There seem to be so many different types of mcb, and I'm wondering which one might be suitable to replace the old wired fuses. There is one mcb in the board already controlling the cooker but when I took it to the local wholesaler, they couldn't find anything with the same prong positions.TIA
In article , stuart noble writes
Wylex plug-in MCBs (to replace fuses) have to match the socket shroud into which they are plugged, so should come supplied with the appropriate shroud.
The pics here explain all:
There's two types, flippy switch as pictured above, and push-in buttons.
The pins are different sizes, to stop you doing something daft like plugging a 40A breaker into a 6A lighting circuit.
I think the push buttons are older. They have a very low breaking capacity (1000A) compared with just about any other MCB. The switch type are 3000A, IIRC. Most other vendor's domestic MCBs are 6000A breaking capacity.
Oh, never noticed that.
Thanks for the link. What worried me was that the prongs on the one we already have didn't match what the wholesaler said was their equivalent, so I doubt whether the others in the range would have fitted either.
Sounds like you need another wholesaler, they're a standard item.
NT
on 07/09/2012, stuart noble supposed :
I am not surprised, they were a 1970's item. They appeared first with fuse wire version, then later along came the MCB's for converting them, or new install. They were never that popular, I didn't come across many with MCB's when compared to ordinary fuses in that style. The best bet is to replace the entire unit with a new one, but if that is not an option, you might find some on ebay.
Even B&Q do Wylex plug in MCBs - so you could take a look yourself and see whether you can find if it matches.
D
Good idea. Thanks. Hmm, seems to be reserve and collect only, but I'll check next time I'm passing
Killjoys.
Bill
GE Minitrips used to be the best substitute for these. You need the whole unit not just the trip.
Also the MCB pins are in a different position to those of fuses of the same rating, so you can't just change a fuse for a breaker without also changing the shroud.
ISTR that I had noticed the rewirable and cartridge fuse carriers were not interchangable for this reason.
Cartridge fuses as an option for new CU's seems to have gone now, probably because BS1361 was withdrawn a couple of years ago.
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