Can UK Electricians Learn from French Electrics?

Can UK Electricians Learn from French Electrics?
Join me on holiday in Paris as I check out the wiring in my French AirBnB.
Please note: my wife is French...
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[@artisanelectrics]

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[@cedricklyon]

Note that in France you can take out an off-peak option : from 22h30 to 06h30 (variable locally), electricity is cheaper, and a contactor is switched on automatically thanks to a special signal sent to the network. This contactor is used to supply the hot water tank for example.

[@SBBUK]

You can get this in the UK too (called Economy 7) but at present it doesn't really exist because the prices are artificially set by a price cap regulation due to high prices in the market. And even before, you had to be careful. Generally speaking, you paid slightly more for "on" peak electricity, to counterbalance the cheaper "off" peak prices. So unless you know you will definitely manage your usage to utilise the off peak hours, it's not worth it and could actually end up costing more. You also need a compatible meter and the operator might charge you to install that, yay.

[@mal6232]

Not everywhere in France you can't.

[@rennaaa6667]

@@SBBUK Same thing in Poland, to offset the cheaper off peak price they charge you an arm and a leg during peak hours, it's completely not worth it.

[@LMB222]

How much off do you get? Poland is 50%, but Germany only 20%.

[@cedricklyon]

​@@LMB222 very very few a this moment for a domestic use (tarif bleu) :/

[@varonex3449]

As a French person, all these systems came out to be basic for me, but due to the video, I'm wondering about how electricity is organized in other countries now

[@hmidoux]

pareil mdr

[@Flyingjaffacake]

I've lived in France since I was 23 and also thought this was just the modern norm. Apparently not 😮

[@thiblb1803]

I am French and I would also like to know how boards are made in other countries. although it seems modern, some things are useless like the brewer for Internet and telephone which are useless at my home that add latency and reduce performance

[@johnburns4017]

@@thiblb1803 Brewer?

[@johnburns4017]

@@thiblb1803 Britain has single pole disconnectors. In Britain everything is based on keeping installation _materials_ costs down, not labour costs. But double pole RCBOs are available. I see RCBOs are not common in France, being almost not available. Also in the UK AFDDs are now mandatory in some high rise blocks on any circuit with a socket outlet, but only _recommended_ on *_all_* installations. The French way of double pole using twin L & N busbars (comb) in consumer units is superior to the UK system. But Schneider are selling DP disconnectors with comb busbars in main panels. So the superior French way of comb busbars may be more common.

[@DasIllu]

France is quite advanced when it comes to electric safety. I am german and live close to the border to france. I had many opportunities to work on french installations. Things that are standing out in my opinion are that they only use halogen free cables and that all outlets, no matter the load or cable length are connected via 3x2.5mm². If you ever had to finalize an installation with 60 or more sockets in a day with 2.5mm² wires, you know your fingers will hurt :-D I would love to see the halogen free cable become mandatory at least where they aren't covered in plaster, i.e. ceilings. My childhood home cought fire one night and all the plastic stuff released toxic fumes and worst of all hydrochloric acid from PVC. My bronchii and lungs took several weeks to heal to a state so that breathing no longer hurt.

[@globalbridges8570]

I’m in Sweden and found the German/Swedish electrical system so easy to work on. It’s similar to the French but you have 3 phase 16, 20, 25, 35, for single family homes 45, 63 amp for apartments then 100amp+ for commercial. You step the 100 down to 63amp consumer units then step down to 35amp consumer units. The normal domestic 35amp consumer units are also 3 phase, so can have a 3 phase 16a cooker that is powerful even to actually cook on. The only bit that’s a bit more complicated is balancing the phases as the boards are set out phase 1,2,3,1,2,3,1,2,3 etc on each rail with 3 phase RCD’s. Each rail has its own earth rail for multiple RCD’s if required. Schneider is a good brand as well, so the boards can look similar to the one in the apartment, or wall mounted. All cables are run in flexible pipe 35mm+ deep into the wall, so 42mn OSB screws don’t get to the pipes. Each room you put a junction box near the entry door, so you pull one set 3 x1.5mm cables then run the sockets and lights off that junction box. Label the 10A fuse and you easily know which room had the fault. Easy to pull another cable etc, so really easy to diagnose and maintain. I wish we had the same in the UK as you normally only have one phase trip at any time, so only 1/3 of the lights don’t work.

[@NorseGraphic]

Norwegian here, and it's been decade since I worked on electric installations, but from what I remember the 3x2.5mm² was protected by 16 amp automatic-breakers (on the 3-phase 400V system). And they were also was triggered by earth-fault (30mA) if I remember correctly. Previously the earth-fault protection was for bathrooms/wet-rooms only, but it was easier to use one type on everything - so it's common now to use it on every outlet in the building, with variation on how quick you want the breakers to trip (C-type being typically the slowest).

[@NorseGraphic]

@@globalbridges8570 Yeah, Schneider is pretty common, but you also have ABB, Eaton and EFA.

[@globalbridges8570]

Skeptisk my electrician prefers Häger for the central/consumer unit and Elko for the sockets, switches etc, Draka for halogen free cables. I wish I could use the same back in the UK.

[@AlexKall]

Wish we used 2,5/16A on outlets in Sweden 😔

[@kvaegenbjergvej]

When you visit the uk you turn the clock 1 hour and 40 years back.

[@artisanelectrics]

🤣🤣🤣

[@970357ers]

I wonder if fires/electrocution rates are any different?

[@kvaegenbjergvej]

@@bobtahoma yes you were ahead of times back when the ancient romans ruled ;-) but got kicked back by the Vikings.

[@DragonBuilds]

When you visit the USA turn the clock back 1 hour and 100 years back. Our electrical is terrible compared to Europe.

[@evzenhedvabny6259]

I find British way of doing things kind of conservative but idiot proof. One example is SWA cable other one metal conduit system. Way better than we have in Czech. On the other hand their submarine-like connection under the pavement is weird in my eyes.

[@jamiewiseman]

I know this is an old video, but worth adding: if you’d taken the cover off the first thing you’d have noticed is that the Individual circuit breakers are double pole, both the live and neutral pass through the mcb and are both isolated when the circuit is off.

[@xartpant]

Not true

[@bertrandvlbd4040]

​@@xartpantsorry but yes, both pole are protected and isolated in this kind of installation

[@tocboatman]

@@xartpant Not sure I understand your comment. I live in France, work on French electrical installations and, if the system is compliant with current norms, all MCBs are double pole. To install a single pole MCB would not work with a French consumer unit (no neutral busbar) and would not be compliant. Of course I do accept there are electrical installations that do not comply with the norms. The only time I encountered a single pole MCB set up was in a home that an Englishman had DIY wired using UK spec equipment. However, as soon as the electric supply company found what had been done (they came to update the meter) the supply was cut off to the property.

[@Harrydewulf]

@@xartpant Completely true according to the current norm, but it was only introduced a decade or so ago (from memory) so HUGE numbers of installations don't isolate both. You can still buy replacement _boites de dérivation_ that are designed for both types, but no professional electrician will fit one that only isolates the live.

[@ssmith954]

@@Harrydewulf I did an electrical installation (as a DIYer) in France in 2009, so studied up on NFC15-100 norms, and even then all breakers were double pole -- or at least it was impossible to buy breakers that were not double pole! I was really impressed with the norms -- took a bit of studying and learning terminology, but really well thought out.

[@fenarinarsa]

The "telephone cables" that you see going out of the patch panel are actually home appliance multimedia cables that are usually Grade 3 or Grade 3S, meaning they can be used as Cat6 Ethernet cables as well. They're used for phone but also for remote TV IPTV boxes or computers where possible (a lot of people use a Wifi connection but it doesn't always go through walls). Note however that new "old type" copper phone lines aren't made anymore, new flats/house now come with fiber connection. You then need a fiber internet or phone modem of some sort, and a lot of people put that modem near the board and plug it into the available socket. This is honestly something that should be considered now, as well as adding room for a wifi access point of some sort :)

[@redstone0234]

Theze are required in France since 2018 or so

[@mybricology7388]

@@redstone0234 Yes you're right, everything is in the NFC15-100 specification :) i's not free, but hopefuly LEGRAND, HAGER, SCHNEIDER produce nice and clear PDF with all we need to know.

[@toast1797]

Grew up in France and thought it was normal until I moved to the UK

[@bubuthom]

I am living in UK and I lived in Canada and Norway (visited also a lot countries and staying at friend places). UK is the worst (electricity or water network...) why to put a fuse in each socket? Thus you don't protect the cable... Very stupid. Water... You should not mix hot and cold water until very recently, thus, a lot of place with separate taps or as my sink with two tubes in one to mix only outside, thus, it is not well mix... Thailand or China is much better!

[@nicolas2419]

Often when you move abroad, you discover that normal things in your country are not at all normal outside and reciprocally!

[@KBinturong]

I don’t get how UK can use this weird thing in shower that mix hot water and cold water and seems connected to electricity. Seems sooo dangerous.

[@masher3618]

@@KBinturong go to Bolivia and have a nice electric powered shower There ,it will change your mind.

[@johnburns4017]

@@bubuthom Your knowledge of these matters is *skant.* The British fused G type plug/DP socket is the best in the world. No plugged in appliance can draw more than 13A. Fuses are available from 1A upwards. I put 1A fuses in table lamps protecting the cable and lamp. Everywhere else in the world, except G Type plug users, the flimsy lamp flex is protected by 16A or 20A breakers at the main panel which is potential fire hazzard. The fuse in each plus means you can have a flexible ring circuit. A ring is a busbar running around the house or to some rooms. Each appliance is fused off the busbar (cable) in the plug. If there is a problem on an appliance *_only that appliance_* drops out, *_not_* the whole circuit. I have mixer taps which are similar to those in most of the world, with a hot pipe and cold pipe entering the mixer then mixed water dropping out of the spout. The British regulations recommend RCBOs or AFDDs to be fitted at the panels. Thailand is a third world joke. it is best you adopt the British fuse in plug G Type. Been there and saw it - shocking. Must be many deaths there because of bad installations and poor standards.

[@alebret3]

In france the green conduits are used for telecoms, so the spare is for when they do the fiber pull to the apartment

[@andreassjoberg3145]

It is actually EU-wide standard. Just that France have more modern electrical installations because once EU standards and regulations went into effect, most old installations were outdated and had to be totally re-done. Basically EU adopted the Swedish regulations, the politicians just translated it, and thenargued over expensive dinners for several years... It also helps that most of the biggest companies have identical "best practices" in all the countries they are active, just the power socket that looks different :P

[@noobgamer-qb3gq]

Green colour is not standart, mostly grey or black where i am

[@svendevarennes520]

@@andreassjoberg3145 Do you have any backing for saying it's of Swedish origin? -> I'm genuinely curious as I thought to myself watching this video: We'll, we had that in Sweden 30 years ago. French but grew up in Sweden you see, and while visiting family members in France I can't remember if they had similar stuff or not. Vore verkligen roligt om du kunde hitta nagon källa för det du säger :)

[@LeSarthois]

@@andreassjoberg3145 In France, old installations don't need to be redone. Thankfully since in those past 10 years the NF C15100 (norm directing electricity in French household) has been updated almost yearly (on minor details, to be honest) The only time you need to have an up-to-date installation is in a new building, or if your house power meter had been removed. Which is quite rare, it usually happens after a few years of the building being left unused.

[@TatsuKan]

@@andreassjoberg3145 I don't know where you get your information from, but it seems false to me. I live in a house that is more than 40 years old, that has never had an electrical overhaul and that is already equipped in this way. The only major difference being the presence of fuses. And for the telecom conduit, this was already present for the telephone copper line. The telecom box is much more rudimentary, but is already present.

[@flashcorp76]

I’m French and just had a peek at this vid, really quite strange to know that in the UK, things are not like this🙃I’ve been used to cabling our ‘Electric Panels’, as we call them this way for the past 30 Years. The major differences with older installations is All the fuses are ‘trip fuses’ (mcd’s?), and not cartridge fuses anymore. And generally people upgrade from cartridge to trip fuse for conveniency. Good job giving other guys insight in to a Nice and Neat Installation, which for us froggies is standard 👍🏻

[@McMonkeyful]

Our setup isn't that much different. It's more the little touches & the overall consideration given to the setup. The French system just seems neater & more user-friendly. That main fuse/rcd/isolation switch is the main difference. Great idea. I also like that the 'fuse' rating can be changed remotely, without an engineer having to visit & that it shows the current rating. Other than those two differences, the rest is pretty similar.

[@wewereneversane9833]

Another Frenchy here.... Don't tell them about how our older buildings are wired up. Health and safety will have a heart attack.

[@johnburns4017]

@@wewereneversane9833 I know! Terrifying! I looked at the electrical system in a _modern_ 1976 block in Paris. To British 1976 standards it is third world. But the EU dragged all up to a higher level, so not the case these days. The British are there but it is design they fail on. The nice inset and integrated electrical panels at the correct height in France, and elsewhere, is not common here - although it was in the 1950s to 70s. In the UK they do not like having electrical panels and gas meters at front doors for safety reasons in case of fire - no equipment that can be potential fires at exits to the premises. Hence we put them in odd _safer_ places.

[@wewereneversane9833]

@@johnburns4017 I'd still like to wager that you're more sensible than we are. Bruh, there are stories of people dying from shock going up an emergency staircase by touching the hand rails... That's how fucked up the wiring is. About a thousand wires stuffed into the connection and their solution to the resistance is "More Power" ..... Which will create even more resistance through heat and the solution to that is "MOOOORE POWAH!!"

[@jonathanpalmer155]

@@wewereneversane9833 Thanks for restoring our confidence for not seeming totally inferior.

[@djblackarrow]

This is quite interesting to see. I like to see such videos how the Electric is done in the UK and around it. Im a German Electrician. In Germany you only use C-characteristic circuit Breakers for devices with very high inrush current (such as a big circular saw or a large compressor in the workshop) or in construction Site power distribution cabinets. The installation of C-Type circuit breakers in normal households is normally not permitted. RCDs are only needed for circuits with sockets where portable devices are connected and especially in the Bathroom. The required RCD trip-current is 30mA. Permanently connected / hard wired devices may be operated without RCDs, but if you want, you can still use them. RCDs with a trip current higher than 30mA are only allowed in Industry or in construction Site power distribution cabinets for loop through functions to feed another distribution cabinet. The newer household Distribution boxes are in most cases made of plastic. Only the DIN Rails on which the circuit breakers and other devices are snapped are made of metal. Informations about a normal household in Germany: you have a main fuse box (mostly in the basement) where the supply lines come into the house. From there, a cable leads to a meter cabinet (which is also mostly in the basement), where there are meter pre-fuses, the meter itself, and a main switch on the output side for each meter. The distribution box can be integrated in the meter cabinet, otherwise it is somewhere in your apartment. The meter cabinets can be equipped as required in a modular design. There are field modules for 1, 2, 4 or 6 meters, or with DIN Rails for circuit breakers, up to perforated plates for the installation of telecommunication devices such as DSL routers, patch panels and other devices. The leading manufacturer of these meter cabinets and distribution boxes in Germany is "HAGER". The wiring of the meter and distribution boxes must always be touch-proof. If cables are laid on cable racks, the cable racks must be earthed. Gas, water and heating pipes must also be earthed with us. In addition, it is now mandatory for us to install lightning arresters and surge protection in the electrical system of new buildings. We always run 3-phase 230/400V 50Hz in our buildings. Older houses and apartments can still be wired at single-phase 230V. 3x230/400V is often used by our hard wired electrical stoves/cookers auch as induction cookers and the electric water heater with up to 24kW. A normal AC Outlet delivers 230V at 16A (3.6kW). The Main Fuses of a normal one-family house are mostly rated at 35 to 50Amp. Sometimes 63Amp. By us, the Breaking capacity of the circuit breakers has to be 10kA when installed in the top part of a Meter-Module and 6kA when installed in a separated DIN-Rail Module of the meter cabinet or in an external distribution box somewhere in the house. The main fuse box, the lower connection area of the meter cabinet and the meters are sealed by the energy supplier. If the seals are destroyed or removed by unauthorized persons, that person is liable to prosecution.

[@TheLipton92]

Maybe you want to say D curve circuit breaker for high inrush current device ? (10-15x nominal current) = D curve (8-13x nominal current ) = C curve, standard in France for house application (excepted some pool pump or old cooler with D curve) (5-10x) = B curve for long length cable

[@mariusj8542]

Norway follows more or less the same restrictions as Germany (35A as main and 16A as largest on single circuits, everything else are for industry). I see that the letters on the switches/ breakers vary some on what we call slow-switches( able to handle peek loads like heavy tools etc). On the other hand, Norway is not installing copper wires for telephone/ internet anymore. All new buildings and single homes get fiber optics. We also have remote reading of power consumption at the main breaker box, so no more forgetting to read the meter. Schneider is used a lot here in Norway btw. They make some nice clean breaker boxes. The problem we are facing is all the chargers being installed due to electric cars . Last year 50% of all new cars were 100electric. The municipality are uncertain about the overall load on the coming years, any thoughts on that in other countries?

[@effervescence5664]

Often it's B curve in domestic settings in the UK, C curve in commercial and D curve for industrial or high inrush current in commercial. For Commercial and industrial we also almost never have RCD's on distribution panels in preference of RCD's for dedicated circuits or at the appliance. We have the same policy here of "If the seals are destroyed or removed by unauthorized persons, that person is liable to prosecution" though most suppliers don't tend to enforce it as it's unreasonable to wait for them to remove the fuses nor do they put isolators in after the meters. Typically the UK circuit ratings are 6A lighting, 10A lighting, 16/20A radial power circuit, 32A 4mm radial/ 2.5mm x2 ring final circuit (all 6kA). Anything larger 40/50A is normally a shower or electric inline central heating (and often 10kA). 63A or larger would typically be used for a sub-board supply. Interestingly although EU norm is 3x 230/400V the average voltage across the UK from what I have experienced it's 247V. I wonder what it actually is in Germany?

[@effervescence5664]

@@mariusj8542 Oh we have worries about that here, our average voltage is higher than the rest of the EU, but many of the old cables and even the new housing estates designed for "electric only heating and hot water" are undersized ring mains. Basically they're going on the assumption most people will use public transport rather than get an electric vehicle and that some people wont ever get one. They're also hoping that B2G will help bypass the issue, but it's more of a band-aid than actually properly preparing for the future.

[@TheRailroad99]

It really is B curve in most German households. Some older houses even have the H curve, which is horribly fast. (You have to start a vacuum cleaner at a lower level for it not to trip). Even the B ones can be very annoying. For example when you have a powerful computer, the inrush current for Charging the SMPS Capacitors after plugging it in often trips B fuses, especially if you have it on a (switchable) extension cord together with all peripherals.

[@vsmicer]

Our house in the Gironde is a large chartreuse (basically a smaller chateau!) and was built in 1670 - we have pretty much the exact same board near the kitchen door - but, because end to end, the downstairs is 75m long (I build guitars - my workshop is at the other end), we have a second, smaller board there linked via the mains line to the front of the house, but wholly independent from it. Altogether, the house runs on 9kva (it was 6, but that wasn't enough), we may in time move it up to 12 as I rebuild one of the bathrooms and put in a new immersion tank. The French system is very good and you can isolate every part for working (I'm not an electrician, but I'm pretty good) and overall, electricity prices here are much cheaper than the UK.

[@minimaniac50]

Having worked in Paris for some while now I can tell you are fortunate to see an installation made this well (judging without looking under the covers)

[@deuxpiecesSaintLouis]

yes that's not the usual setup (new or renovation)

[@Amb_ms]

They all look like the same as this one but this one are realy more clean than older

[@cdsivi]

5:20 in France type A RCD's are mandatory on the row where you put the breakers for a hob (electric, vitroceramic), a washing machine and a power station/charger for an electric vehicle. (Source: I was trained as an electrician in France)

[@Tyranastrasza]

The main norm for electrical LV (and ELV) installation in France is the NF C15-100. Normally it's for residential stuff, but we use it for every LV installation. When you build a new home/appartment, your electrical installation have to conform to this 15-100 norm. This norm covers everything from the number of sockets (including RJ sockets) per room, the protections you have to use, the cables you have to use, the size of the little niche where you have to install your electric board, etc. Your installation gets certified at the end by the "CONSUEL" (which is also the name of the certification) Since this norm is updated somewhat regularly, when you want to sell, or rent your home, your installation doesn't necessarily have to conform to the latest version of the 15-100 to avoid sometimes big work that would have to be done (like additional sockets or an entire ELV network), but instead have to meet the basic standards of security of the NF C16-600 (grounding your stuff, no live wires, replacing faulty equipment, using at least one earth-fault breaker ...). This process also need a certification by a recognized electrician giving you the DEO (Diagnostique Electrique Obligatoire or Mandatory Electrical Diagnostic) which allows you to rent or sell your home/appartment.

[@benleung2253]

We can buy everything in Leroy Merlin, Castorama, Bricomarché & etc, the material is not expensive but the labour is.... that's why I do it myself.

[@electricalstuff259]

The material is not expensive? Go check out how much a 4-tier Le Grand unit costs..

[@benleung2253]

@@electricalstuff259 I am living in France, actually the prices is not expensive.

[@electricalstuff259]

@@benleung2253 I lived in France for 4 years mate, everything is expensive as fuck. You can pay over 600 euro for a consumer unit in France. Go and compare power tools in France with the equivalent prices in the UK. France is ultra expensive and it's not even a debate it's a fact.

[@UKIP]

Interrupteur Differentiel makes more sense than Residual Current Device...

[@xouxoful]

Or disjoncteur différentiel as we say often.

[@movax20h]

In Poland we call them "Wyłącznik różnicowoprądowy" , or coloquially, "różnicówka". "Różnica", in English `difference`. Because that what they do, they detect difference in current. I think GFCI / RCD isn't technically accurate term. As they don't really measure current to ground.

[@hausaffe100]

@@movax20h in germani whe claa them fi-schalter with fi standing for fehlstrom meaning missing current

[@movax20h]

@@hausaffe100 Makes sense!

[@HungryGreeny]

"Protective tripping device" here in Russia, or "UZO" which is abbreviation for this term in russian. Rccb's are called "difavtomat" which is short for "differentsialny avtomat" - differential circuit breaker. Speaking of national differences, the most weird one for me personally is european practice of connecting the load to the top side of the breaker. In Russia and, i quess, all post soviet block, it's other way around. It seems so logical to me, that electricity goes from top to bottom, from left to right, just like text in the book. In other aspects, we have pretty much european standards. Also we don't really have regulations for home owners. Just like gentleman fron Netherlands said in the comments: "Everything beyond the power meter is your business". We also have a somewhat obscure scene of youtube/instagram electricians who does pretty neat things. Like, for example, 50+ module electrical panel for 3-room apartment with PLC for home automation system. I never saw something like that in english speaking segment of youtube, though i never really searched. Apparently we have a market for such things in a private residential sector.

[@WooShell]

From watching UK electricians channels, I can really say they have a lot to learn from their neighboring countries. This method of huge on-wall distribution boxes stowed away under the stairs or in some basement crevice is sooo pre-WW2.. sometimes I wonder whether they've by now got switch-type fuses, or whether they're still cutting fuse wire into bakelite studs. Next, why do you so insist on ring cabling? Nobody else does that nowadays, and nobody besides the UK ever did. Also pulling cables through holes in floor or ceiling beams (why are all the floors and ceilings in the UK apparently made of wood?!) is so archaic. Flex conduits are known to man since 50 years - please start using them. Third, an earth wire can be insulated like the other conductors. Really, it's quite easy. You should try making them that way some day. Bare copper anywhere is just asking for shorts.

[@johnburns4017]

In the UK they do not like, these days, to have electrical equipment at the front door as it is a means of escape in case of fire. Hence they may have the electric main panel in a downstairs toilet.

[@ssmith954]

Between the Third World ring circuits and the electricity prices, the UK really has it bad!

[@Yorx95]

I work as an electrician and Spain and couldn't agree more with your comment, it ticked every box!!

[@richardhince9764]

I'm an electrician working in France, and I fit panels like that all the time. Looking at British panels now, I wouldn't wish to go back to that. However, looking at this video (from three years ago as I type) I note that this panel techically contravenes at least one norme (regulation). There are limits to how many disjoncteurs (MCBs) can be fitted to one differentiel (RCD) and this limit has been exceeded in this panel. However, in my opinion - whatever that's worth! - it's still good. I love the system here especially the screwless components in installations, which this setup in fact is. Busbars etc are all push-fit. Brilliant.

[@artisanelectrics]

Book recommendation - Electricity in your French house: amzn.to/32zIKYH

[@johnburns4017]

Book is now too old.

[@Nickle314]

Swiss Electrics. That's worth a look because of the quality. Another league.

[@ssmith954]

If you read French there is a book called "L'installation électrique" as well as a whole series of books by David Fedullo / Thierry Gallauziaux covering almost every aspect of a home installation. Absolutely essential. French norms for home electrical installations (NFC 15-100) are a masterpiece of simplicity and safety -- far superior to the UK & Ireland's ring circuits.

[@chriscarr9031]

I've been doing electrics in France for 22 years now and do like the conduit system,the only thing with radials is the amount of cables used

[@SamFoxR]

DTI plug is the plug used to check on your home base phone line ...if you loose the ringtone (or broadband line) , you test with a phone (or modem) in this plug , it cut off all the RJ plugs in the flat and you can check directly if your line is ok or not :)

[@DjSwiti]

8:37 it is not a telephone splitter. These are ethernet cables that are running all around your appartment so you have a wired internet connection in your bedrooms and your living room. The idea is to put your internet box in here and plug the 4 outputs to the splitter.

[@artisanelectrics]

Nice

[@TommyApel]

@@artisanelectrics look more like a DSL splitter/filter to me but you are right about the ethernet cables used in the patchbox although they are using phone cables between the splitter and the patch, I would imagine that in the building it self they just used ethernet STP cables as they are easier to work with than prehistoric analogue phone cables.

[@millomweb]

@@TommyApel Presume apartment has four sockets - if connected to phone line, it's a phone socket as is here, if connected to network, it's wired computer network - not fitted here.

[@DjSwiti]

@@millomweb Yea exactly, by default they put phone cables but nowadays it's pretty useless.

[@TommyApel]

@@millomweb well it the intention was to use it for ethernet down the line then they'd have to redo the cable as they are not connected properly to the patch panel, the shielding needs to be attached for grounding otherwise you will have all kinds of problems with the main switch which will be placed elsewhere in the building. From a pure ethernet installation point of view this is done wrong and I doubt anyone would like to put several thousands euros worth of carrier equipment at the end of such lines only to see the ports roasted after a few months.

[@travel734]

Very nice installation. I grew up in Paris and our fuses were ceramic with lead wires. Too much load or heat and the lead would melt. I quickly learned how to refuse them.

[@leeburnside735]

Earth here in France is mainly TT systems that have to be less than 100 ohmes

[@acidemorganique]

The green box is the Linky electricity meter, which automatically sends all consumption information to the energy supplier by PLC, it's not sealed because there's no need, the meter automatically sends an alert to the energy supplier if it's opened.

[@psirvent8]

The large green cover is actually designed to be removed by the tenant as it gives access to the off peak relay terminals. But it also gives access to a smaller cover that hides the main terminals and this one is definitely sealed unlike the first one. You're still very right about the fact that if one were to breach the tamper seal and remove the main terminal cover it would trip a micro switch and remotely send an alert to Enedis, who would then be forwarding it to your utility provider (EDF or another company). Source: I'm French.

[@markgilder9990]

Doing a rewire I only do radials now. I like that layout of the board.

[@pauljohncross]

I've just decided to go down the same route. I'd be interested to know what approach you take for kitchens. The rewire I'm doing at the moment has 2 dedicated 20A radials for dishwasher and washing machine, 1 32A cooker radial, and 1 32A radial for the remaining sockets in the kitchen (customer is looking to extend the kitchen at some point so I opted for 4mm just in case). Dedicated 20A radials to every other room.

[@Ironmike28]

Paul Cross I have heard a few people now do this. I’m midway through a rewire and was considering radials rather than ring mains but just thought that’s a lot of rcbos.

[@pauljohncross]

@@Ironmike28 Yep, it's a lot, but way easier in an occupied property.

[@edc1569]

@@pauljohncross While I like the idea, that's a lot of circuits and I'd much rather have an RCBO board than a gazillions circuits on a split-load board. We ended up running a ring circuit on 2.5mm to a bank of those grid kitchen isolator switches for the Oven, Microwave, Dishwasher, Extractor. Couldn't get a 4mm cable in and out of them so had little choice.

[@filipe.skunk8]

Mark Gilder rings don’t make sense and are far more dangerous as if for some reason the ring is open you’ll have the 2.5mm wire “protected” with a 32A mcb which is illegal. The more selectivity an installation has the better and easier to troubleshoot if ever needs troubleshooting

[@kieronmarshall2658]

i moved over 9 years ago to a property empty for 40 year. Got the man out to connect/test the supply and he left saying all ok but when i fit the consumer unit make sure the supply is off or i'll be dead. i've played with electrics for decades but no sparky, was an interesting learning curve.

[@mathieuallory3868]

Hi, type A RCD is required as per the applicable standard NF C 15-100 for washing machines, hot plates and EV chargers. I have in mind the standard also requires you should have two RCDs, at least one being type A. You may use type A everywhere if you like to.

[@guillaumegaudin694]

That's right, when you subscribe for electricity distribution, the price of the monthly fixed fees vary according to the max power you subscribed for (3kVA, 6kVA, ...)

[@millomweb]

Seems a bit daft. What do you do if you only need the lower power 99% of the time !!

[@Karjis]

@@millomweb same thing in Finland, you basically pay for the reserve that is allocated to you when building the local grid. We have it priced according to main fuses of the client. 3x25A, 3x35A etc and the monthly fixed fee varies according to the max load you can take. Basically if all clients on the street takes bigger main fuses, heavier cables are needed to feed the local distribution box etc that adds the cost. On top of that you pay few cents per kWh for two parties, the owner of the grid and for the power supplier.

[@572Btriode]

@@millomweb Pay. I live in France, the standing charge rises with rising consumption set limits but the price per unit goes down. Being very rural I may only have 12kW owing to line length but I run all the usual stuff, electric cooker (I have a gas hob too), 3 way split A/C and a pool heat pump, never tripped their breaker but local lightning will. You learn to be sensible with power and not flippant. You can also do "off-peak" by arrangement. In fact the EDF bill arrived yesterday for July and Aug, we do get 30° normally and days at mid 30's are quite usual, so A/C and 8hrs/day of 550W pool pump with a couple of days total of the heat pump is €248.59 on a simple tariff for 1368kW/h. The wiring is way better and no copper saving fudges of ring mains, flex conduit come pre-loaded if you want, ground wires are totally covered too, no T+E here. I rather like the French norm of a light switch at every doorway, I have four in the kitchen and they are just push buttons that trip a latching relay. Historically rural areas have had, and may still do in places, very tender supplies and a limit of just 3kW, but 3ph supplies domestically is/was common, I have all the phases in the EDF meter box and the cooker and immersion heater can be linked single or 3ph. Three phase domestic plugs and sockets are quite usual too.

[@jonwetherell5214]

@@millomweb Then you avoid the 1% of the time and save money or you pay across the board for all your usage. By doing this low power consumers ( usually poor or living in small properties) are not subsidising the higher power users.

[@millomweb]

@@Karjis I even asked re feed to a house and feed to a large industrial site here in England. Once the adequate supply is installed, fixed fee is the same no matter how much power you use! I suspect cost is to pay for the meter reader !

[@Hirumadu90]

8:35 this is Ethernet cables (color of wires are different from usual PTT telephone cable), cat5e it seems 9:00 green flexible conduit is for optical fiber, that's the standard color for FTTH in France.

[@volundrfrey896]

Is that really cat5e cable? That's a poor installation in that case, untwisting the pairs that far can easily create interference problems in the network. You're only supposed to untwist and expose the last centimeter of the cable.

[@amahashadow]

@@volundrfrey896 installers here (France) tend to use cat5e for both network and phones so they only have to stock one cable type. since this cat5e is connected to the DTI, it's most likely used for analog phone, and as such, doesn't really care about proper termination.

[@volundrfrey896]

@@amahashadow Ah, alright fair enough. Then it doesn't matter, it just looks bad.

[@sebastienenee40]

Hi, green conduit as just for communication cable, ethernet, 298, coaxial, optical ... not only FFTH

[@MalmoeSnapphane]

We done it like that for the past 30 years in Sweden, but we install earth/ground fail fuse as well.

[@sebastienenee40]

Hi, have you a link to see the fuse for the gound ? it's a surge arrester ? (i'm french,)

[@TheManeliss]

Thanks for your video! I'm proud to be french. In my country norms and controls don't laugh... It's not simple everyday! But it's for best security...

[@CommieCat]

Man this is so different than what we use in the USA. I suppose the lower voltage here is part of it as well as the prevalence of free standing homes. But even apartments alll have the meters outside and grouped together. Inside you essentially get a sub panel...and most cases the labelling is dodgy. It is so nice to have things this will organized, little bit jealous of you guys as over here some of the things you see on service calls just blow your mind.

[@johnburns4017]

USA have 240v into homes, then split it using only 120v for receptacles. But you can have large ugly 240v receptacles. The USA system to us looks third world. It can all be updated to 240v dropping the 120v with proper safety breakers (AFFDs & RCBOs) at the main panels, and adopting the British 3-pin switched sockets and plugs.

[@pietervercauteren1505]

In my area in Belgium new boxes are similar but in a house like mine there are 4 circuits with an individual power(loss) breaker. 1 lights dry, 1 power dry, 1 lights wet, 1 power wet. Typically the light circuits are low amp and power higher ofcourse. The wet dry thing is that the power limitation on the wet circuits will be lower. For example the lights of the bathroom will be on lights wet, while the sockets in the living room is power dry. So any plug or light that possibly come in contact with fluid or moisture are wet (outside, kitchen, bathroom but also washer even if the rest of the room is a dry room) Separate fuses for every appliance and normal circuits are usually limited to 3 clusters per fuse and in case of outlets especially max 7 outtake points per cluster (an outtake point is allowed to have more than one plug, but I think there is an overall limit), but like I said this was in the building code when my electrics were renewed

[@kyuubi34800]

Here in France we only have light wet/light dry separation for building receiving public, and not for power outlets for which 30mA is mandatory

[@rykmat2542]

In 2016 I rented an apartment in Edinburgh instead of a hotel. I took the time to peek into the technology room. Here I was left staring in utter shock. Instruments mounted on an OSB board. In Czechia, no one would have allowed something like that to connect to the grid for the last hundred years. The single 40A breaker for the socket wiring throughout the apartment was shocking too. Everyone has access to the fuse in the plug and can easily replace the fuse there with a piece of metal. That is absolutely insane to me. 😜

[@johnburns4017]

I know no one who replaces the fuse in the plug with a metal object. Fues are bought everywhere. The British final ring circuit when on an AFDD is bombproof replacing about eight radial circuits on the Continent. The installation in Edinburgh may have been old. A 40A breaker on a 4mm ring is fine as each appliance has its own fuse. Against regs now but was fine not long ago. BTW, you have no fuses in plugs, meaning 3 amp rated table lamp flex may be on a 20A breaker. The British G Type plugs are the best in the world.

[@kittsdiy]

It's so funny to see the differences of insallations in europe .. i tought electricity was electricity .... In Belgium al meters have an automatic fuse of ( TECO in older installations ) And you have to place 1 300mA type A RCB in front of the complete fuse board ( TYPE AC is forbidden will not be approved ) and at least 1 30mA for Bath Room . So when we have earth leakage of +300mA .. the hole house has no power .. We also use C curve brakers with 3000 or 6000ka ( closer to power it's recommmended ) . We also need to use double pole breakers . We can't connect all neutrals together like in UK & Germany & NL .. Main reason for this is we have still al lot of 3X230V coming from the grid w/o neutral ( 230V between 2 fases ) . Light ciruits or 1,5mm on 16A breaker Sockets on 2,5mm 20A ( max 8 groups of sockes on 1 breaker ) .

[@millomweb]

230V between phases - that's different ! 300mA RCB - last week, might have tripped a 30A RCB ! We don't have one - so no loss of power when the dishwasher went bang ! And everything worked normally after the bang !

[@syproful]

300mA is great. Impossible to have huge rogue currents. But in bigger residential installations it is allowed to use configurable RCD’s with time delay. So you can get your topology right. I use mostly Legrand DPX.

[@Gabrielr8]

In Singapore the the circuit breaker panel is mounted on the wall (normally close to the ceiling.) It is not concealed. Fun fact! We use the same plug that is used in UK! i like how we can turn on/off sockets as all sockets come with switches. In other countries the sockets are always live.

[@SebastienChedalBornu]

the purpose of the main rcd is mainly to prevent you from stealing electricity by going from live to ground. and secondary as you mentioned as a general circuit breaker.

[@artisanelectrics]

Interesting thanks!

[@alexanderdempsey1786]

at least we have that in common, 'people who try to steal electricity' !

[@Marcel_Germann]

The boards here in Germany look the same. Depending on the size of the flat or the house you got several sub-boards, for example I got the meter and the MCBs for the cellar and the ground floor in the cellar. The first floor has a sub-board. It also depends on the size of the house or flat how many rows the unit should have. Every row has 12 width units (one unit is the normal width of one standard MCB). My main consumer unit got 6 rows, the sub unit got 2 rows. You can get both, surface mounted or recessed into the wall. Here you normally have NH fuses in the service entry box, electricians which are certified by the system operator to remove the fuses. In newer installations you have Neozed (D0) fuses before the meter or a selective main circuit breaker. The Neozed and the selective breaker can be operated by the customer. NH fuses not, because you require a special grip to remove them. And there's no protection against putting in a fuse with a rating which would be too high. So the service entry box is sealed here. The certified electricians here are permitted to remove the seal, and remove or insert the fuses, and then seal it when they finished their work. Here you can't buy fully equipped consumer units, only empty ones. The electricians equip them individually with the required MCBs, RCDs, RCBOs for the needs of the customer. The selective RCD in the french board is propably there because afaik they have a TT grid. And to get proper disconnecting times the best thing to do is to install RCDs. I also installed an outlet in my sub-unit in the first floor. The sub-unit is fused with three 50A Neozed fuses in the main unit. Three-phase is common here in domestics, but in most cases you'll have only one three-phase outlet, and that's in the kitchen. It's for the kitchen cooker/baking oven, mostly 5G2.5mm² fused with 3x16A (~11 kW). The cooker is a 230V, but the load is divided equally on all three phases. The hob is connected to L1 and L2 (one large and one small heating plate on one phase), the baking oven is connected to L3. The VDE banned the type AC RCDs in 1984 for new installation, so type A RCDs are the standard RCDs in Germany since then.

[@AE-mu1jc]

1:00 Same place in Germany. We use 230V, 3 phase normally. 63 A go in.

[@maa1649]

Exactly the same in Norway 🇳🇴

[@grahammchardy9249]

Flexi conduit seems a good idea for the style of buildings in France. I remember the French tyre house on grand designs being done that way.

[@carboumen7661]

Here in spain is the same (more or less) like in france. We've got that board at the entrance of the houses with diferencials? Of 30 or 300 mA. 30 mA are used at homes and 300 mA. Are for industry/supermarkets/etc

[@yacinehachani9754]

I worked in 2 different countries in UE and I saw that they are far away in electricity installations with all my respect to UK sparks ⚡️

[@jjmcrosbie]

I agree that you have shown us a nice convenient installation. But before we extol "The French Way" too much: If you look in older French properties - which haven't been all tarted up to meet Gîte regulations - you'll find lots of «Cauchemars» (nightmares). Our house was rewired in the late 1980s. It was 3KVA, 3phase when we moved in in 1993. All the wiring came out of three jammed ceramic fuse-wire holders, then all wiring, radial, unidentified, came from some large sized «dominos» (plastic terminal or choc blocks). This was behind a wood panel in the toilet room. I grant you, it was at a convenient face level. Fine if a spark should jump out! Another nice touch: French regs say: you mustn't connect the house earth to the water pipes you must earth the immersion heater tank (which of course connects to the water piping.) I think they mean you mustn't use water pipes as the house earth. Increasingly water is piped into the house in plastic pipes, so that's logical. Certainly in the countryside you have to provide your own house earth. They sell earth rods for this purpose, and in typical dry limestone areas in summer you'll be lucky to get below 100 ohms, compared with UK 2 ohm requirement. The soil in the centre of my barn retains some moisture through the summer so I drove a long length of iron pipe into it for my earth. All new houses are single phase. Ring mains are of course forbidden here, but they have some advantages: they save copper in two ways: 16A cables provide a 32A main, AND in radial systems the total length of cabling is far greater. And don't forget that very high current devices like cookers always had their own cabling direct from the meter box - never off a ring main. Storage heaters had their own high current ring main. I think the yellow faced meter in the video was a hated «Linky» meter, a smart meter which minimises your available consumption such that start-up currents on some devices which were OK on spinning-disk meters will trip you out. The French hate these and have held vigorous campaigns against them. And oh yes, they are a fire risk, too. Our house is now 6KVA 1-ph with a smaller version of the DIN panel - I rewired it using fuses because I've had experience of electric disturbances producing spurious trips. And when I had to reset the trips I had to do it in the dark. I din't get the logic of three trips totalling (45+63+63) amps being fed through the company's 45A trip.

[@henrystevens2258]

A tt system in the UK 2 ohms that's totally wrong

[@jjmcrosbie]

@@henrystevens2258 Sir, 1 - Perhaps you would provide the current earthing regulation? 2 - Yes, I admit my info was out of date. In Spring 1961, during my S.E.B apprenticeship, we installed an overhead service to the Coastguard Cottages at Wool, Dorset. As part of the installation we had to provide a 2 ohm (maximum) local earth. To this end we dug a 30 yard × 30 inch deep trench and laid a length of cable along its floor. We covered it at first with about 6 inches of soil and trod it down. We measured the resistance to earth with a Megger and read about 55 ohms. The gang then all peed into the trench and brought the resistance down to 19 ohms. We finished the backfill of the trench. The following morning (there had been no overnight rain) the resistance was too small to measure. 3 - I don't expect the regs will have changed that much since then - but you'll tell us all, won't you. And yes, I'm 79 now, and officially a P. O. C.

[@henrystevens2258]

@@jjmcrosbie 200 ohms

[@henrystevens2258]

@@jjmcrosbie listen Clive it doesn't matter what age you are ,are when you last work at the electrical trade in the UK If your not up with the uk regs don't say anything

[@henrystevens2258]

Tt 200 ohms Tncs. 35 ohms Tns. 8 Is that could enough for you

[@samueldevulder]

Actually the general RCD is set to 45A because it is not needed anymore since in the the green box on its left (called "Linky") wich counts and limits power consumption according to the subscribed contract. It also runs as a general RCD as well if IIRC. (En francais: le disjoncteur est mis à 45A car en fait c'est le Linky qui s'occupe de cela à présent. Il sert aussi de disjoncteur différentiel si je me souviens bien)

[@КристофЛесаж]

Différentiel sûrement pas ! Il ne fait pas de mesure sur le neutre.

[@Ozzynl111]

Go to the Netherlands as well. We got very strict regulations here. They are very interesting.

[@piotrl827]

Poland has installations similar to the French one and we also have French standard sockets. In Poland, the RCD 300mA is mandatory in facilities at risk of fire and on farms. The 30mA RCD is mandatory for all outlet circuits and for devices operating in humid conditions. SPD is required for each new installation. Proper earthing installation of buildings and facilities in accordance with the standards is required. The protective earth must be less than 30 ohms and if there is also a lightning protection system (LPS) it must be less than 10 ohms. Most electricians try to ground less than 10 ohms for the protective grounding without LPS as well. The basic grounding system in Poland is the TN system, but there are also old TT system networks. Our main panels are mainly intended for electrical installation. TV, internet and telecommunications usually have their own separate panel. The device for measuring energy consumption in new installations is installed outside the property in a separate box and there is a main safety switch there

[@grahameida7163]

Glad you didn’t take the lid off the linky smart meter, it definitely has a tamper switch !

[@brianharper8304]

You can take that cover off without fear of reprisals from EDF, the terminals for connection of a contact or for the water heater & terminals for connection of a gestionnaire de énergie are in there, so normal practice to take cover off to connect wires.

[@emilj.d.4417]

Great to see this, maybe we can adopt this way of installing!

[@KanalFrump]

Singapore as a former UK colony has the BS1363 wall socket system but obviously not ring circuits. Distribution boards in projects built or renovated since the 1980s use DIN rail mounted everything, and modern condos have boards that look pretty much like what you have there. Typically there's nowadays also a shelf inside the cabinet with power and ports for fiber termination equipment and ethernet in case you want to hook up a switch or router or wifi repeater in a few locations around the house.

[@johnburns4017]

Singapore can have ring circuits as they have the BS1363 fuse in the plug. You will find they are not banned. They are not banned anywhere as far as I know.

[@deang5622]

​​​@@johnburns4017The plug fuse is nothing to do with the ring main. The plug fuse is present to protect the appliance cable. The only protection for the ring main is the circuit breaker. The plug fuse does not limit the current in the ring main. It limits the current in the appliance cable and the current coming through the power socket into which the plug is inserted.

[@johnburns4017]

@@deang5622 The fuse-in-plug makes the ring very much feasible.

[@deang5622]

@@johnburns4017 No it doesn't. It is nothing to do with it. I can have 10 sockets and have appliances plugged in, each appliance drawing 13 amps. The fuse in the plug is rated 13 amps. That is a total load current in the ring of 130 amps. The fuse in each plug does not blow as the current in each appliance cable does not exceed the current rating for that plug fuse. However, the circuit breaker for the ring which is 32 amps will trip because the total load current of 130 amps is greater than the breaker rating. Now tell me again, which protective device is protecting the ring, the plug fuse or the circuit breaker at the origin of the circuit in the distribution board?

[@deang5622]

@@johnburns4017 It is possible to have a ring main without any plug top fuses. The purpose of the fuse in the plug top is, as the majority of people know, is to protect the appliance cable. So why do we need it? After all we have a circuit breaker at the origin of the circuit, located in the distribution board, and that provides over current protection. The reason why we need a fuse in the plug top is because the current rating of the appliance cable is rated lower than the installation cable running to the socket outlet. The breaker at the origin of the final circuit is rated to protect the circuit cable, but if that is rated at 32 amps, that breaker rating is far too high to protect the appliance cable which is rated at say 15 amps. Hence the reason why the plug top fuse is required. So the fuse in the plug is selected according to the current rating for the appliance cable, irrespective of whether that socket outlet is on a ring final circuit or a radial circuit. Let me say that again, the plug fuse is there to allow for the mismatch in cable current ratings from the electrical installation cable connecting from the distribution board to the power socket and the appliance cable between the plug and appliance. So with that in mind, if our appliance cable were to be rated to the same current rating as the installation cable (typical twin & earth) to the socket from the distribution board, we don't need a fuse in the plug. Why? Because that appliance cable is adequately protected from over current by the circuit breaker in the distribution board. So what I have just described to you, is the implementation of the ring main *WITHOUT* using *ANY* plug top fuses. Ergo, you don't need plug top fuses to implement a ring main. Do you understand now? If you don't understand then say so, ask questions to seek further clarification, don't just turn round and say "You don't know what you are talking about". This is an opportunity for you to improve your understanding.

[@alexandrel.225]

If you want to check the french standard it's called NF C15-100. The 500 ma at the top also serves as a boundaries between EDF's network and the home, you aren't not allowed to touch it. But everything under is home, you can do whatever you want as long as it abides by NF C15-100. For the type A RCD that's because NF C15-500 makes mandatory the use of type A on circuits powering devices which could have fault with DC compounds. The list includes cooking machines, washing machines, electric car chargers, etc... for the rest you are free to use type AC which is cheaper.

[@curtisj2165]

Why didn't you take a set of screwdrivers on your holiday? I wanted to see the inside of that board

[@AndyK.1]

Curtis J Well the RCD is identical to my MK one so the din rail and bus bar isn’t going to be that different.

[@wizard3z868]

not everyone is as dedicated to europe electrics like naggy lol

[@tristans5945]

@@AndyK.1 No busbar in that one. The modules click in and are connected on the back kzbin.info/www/bejne/ioO7g6Omnch-pLs

[@imark7777777]

@@wizard3z868 or electroboom both with his visit to the UK and us..... Boom

[@wizard3z868]

@@imark7777777 ya i think electroboom might have gotten banned from france after the hotel shorts he created lol

[@ChrisComley]

QR codes don't HAVE to be internet URLs, it could just be a serial number or model number. You can get an app for Android phones which will read the QR code and display what it says, rather than trying to "use" it.

[@johnburns4017]

The two and three din rail Legrand enclosures are available with no MCBs, etc. These can be fitted in the UK using UK MCBs, RCBO's, etc. But they are _plastic._ Metal may be available but have not seen any yet. Many of these plastic encloses are inside metal enclosures, as this one is..So legal in the UK. They are far better than the UK consumer unit junk. They look superb. Sensible.

[@nellyishtari]

Hi! About the main RCD, before the green multifunctions thingy 'linky', the counter was only to count consumption, the main rcd was set depending of your power subscription. Electric subscription comes in several options, starting from 1kA single phase to 64kA triphased. It was neat thing to limit your subscription to what you need and a reminder if you overload your subscription: the rcd just jumped off, telling you "oh you're going overboard". In my early life, I lived in a small condo with 3kA electic power (heating and water was common in the building, gas for cooking, so electric was only for common appliance), which kept the subscription cheap. It happened a few time to go over it... like starting the washingmachine, vacuuming and guess what, hun in shower starting the hairdryer... then everything blew up when the main rcd jumped off. It was a good thing to regulate how you use electricity. If that happened, you just had to unplug somethign and switch back the rcd.... Now wih that green box, there no limiter, if you go overboard, the green box will jump and switch to a higher subscription... and you'll get a surprise when receiving the bill (of course, changing subscription comes with fees.....clever move from electric companies). Also there was a trick with these rcd, 500mA trip power, it's 1 line protected (it doesn't work on double line protected).... you could install a 100w bulb between main line and earth without tripping it... and this was not counted as consumption (though, the rcd might trip very easily as the remaining "leak" would be 100mA). This was quite dangerous though, as you put live current to earth, anyone touching earth somewhere could be... ehm enlighted? Also, you forgot to talk about the main plug, it's oustide the condo, somewhere in technical panel, it cuts all electricity from main powerline... useful with noisy party neighbours at 2 am

[@lapub.]

You're wrong on multiple point Electric subscription for domestic user are 3 6 9 12 Kva mono and 6 9 12 15 18 24 30 36 KVA tri. Linky the new "smart counter" operate as a limiter that open the circuit if you go over the subscription. Only your provider can change the subscription level and it never do it by himself. The fees are far less than it was when they must come and change it manually. All the multiple set RCDB are set to the maximum rate that the wire to the main distribution line can hold this allow to change the subscription to this max value remotely. . typically 60 A sometime 30A for older tri (30A Tri is rated as 18KVA as they took 200V as a ref 30*200=18000 even if it's now 230-240V) you may also have 30A in mono if it's a former tri switch to mono. at a time 90A mono was allowed but it's now discontinued. New breakers are fixed value ones. They operate in case of short as linky didn't have arc blowing system in it, he never trip on a sudden inrush as it would be destructive for him. This f As A rcd detect a difference of current in wires that go through him it can't be a single wire device ! The trick you tell about "free electricity" is outdated, it come from the 110 to 220V switching, at this time the phase to phase voltage was 220, when they switch to 220 the meter was between phase A and B , and as the meter sense intensity on one wire A at this time if you put a load between phase B and earth they were no intensity on A, the meter can't turn. but you got 110V . Now all these old distribution have been updated as all theses older transformer reached their end of life. So mono is phase to neutral only by now. RCD everywhere is also a good thing as instead of arcing and burning slowly as it does in place like USA where the eart is linked to the neutral in the board, if the fault was not high enough to make a short and trip the breaker, it trip at the first fault. It also prevent the earth grounding system to bee "cooked" by the current flowing and if you don't have any RCD at all, you may put a phase to a case and have full phase tension on it as the path to the neutral has far higher resistance than the path from the transformer phase. "The main plug" is a fuse box that is a "last resort" is something goes wrong as sometimes breakers can fail but a fuse just can't fail. This is not a thing you can touch as they are only to operate by the electric facility "ENEDIS". It's really dangerous to put you hand here as you have huge section feed that allow hundred's of amps without any protection (even if there may have a 400 rated fuse in the transformer box) so you will be the fuse to be blown.

[@BartlettTFD]

Much nicer than the newest circuit breaker panels here in the USA.

[@Stefan_Van_pellicom]

Belgium is quite similar in used materials, but our circuit breakers all have to be 2 pole minimum.

[@olivierScho]

Stefan Van pellicom same in France, 2 poles minimum except the main top RCD unlike in Germany/Luxembourg where only one pole is protected

[@Stefan_Van_pellicom]

Olivier Schoenenberger Strange, this video was made in France ...

[@olivierScho]

Stefan Van pellicom you said “BUT our circuit breakers all have to be 2 poles minimum” I thought you were talking for Belgium, I said, in France too that’s all. And on the video, without opening you don’t see that the 2 poles are going on the circuit brakers.

[@Stefan_Van_pellicom]

Olivier Schoenenberger Guess I owe you an apology. Went to the Schneider website just now, and I see that the used breakers in that French installation are 2 pole in 1 module width. I only know 2 pole breakers in 2 modules wide ... Strange, maybe regulations in Belgium require a bigger distance between contacts or something ?

[@olivierScho]

Stefan Van pellicom no problem. When I say 2 poles, I mean the phase and the neutral are going through the circuit breaker. Maybe you are referring to two phases systems which are usually 2 units in size?

[@hughieandrolf]

All MCBs are double pole so isolating a faulty circuit and restoring others fed from the same RCD is easy and safe. French double pole MCBs are EN60898 which means they are compliant in UK. French accessory back boxes are round and easily and neatly recessed into masonry with a drill , no need for a bolster chisel.

[@thesteelrodent1796]

this is more or less the same way circuits have to be made here in Denmark since our 2015 regulation went into effect, which is merely an extension to the regulation that was introduced in 1975 and only had minor revisions since. Our houses/apartments have to be split into at least two circuits, with each one protected by its own RCD, and then the whole thing has to be protected (at minimum) by breakers that must match the capacity of the RCDs. The split circuits and main breakers is the part that's new from 2015, along with easier access (no more burying the board inside a cupboard), the rest has been more or less the same since 1975. It's optional whether to use fuses or breakers, as long as they're the correct rating, but these days it's the norm to use breakers and with the 2015 regulation the neutral post in 400 V circuits must have a fuse/breaker as well. The 1975 regulation made RCD protection mandatory, and these also served as main breaker, and the only thing that's changed since is the rating on the RCD and the placement of the meter - for the past few decades the meter has to be placed on the outside in all new buildings, and in any renovation where it's possible, so the supplier can access it at any time (and to make it harder to circumvent it). It's also the norm now that all meters have a radio transmitter so they can be read remotely. Otherwise we normally have 16 A on the 400 V circuits (3 phase) and 10 A on the 230 V circuits, though you will find some older buildings with 13 A circuits, typically when the wiring can't handle 16 A or when mainly pulling 230 V off a 400 V outlet, like when running a modern washing machine off an old-school installation, where it's normal to downgrade the circuit to not risk damage to the machine. One thing that's important about the Danish regulation is, if you do any work that requires modifying the board, like adding circuits or replacing fuse boxes/breakers, the legal requirement is that the whole board has to be redone to comply with current regulation. In many older buildings that means the board has to be completely replaced and sometimes even relocated to comply with the accessibility requirement.

[@lukasbrand6787]

Wanne see some pics of a Common, up to date german Installation?

[@alistair1978utube]

yeah. meet me round the back in 10 minutes?

[@mybricology7388]

Hello, despite the use of the Linky energy meter, all the panel follow the C15-100. You can find it using your favorite internet seach engine. Every new house/flat must follow the C15-100, when peaking of refreshed / restored house it's different, but usually people try as much as posible to upgrade their electric circuit closest as possible to the last version of the C15-100. Unfortunately even houses build arround 1995 still use fuse in combination of the main 500mA and 30mA for bathroom, cloth wahing machine ... The DTI section is where all telecommunication should take place, the C15-100 specification state that for new house you should have at least 4 RJ45 socket as a minimum but you can still use coaxial cable for TV/SAT signal, this is why there is a mixer with F connector type, the DTI box is where the phone line from your supplyer arrive (end) and where your own cabling start. The "phone spliter" just above the DTI is here to split vocal and xDSL in case of you still use "historical analog phone" vs VOIP from your xDSL box. The spare green flexible tube should be there for upcomming FTTH (Fiber To The Home), green mean telecomunication purpose. Blue = water Red = Main electricity from Energy distribution Yellow = Gaz Usually the one used for the electric circuit inside house are black or grey, I've sometime seen somme purpule 3 major brand are used in France for home: LEGRAND, HAGER, SCHNEIDER Electric. ABB can be found in industrial applications. Usualy home and appartment are mono phased, and you can subscribe up to 12KVA. If you need more power then you'll have to switch to tri phases and this time it will be 3x12KVA. Above I think that you'll to subscibe an industrial account. Last but not least, when buildung and house or flat, the company in charge of cabling have to call a "CONSUEL" who will come and check your installation, check every part of you installation, measure earth path and make sure it is less than 100ohms, at the end he/she'll tell you if it's ok or NOK, if NOK you'll get a list of what to change. When OK, youll receive by mail or email and official certificate of conformity and then be able able to contact ENEDIS (Electricity Distribution Company) for a connection to the grid. They'll ask for the CONSUEL conformity PDF, after the connect you to the grid, they'll deliver you a grid connection number that you'll need to give to the elecricity supplier of your choice.

[@johnburns4017]

Scheinder metal Easy9 Multirow Compact Consumer Units are now available in the UK, even sold by the local S'fix. But S'fix as yet do not sell the DP reversible MCB/RCBs/RCDs. The Schneider double pole Easy9 RCBO's/MCBs for example are reversible - *bottom feed or top feed.* This means they can be fitted with a top feed using the L&N twin busbar (comb), the Continental way, or a bottom feed using a single L busbar, the inferior British way. Having the comb busbar means less wiring and a less cluttered consumer unit, that is easier and quicker to fit. Only one screwed busbar needed - the earth. And safer as less connections.

[@nntpdump]

Interesting main switch/RCD is 45A and the rows in the consumer unit total over 100A. What's their diversity calcs/formula?

[@Stoney3K]

In all fairness, installing something like a 20 amp breaker just to plug in a fridge sounds like overkill. A single circuit for all the sockets in the kitchen together with one for the hob and oven would be more than plenty.

[@Brigadelokcom]

45 Amps is the maximum current you can draw with a private home 9kW contract (more with industrial tariff). The breakers values are chosen considering only their line, not the total, as they are meant to protect only their part of the circuit, with a comfortable margin to prevent early trips. It is what the devices can withstand, not what you could actually draw since the main breaker will stop you from adding all the indicated values at the same time. The safety is there since a short circuit will draw an infinite current and the breakers will trip really fast. Overconsumption remains possible if you plus in several high power devices and either the line breaker of the main one will trip, depending on which one reaches its limit first.

[@Stoney3K]

@@Brigadelokcom Also keep in mind that breakers are designed to protect against fire due to short-circuits or wires overheating. They are rated by the selection of the wiring downstream, not necessarily their intended load current.

[@Brigadelokcom]

@@Stoney3K Of course they are, but the wiring also is selected according to the intended circuit. In its spirit, the NF E 15-100 standard considers the max power of a given circuit and all devices must comply with that. There is no specific formula to dimension the installation, but the general idea is to alway keep room for extensions. Even in the case of an "overkill" circuit dedicated to a fridge only, which is not cost effective, the 20 amp breaker will trip fast in case of a short circuit and the wiring will no be harmed. Maybe in the land of gastronomy, keeping the fridge safe is a priority ;-) 20 amps is of course the max for a 2,5mm² wiring, the usual value is 16 amps for up to 5 to 8 sockets, depending on the standard version. What makes french equipments somewhat different is that they must comply with NF standards which are always beyond the european standards. If you follow the NF E 15-100 standard correctly with NF certified equipment, you are really safe. Provided of course you install it properly, and that is another story. It is often interesting to see the actual wiring behind the plastic casing of a panel... Here we see a recently refurbished appartment, so it is rather clean, though I can tell you it is really far from the majority and you can still find a whole flat protected only with a 10 amps fuse on a cloth/rubber insulated wiring ! Shame but true, so french installations are far from being all neat. Fortunately, this is in constant progress since the panels are widely distributed, even pre-equipped with all the protections needed for a classic home, no error in selecting the values.

[@romain247]

Hi, If you open the Linky (green box), you can find a socket (3 wires) to connect a little computer to read the electricity consumption in real time. Some Wallbox for car can read this information and adapt in real time the charge of the car.

[@runejensen991]

Now can we a have a standard universal socket!? :/

[@TommyApel]

C13/14 and C19/20

[@Juttutin]

C13/C13 for starters. A C13 wall socket could EASILY also have shutters or a switch from the C14 plastic outer 'shell' sliding into the C13, so at least the single good bit of UK socket safety is preserved. And better, isn't dependant on some redundant earth pin for non earthed devices. Build in a USB type-c PD socket into the wallplate for everything that needs DC (to ~80 W) and I'd replace everything just for the sanity of it! NB I just moved back home from UK. Lots of plugs to replace, and wall warts plugged into adaptors taking up two spots in every multisocket extension board, or THREE if not at the end!! So yeah, can we do this please governments everywhere! Hmm, a bit of a rant, but it would make so much sense!

[@GreenInvasion]

Nothing like stepping bare foot on a British plug....

[@Juttutin]

@@AltcoinDetective yikes no. It should at least be as good as the systems it replaces. Normally I'm all in for adopting euro norms, but things like toasters should probably not be able to be plugged in to non earthed outlets, and flipping live and neutral by turning the plug upside down isn't exactly a feature.

[@netking66]

@@Juttutin The French Schucko (eg the outlet on the switch panel) is superior to the German Schucko as it is non reversible and the earth prong is far superior to the earth arrangement on the German Schucko.

[@giuseppe9145]

Im an electrition in Italy.,from Manchester moved to Italy in 85..love watching your programmes on KZbin...we have more or less the same system in italy.with conduits various sizes so we pass our wires through into various distribution boxes in the house.. You can change or modify your wiring whenever you want., Watching you going about fault finding and passing feeds under floor boards lifting up carpets must be a nightmare... I was watching One of your Jobs in a shed using PVC conduits we do the same but i must admit we use different type of accesories which make Life a lot easier and modify at any later date..try checking out some italiano videos on KZbin and have a go on a new job..

[@zjzozn]

CU not covered in messy stickers 👍

[@09weenic]

There’s nothing wrong with a next test label 😃

[@Drogenkurier88]

So in germany we need an "Hausanschlusskasten" which connects your main power cable from outside to your home and has fuses inside. Then you need an "Zählerschrank" which has another fuse, an overvoltage protection, at least 1 electricity meter and a main switch (an rcd can be used instead of a switch). From there you connect all your panels. Basically all circuits that an untrained person can use (so basically everything) needs to be protected by an rcd type a, and rcd type b may be needed in special cases. All homes have access to 63A 3 phase power.

[@zootsootful]

Régulier translates as regular, not regularly. Thus, the switch's label (7:05) reads "regular test", not "test regularly".

[@gazz9995]

whenever you ask yourself why, the answer usually is always money

[@artisanelectrics]

So true

[@gohumberto]

The green tubing is typically used to identify Data/Fibre cabling.

[@w0ffe]

France uses a TT system, so the main RCD (belonging to the power company) is mandatory to prevent electricity theft (in the incredibly dangerous way you can steal electricity in a TT system). There are regulations regarding the height of the components and the size of the "gaine technique de logement". Apparently you need two 16 A sockets, so that installation doesn't comply with the latest regulations: www.installation-renovation-electrique.com/gtl-tout-savoir/ (although that might only be for new construction, not renovation)

[@hks-lion]

What is the incredibly dangerous way to steal electricity from a TT system (asking for a friend)?

[@Ragnar8504]

@@hks-lion The only thing I can think of should only work in a 127/220 V system designed for 220 V loads. Mechanical single-phase meters only meter the live, not the neutral. In a 3x220 setup you've got two lives running through such a meter, so one is unmetered. If you manage to get a neutral from somewhere, you can run 127 V loads between the unmetered live and that illegal neutral. If that "neutral" happened to be the earth of a TT supply, things get dangerous fairly quickly due to the high impedance. Apparently in Berlin people would use the central heating pipes, which is quite bad if a plumber has to cut the pipes somewhere else, then the bit with the wiring attached will become live!

[@ItalianRetroGuy]

(Forgive me my incorrect lingo, I'm not an electrician) In the meantime, my distribution box: Two dual pole breakers for half the house each, wired to one main cutout (which is a single pole breaker). No RCD in the house, but there's an RCD all the way down to the underground floor of the apartment complex (that nobody comes to "test regularly" and is located above a staircase which requires a ladder to reach.)

[@alistair1978utube]

🤣🤣@2:03 "you pay based on consummation"🤣🤣🤣🤣maybe true but not I think what you wanted to say!

[@artisanelectrics]

Excuse my French LOL

[@TheErador]

Not sure which pillock designed my new build (2013) with CU in top shelf of upper cupboards in kitchen. 1. Takes up cupboard space. 2. Have to take all the tins out to get to it if anything trips (the cupboard's too shallow for much else to be stored on the shelf with the cu taking up 40% of the depth)

[@zeothorn]

Thanks for the video is good to see professional work like this,is the the way it should be everywhere and i hope this will inspire everyone who is into electrical installation.

[@heyJim]

2:00 Yes, in France we pay according to the max consumption subscribed. The main RCD is historically variable for that reason, but since new meters like you show were installed (about 5 years ago), the RCD is always set to its maximum: the subscription limit is handled by the meter itself (and can be remotely changed)

[@simonschertler3034]

I think everywhere in Europe things are done like that. I have been working in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and here it is very similar to the installation you showed us in France or Portugal. Of course there are a few differences, but DB in cupboards or DNO Meters under stairs are a no-go.

[@evzenhedvabny6259]

In some countries even meter inside your property is no go.

[@pilskadden]

We have a similar setup in Denmark. Except we have the meter outside the apartment (typically in the basement) or in the outer wall of a house, so it can be checked without access to the property.

[@simonschertler3034]

@@pilskadden in Germany Austria and Switzerland the setup ist exactly iike that. The RCD and MCBs are in the flat and the meter is commonly in a separate room in the basement or in old buildings in the hallway.

[@williammartinculleton7523]

Not what I found "out in the sticks" 😂

[@Umski]

Agree or in Paris for that matter, I travel to Paris a lot for work and in some of the dubious low budget hotels I've been in, it's best not to look at the electrics (or plug anything in!) - this new build looks like it's up to spec as is the case for most chain hotels I imagine...

[@arthur1112132]

8:09 the TDI box is a test outlet for the telephonic signals. The only use I know of it is for your internet service provider's technician to test the signal upon installing or troubleshooting your internet installation. Ther's still a lot of houses that still that use xDSL instead in france because they're not connected to the optic fiber network yet. I can't be sure of this, but I don't think these lines have another purpose anymore, since the telephonic (as well as TV) services are always included as part of the internet contracts nowadays and we don't plug our house phones into these anymore. Instead we plug the internet decoder which will grant internet and telephonic signals and the house phone will plug onto the decoder. (I may have explained basic stuff, but I have absolutely no idea how these things works outside of France, and the video sounded like the test DTI usage wasn't obvious)

[@igarasjen1128]

In Norway we have rcds on every circuit breaker. All new installations in new houses are mostly 3phase 400v TN. Used to be 230v IT and a lot of old installations still are. With 400v 3phase and a 16A fuse I can charge my wife's bmw i3(33kwh) from zero to full in three hours. My tesla model 3 in 7.5 hours Also new installations in houses comprises of a high and low tension where the low tension part is data network knx buses and things like that. The meter is now outside and has a GSM connection that talks to the mothership. You have full control over your consumption via an app. With those new meters you can take out the data on a HAN port and connect it to a control device that again is connected to your smart house control. Which can be knx or other types of control buses. Wireless is also used and one system that is widely used is xcomfort

[@braatensafe]

You should travel to Norway, would be even more impressed. The most strict electrical bible out there.

[@Lennart_Jensen]

That's because we build houses that burn so easily. And there are lots of old installations that give me stomach ulcers when I visit. Sincerely, an electrician.

[@braatensafe]

@@Lennart_Jensen Haha true, some old installations its better to not touch

[@mohfiroz7700]

Share some please from Norway.

[@wizard3z868]

usa been code for years to have a socket attached to panel. used to find it odd but having one for a few yrs its actually really convenient

[@olahansen]

UK electricians can learn from any country!

[@markpowell1456]

I am coming towards the end of my Electrical Contracting Career and this just shows how we in the uk have never moved on. In the UK we are obsessed with trying to fit everything in the size of a shoebox ( consumer unit). This approach was fine back in the daysof re-wireable fuse boards etc . In today's world with RCBO' s , Arc Fault Detection etc etc , we need to make a wholesale change in the size of enclosure and how we connect and distribute our circuits. Move on UK , we are years behind!

[@johnburns4017]

This is a 2 bedroomed flat! *Look at all those circuits!* Look at its size! One final ring circuit with an AFDD can eliminate most of those radial circuits. The three socket radials, washing machine, dishwasher, fridge and two fans can all be on a 32A ring without any problems. That is *eight* circuits replaced by one final ring. Diversity ensures that the ring is not overloaded then trips. The construction socket is needless on this panel as if one socket circuit needs to be off, one of the others can be used. The French, etc, are better in having DP breakers at the CU for sure, *which the UK needs to make mandatory ASAP.* Although DP breakers and twin L&N busbars are available in the UK, few know of them. RCBOs are near none existent in France. They are available but _very_ rare, also the same case with AFDDs. So the French could improve matters on that point. In France the regs say a radial of 2.5mm cable can supply up to a maximum of eight sockets. I have 12 sockets in my living room (two behind the wall hung TV and sound bar alone). In France I would need two radials, each with its own breaker at the CU, for the 12 sockets. Madness. I have one 32A ring circuit serving three rooms and a hall. In France that would be around four or five radial circuits, each with their own breaker at the CU. The CU would be bigger and more expensive as well. All needless expense and hassle, when one ring circuit would do it all. Rings are not safe? Have an AFDD at the CU as recommended by the British regs and screwless terminals on sockets. These have made the ring circuit near *bombproof.*

[@NekitaNet]

There's regulated and unregulated tariffs these day's in France; Up to a curtain amperage you can enjoy the regulated tariff (considered normal household usage for a acceptable price; that's set by a state run commission); And above that you need to buy "on the open market". Next to that there's day/night and single tariffs and on the open market segment even a "flex-tariff". So price wise you pay a fixed monthly hookup charge that's based on your subscription (and physical) amperage value (more amps, more subscription fee); And then per kWh based on your subscription type. Most places can get 2 and 3 phase power and to augment your usage (or reduce your bill); Every household has a right to install up to 3.5 kW solar. However! If you're going solar (and hook it up to the mains, and thereby perhaps even get a negative bill since you're heating otherwise and only run one led light), it has to get city approved and officially drafted (by an engineer) building plans for the solar installment; And most places do have "protected frontages", so lets hope your back roof is on the south and no-body is bothered by it. oh in addition; In France there's a rule that "commercially" rented out temporary housing (short-longer term vacation type of housing/apartment/rooms) need a physical phone to contact emergency services. Going by a quick scan of the LeGrand documentation the DTI box it's a termination point for the telephone company; Have to say it's nice it has a "test button" on it. These days further distribution of "telephone" goes over RJ45 and not RJ11 cables; Simply because it's more future proof and allows regular ethernet/"computer-network" to be run over the same cables. Have to say they didn't install it super neatly at the patch panel, but even for gig-speed network it should work good enough for home length runs.

[@lsfornells]

So how’s that different in the UK again? What I see in the video just looks totally normal to me.

[@McMonkeyful]

We don't have that kind of main DNO fuse yet. I wish we did. Makes so much more sense. The whole setup looks a lot more refined & user-friendly. Being able to see the fuse rating and the DNO being able to change it remotely is a great idea. The meter sending the reading back to the supplier is coming in with the new smart meters & they can also tell the DNO when there is a powercut, but it looks like we're about 30 years behind the French.

[@lsfornells]

@@McMonkeyful the thing is that this is not even a French only thing. It’s the same in all the EU countries including of course the biggest ones like Germany, Italy and Spain. That’s why learning that the UK is so behind is very surprising to me

[@michaelmcsky]

In germany we use also Typ B MCD. RCD Type AC is no longer used. Min Type A RCD

[@VincentLebeau-vlu]

Yes, the 45 Amps setup is beause the green box (Linky) will actually be setup remotely to cut-off if you get overboard with your consumption. Let say you pay for 15 Amps, the main cuttoff is sill 45, but the linky will be set to 15. The good thing is they can measure all type of currents with the linky.

[@johnburns4017]

A friend a few years back bought a one bedroom flat in London, costing a fortune of course. He was stuck for money renovating the place spending every penny he earned on the place and borrowing from relatives. He focused on the bathroom and kitchen to spend. I told him he could cuts costs on the electrical system. I explained. ... Have *two* circuits with a very small and cheap Consumer Unit box. One circuit serving a 4mm ring and one 1.00mm lighting. Heating and hot water was via a gas combi. I said Induction hobs are now available with 13A plugs. Ovens now have integrated microwaves (saving worktop space) being 3kW maximum (13A plugs). He was to have a dishwasher and washing washing. So, the ring to have: ▪ The induction hob (3kW) and oven (3kW) off 13A fused spur isolation switches in adjacent cupboards. ▪ Dishwasher (2.2kW) and washing machine (2.5kW) off 13A sockets in adjacent cupboards. ▪ The ring fed four heavyish current drawing appliances plus a toaster via the sockets. He used an IKEA kettle on the hob, so no need for an electric kettle taking up worktop space. The rest on the ring was TV, computer, combi and phone charging. ▪ A very small and cheap Consumer unit with a few ways. If The 4mm cable was cut for any reason the AFDD 32A breaker would protect the two resulting cable legs and also if there was any imbalance on the ring it was take care of. The ring was a distributed busbar. The likelihood that all four heavy current appliances would ever be on full power at the same time was extremely slim (diversity). He bought a reel of 4mm cable on a good deal as well. I suggested at least an RCBO, but ideally an AFDD on the ring with an RCBO on lighting would be far better. He went for the AFDD costing about £55 over the RCBO at the time. It was done as I suggested working a treat. Very safe, as *all* the flat is given AFDD protection apart from the LED lighting, which can have an AFDD in the future with a simple swap in and swap out. Never had any problems. It never costed a fortune - saving quite a *lot* of money. Look at the Continental main boards in one and two bedroom flats - huge and expensive full of radial circuits and breakers - typical in French installations is _three_ RDCs in a small flat. It looks like what you may have in a small school. All unnecessary in UK homes.

[@82attilatoth]

0:40 "If we did it like this in England we would make our life a lot, lot easier." Haha, true for almost everything!!!

[@plasmachicken]

The DATA ELEC QR CODE is a platform to share Circuit Diagramms , If you scan it with the Data ELEC app you will most likely get accses to wiring Diagramms and other notes

[@JonSenior]

This video's a little old now so you may already know this, but in order to be connected to the grid a new wiring installation must first be checked by a national agency called the Consuel. Once you have your certificate from them, you can ask your electricity company to connect you. If your electrician is established then often his word is accepted and no-one will turn up to check (they might double-check 1 in 20 installations) but if you're an individual then you are guaranteed an inspection and they will be thorough. I think that getting the consuel was probably the most stressful part of my self-build here in France.

[@ابنآدم-ز2ف]

I see "Please Note: My wife is French! I read it "Note Please: My French is Wife and I'll sleep on the coach if any of you curse the French!

[@markrainford1219]

They need a breaker as a main incomer. An all electric dwelling on a max 45A supply, they are probably resetting it weekly in winter.

[@cooper512]

Makes you realise how stuck in the dark ages we are. Especially in regards to the DNO fuse/cutoff. Also makes sense to have all the comms stuff all in the same location although the only thing I was wondering if it would cause interference being so close to the CU/cables

[@MrMortalskymonkey]

The incoming telephone cable looks like Cat 5e shielded cable to me. Which would make sense to stop any interference

[@acelectricalsecurity]

Says it all when the DNO's are too tight to include a built in isolator in the metering which would make life so much easier.

[@steverobinson8170]

@@acelectricalsecurity In France the DNO's don't supply any earth so its swings and roundabouts

[@jamesdyas542]

The iet are far to worried about size of test labels and test intervals so much so they don’t have time to look at what other countries are doing and how we could get away from living in the dark ages. Excellent videos thanks.

[@haldo691]

@@acelectricalsecurity DNOs arnt responsible for meters MOPs are

[@davidunderhill2639]

It is possible to get a version of this board where the majority of the connections to the circuit breakers are push fit. The breakers also connect directly to a rail which feeds them with both live and neutral meaning your load wires for live and neutral are at the bottom of each breaker. The Linky meters allow the energy suppliers to take meter readings, monitor real time usage and cut-off your supply remotely if you don’t pay your bill!

[@TimmyBoja]

6:48 - supposedly, they are all TT systems, so a 20A earth fault would be exceptional. That 3000A would just be for an L-N short. In practice, they only have about 220V supply, so that with a circuit impedance of 0.1 Ohm would get you to 2200 A

[@fredrikhansen5423]

I really dont understand why you dont use flexible conduit on all hidden wireings in the UK. Easy to replace or add wireing. And the consumer unit in the UK looks so small. This french consumer unit looks more like what we have in Norway.