Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Safelincs Fire Safety Forum

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

Incoming Electrical cable and fuse, should it be encased?

Featured Replies

In an small office environment, is there a requirement for the incoming electrical mains to to encased to offer 30 mins FR? In this example the incoming cable is housed in a wooden cupboard along with the consumer unit ( a new metal case type.)

  • Author

There's a fire exit front and rear, the electrical cupboard (with no FR)  is adjacent to the rear fire exit. There are sprinklers and SDs and MCPs.

If the consumer unit itself is to the latest standard and thus a 'non combustible housing' there's an argument it's tolerable as it is.

  • 1 month later...

Don’t forget that the latest standard you refer to AB is for domestic and similar installations. Irrespective of any regulatory imperative, it may be prudent to have the equipment enclosed in appropriately rated construction, if not for life safety then for property protection/ business continuity. 
I speak from bitter experience for as a young electrical contractor just starting to make a future, I razed to the ground a fair part of a National Trust facility. As it turned out, there was a component failure where a poorly constructed fuse carrier in a heavily loaded switchfuse caused the connection to overheat. The cable insulation  burned back and molten parts fell on combustible material that had gathered around the bottom of the equipment. The place was undergoing refurbishment at the time and there was a big push to open. A fully fire resisting enclosure was in place but the builder hadn’t fitted the doors to it and staff had piled cardboard boxes smack up against it. 
The investigation team acknowledged that it was component failure but it didn’t do my reputation any good at all! What it did do though, was to give me an abiding interest in fire safety and that has been with me for forty years!

  • 3 weeks later...

Incoming electrical cables and fuses should be encased in a protective covering, such as conduit, to protect them from damage and to ensure the safety of people and property. This is a common building code requirement and is also recommended by the National Electrical Code (NEC).

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.