Circuit breaker panel in single stairwell from student accomodation.

[Rocha]

I have recently been involved with student accomodation buildings, which are 4 storeys, providing 2 x 1 bed flats on each floor.  The building is served by a 60 minute single escape stairwell, which discharges at ground level via the front entrance.  An L2 system is installed throughout.

Circuit breaker panels have been installed at the base of the stairwells of the buildings, which have benn passed by building control etc, but the local fire officer has now raised concerns and is pointing to ADB 2006 para 2.40, which recomends electricity meters be secured in fire resiting construction, which is currently not the case.

He states that although ADB talks about electricity meters, he sees circuit breaker panels as an equivalent risk and is wanting fire resistant cabinets installed or the fire risk assessment to document why this setup is suitable and sufficent.

Would you guys agree on his views??? or point to any other solutions.

Keep up the good work!!!

R

[jasper]

we had a fire in a building close to me due to this reason (scenario), 5 injured I think, building owner to be taken to the cleaners @ court

[Paul2886]

Just visited a care home where an MCB caught fire, spread to the others adjacent and smoke logged to the extent that a total evacution took place. Also owing to a lack of fire stopping in the ceiling above the fuseboard it spread to the floor above

[wormhole]

I have recently been involved with student accomodation buildings, which are 4 storeys, providing 2 x 1 bed flats on each floor.  The building is served by a 60 minute single escape stairwell, which discharges at ground level via the front entrance.  An L2 system is installed throughout.

Circuit breaker panels have been installed at the base of the stairwells of the buildings, which have benn passed by building control etc, but the local fire officer has now raised concerns and is pointing to ADB 2006 para 2.40, which recomends electricity meters be secured in fire resiting construction, which is currently not the case.

He states that although ADB talks about electricity meters, he sees circuit breaker panels as an equivalent risk and is wanting fire resistant cabinets installed or the fire risk assessment to document why this setup is suitable and sufficent.

Would you guys agree on his views??? or point to any other solutions.

Keep up the good work!!!

R

I would say there is no reason to install additional fire resisting construction, assuming the installation is tested & inspected in accordance with BS7671, also any modifications should be completed by a 'competent' person.

A correctly designed and installed electrical installation should never catch fire, its usually when cowboys get involved. In most cases an inspection & testing visit will show the likely causes of fire.

In my risk assessment I would put the control measure that every year its inspected and every 5 years its inspected & tested by a competent electrical engineer (although the frequency will vary, dependant of building type).

Lets face it, too many people don’t get the electrical installation tested – this week had to change some re-wirable fuses because someone had put lumps of copper wire in place of the fuse element – picked up on a inspection visit by a competent contractor.

[Galeon]

I have recently been involved with student accomodation buildings, which are 4 storeys, providing 2 x 1 bed flats on each floor.  The building is served by a 60 minute single escape stairwell, which discharges at ground level via the front entrance.  An L2 system is installed throughout.

Circuit breaker panels have been installed at the base of the stairwells of the buildings, which have benn passed by building control etc, but the local fire officer has now raised concerns and is pointing to ADB 2006 para 2.40, which recomends electricity meters be secured in fire resiting construction, which is currently not the case.

He states that although ADB talks about electricity meters, he sees circuit breaker panels as an equivalent risk and is wanting fire resistant cabinets installed or the fire risk assessment to document why this setup is suitable and sufficent.

Would you guys agree on his views??? or point to any other solutions.

Keep up the good work!!!

R

I would say there is no reason to install additional fire resisting construction, assuming the installation is tested & inspected in accordance with BS7671, also any modifications should be completed by a 'competent' person.

A correctly designed and installed electrical installation should never catch fire, its usually when cowboys get involved. In most cases an inspection & testing visit will show the likely causes of fire.

In my risk assessment I would put the control measure that every year its inspected and every 5 years its inspected & tested by a competent electrical engineer (although the frequency will vary, dependant of building type).

Lets face it, too many people don’t get the electrical installation tested – this week had to change some re-wirable fuses because someone had put lumps of copper wire in place of the fuse element – picked up on a inspection visit by a competent contractor.

Not surprisingly , since rewire able fuses nearly always blew at double the rating of the fuse wire, and particularly in London where the service head was rated at 60 amps and possibly cartridge type , i have seen many a service head blow , and the the faulty ring rewire-able fuse still in tact.

[wormhole]

Not surprisingly , since rewire able fuses nearly always blew at double the rating of the fuse wire, and particularly in London where the service head was rated at 60 amps and possibly cartridge type , i have seen many a service head blow , and the the faulty ring rewire-able fuse still in tact.

when you say service head blow - I assume you mean the cutout fuse?

Although you are correct, and I don't think rewireable fuses are brilliant, however all circuit protective devices (fuses, rewireable fuses, MCB's and everything else) will take a significant amount of current to make them trip quickly (often several hundred amps), in the case you mention above it appears that a BS88 type fuse in the cutout has reacted before the re-wirable fuse has had chance. Depending on the fault this is quite possible, as its difficult to acheive full descrimination in this type of installation.

the ideal is the local fuse or circuit breaker will always trip first, however this cannot always be acheived - as long as something broke the fault there is no problem.

personally I'd argue the maintenance and inspection card with the fire officer