate enclosure and Henley blocks would have taken up the space required for any future changes, such as a solar system.

It's not just EV's though. Houses are full of modern stuff like PC's and LED bulbs etc. which are claimed to have the capability of imposing DC on the AC mains.

Yes, Doepke (who make RCDs) marketing are very keen to point out that fact, placing 'advertorials' in trade publications as why you need to fit fancy RCDs/RCBOs everywhere:

(To add to the confusion, many sellers of RCBOs list them as 'Type B' when they actually mean 'B-curve', the trip current curve for the MCB side of things. That has nothing to do with DC rejection - those usually contain Type AC RCDs)

Theo

And the more sophisticated ones can even disconnect the earth along with live/neutral in the case of a PEN fault.

I had room for both. The EV supply has a C32 RCD

As all my circuits are on RCBOs of Type A, I don't need to worry about that.

Unfortunately, out electricity cupboard is in the hallway and is quite cramped. I can't really extend it, as it is recessed into the wall (the wall is single skin brick where the cupboard is and cavity on the rest of the wall). There is the front door to one side, the corner of the house to the other, the bottom platform of the stairs below and a window directly above. I'm stuck with the space that I've got or a complete re-wire to another location.

It isn't so complicated to relocate the consumer unit if you had to - there are products like this that simplify it:

- you basically just install that where the old CU was, push in the circuits to one side of the Wagos, and then run new wiring off to wherever the new CU wants to be.

About £70, so not super expensive, and it reduces the labour costs.

Theo

And not so modern. Pretty much all TVs were once live chassis, using half-wave rectification of the mains. Many sets were AC/DC in the early years, so there wasn't really much choice. OK when there was only a million or so, but eventually it became a problem.

Odd that a new CU (modulo the ifs and buts) has to be metal, but that kit is plastic.