Double pole circuit breakers v single pole

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voyseygw
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Double pole circuit breakers v single pole

Postby voyseygw » Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:08 am

Hi,
My consumer unit has all double pole circuit breakers and I want to replace my RCD for a auto resetting RCD but this takes up three slots and I do not have any free slots in my consumer unit. What I would like to do is replace two of my double pole circuit breakers with single pole ones to free up some slots. Is there any reason I should not do this?
Thanks

Beachcomber
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Re: Double pole circuit breakers v single pole

Postby Beachcomber » Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:25 am

There are now available double pole MCBs that only take up a single space. Replacing double pole with single pole is a retrograde step and may invalidate any boletin that has been issued in respect of the installation.
Double pole single space MCB.jpg

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Re: Double pole circuit breakers v single pole

Postby Lyric » Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:43 am

Same problem, my self resetting RCD is in a separate box next to the consumer unit.

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spanish_lad
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Re: Double pole circuit breakers v single pole

Postby spanish_lad » Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:41 pm

As Beachcomber says - change the old doubles for new doubles that take up half the space.

or.. when you say "double pole" do you mean that they are "two spaces wide with 2 cables going in the top and two cables coming out the bottom" because they could be old "single pole" breakers.

If they are the single pole with 2 holes, you could change them to either the single thin ones, or to the double thin ones and just dont use one side of the breaker.

The way to tell is .. along the top it will have a "looping" cable to join all the breakers together. Is there one cable that goes between all the breakers, ie, just the live, or is it two individual cables that go in pairs between the breakers (it should be black and blue) I´ll see if i can find a picture.

single pole - they will all be joined on the top with one cable. only black cables come out the bottom, with all the blues joined in a big block somewhere else.

double pole - all the left side will be joined and all the right side will be joined, and at the bottom you should have black cables on the left and blue cables on the right of each breaker...
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.

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spanish_lad
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Re: Double pole circuit breakers v single pole

Postby spanish_lad » Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:23 pm

these are single pole breakers - see they are 1 space wide, and theres a "loop" at the top joining each one, and only one colour coming out the bottom (brown in this case)

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-phot ... -549078463


The picture below shows two double pole on the left, and two single pole on the right (with different sources of power, otherwise they would be joined up at the top)

https://www.shutterstock.com/image-phot ... -624938525


which of these do you have in your fusebox ?
Alhaurin el Grande since 99, working at the airport since 2011.

voyseygw
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Re: Double pole circuit breakers v single pole

Postby voyseygw » Thu Aug 08, 2019 6:00 am

Thanks for all your helpful advice I will have a look today.

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Re: Double pole circuit breakers v single pole

Postby voyseygw » Thu Aug 15, 2019 10:49 am

Hi,
Re single slot mcb the one shown by beachcomber is an MCB with arc detection there is a IC inside the unit to detect arcing. So it requires a neutral to power the circuit. When I looked on the Siemens site they they describe a lot of these devices as 1 pole plus neutral. I could not find a description for the one shown. Does anyone know if it does disconnect both live and neutral.


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