Hello all,
Need some help on an electical matter from one of the tech savvie amongst you please!
We are trying to buy all the materials needed to replace the electrics chez nous in the UK and have a problem identifying the correct term for a "disjoncteur differentiel".
Grateful for your help!
Hi Chris, the device you are talking about is called a Délesteur and is a clever relay that does exactly what you described. It just disconnects circuits but It does not give any protection for earth faults or overload protection.
It has nothing to do with "disjoncteur différentielle" or "interrupteur différentielle" which are completely different devices .
Kind regards,
Paul.
I can help! Our electrician is about to instal one because occasionally we overload the system and evrything trips out. It basically disconnects the least essentail devices whjen there's too much load on the system and reconnects them when the overall usage diminishes again. E.g. if our hot tub and pool pumps are running, and we try to turn on the oven and the dishwasher at the same time, our system can't cope. The disjoncteur will switch off the pool and tub automatically under those circumstances.
Hi Steve,
Quite right, no ring circuits in France.
I liked the UK system and continental plugs and sockets still seem crude and lightweight and I have imported my own ceiling pull switches and roses. But I am sure the French system is designed for safety and it is inadvisable to start playing around with it, unless you are really confident you know what you are doing.
I'm an electrician working in France for many years now:
Going back to the original Question from the OP , I would just like to clarify something;
An Interrupteur différentiel (ID) is not the same as a Disjoncteur différentielle (DF);
The former is the most commonly used and gives earth leakage protection only , and is the equivalent of an RCD in the UK.
The latter is a combined unit that gives earth leakage AND overload protection and are much more expensive.
The EDF main trip switch is a DF and therefore this is why ID's are more commonly used as the main supply overload protection is provided by the EDF Disjoncteur Differentiel ( usually rated at 500mA)
The individual circuit breaker protecting your house circuits in your French tableau are just called Disjoncteur divisionnaires or just disjoncteurs and give overload protection only .
As for cabling and wiring ; you can use the R02V rigid black sheathed cables OR the flexible conduits with individual singles cables inside for your house wiring but the cables have to be enclosed in protection where they pass through walls ceilings and floors . There are several other rules concerning cable routing , covered in the books mentioned or online.
The insurance point is a good one Tracy. Do you think an insurance company will cough up if any claim is made and they find that non-conforming materials and equipment have been used?
I bet they would at least try and fight it.
Not forgetting the insurance docs proving he is actually insured for electrical work.
That and his siret.
Last word - promise!
If he can't show you a certificate of competence from a recognized professional body, he isn't an electrician.
Mike, I think we are all trying that. I think Danielle has got the message, so stop worrying. She came on for advice, has had a lot of it and now it is in her hands, not ours.
Please, please, please, guys! I am doing my best to discourage this lady from buying cheap materials for an unqualified person to install for her.
I can tell horror stories!
The jobbing builder who burned his wife and son to death with a lash-up DIY job........
The doctor who killed himself with a dodgy greenhouse heater.......
The amateur car repairer who died standing in a puddle with an incorrectly rewired drill in his hand.......
Need I go on?
Ebay France is usually hopeless, more often than not I use leboncoin.fr it just happens to be a gem for electrical!
It's 30 years since I did any electrical work in the UK, so my knowledge will be well out of date and John's information will reflect the current situation there. Just one more illustration of why an amateur shouldn't be buying materials for a professional to install. Electrical installation is the most technically complex of all the building trades and is best left to the experts. DIYers do these things at their own risk.
That is GOOD! We have two rooms and the 'attic' to install this summer, these are excellent prices so I will add that to my bookmarks. Thanks James.
www.ebay.fr is fantastic for electrical fittings, often up to 80% off my local Brico stores. UK type MCB's should not be used in France, they are single pole and do not conform to local regulations.
Look for Legrand or Merlin Gerin (amongst others) for high quality, try this search
The rails are standard DIN rails used everywhere, The difference is the circuit breakers are double pole, meaning they break both line and neutral of the circuit whereas in the UK we common the neutrals to a connecting strip and just break the line (single pole).
3 core is fine where it's needed but UK twin and earth isn't for the reasons mentioned before (thinner earth + uninsulated earth)
Obviously the French electrician will advise where and when things can be used a' la le Normes.
You can't mix UK electrical parts in a French system. The circuit-breakers etc. are specially made to fit on rails inside the consumer unit. The cable specifications are different. A proper qualified electrician will be able to obtain supplies at the best price and will want to select the products himself, that he knows from experience are best suited to the job. But it doesn't do any harm to know something about what he is doing. It helps to explain why he has to charge what he does, for a guaranteed, safe and insured installation.
Like I said Mike, I know nothing about this sort of thing!
But I'm not even sure if Danielle is proposing to do the work herself - the impression I get is that their french electrician will be doing it and what she's doing is comparing prices and trying to work out if the stuff on their friend's website would be acceptable in France?
Willing to stand corrected. :)
David,
It is a 5m length and it says - "Usage : Alimentation fixe éclairage et chauffage Intérieur / extérieur Intensité : jusqu'à 16A."
I am trying to save this lady from wasting her money on something that will not result in a proper installation and could be downright dangerous.
Help me here, Guys!
Danielle,
Get yourself a copy of l'Encyclopédie de Bricolage (available in most DIY stores) and study the section on l'Électricité. If you have sufficient technical background to understand that, you will then have some idea of how a French electrical installation works. But it is only an overview, it won't make you into a electrician. A properly qualified professional will have spent several years learning his skill. He will provide you with a safe trouble-free installation at the best price possible.
This is indeed one of the products that we have been looking at and if it turns out to be ok, we can almost certainly make good savings by shopping around.
If, however, for any good reason such as regulations, this cable is not right for our proposed purpose, we agree that the description is misleading!