Distribution board
Central panel dividing power into protected subsidiary circuits.
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A distribution board is an assembly for controlling and distributing electrical energy, often in domestic premises.[1] Older consumer units used fuses and were historically known as fuse boxes.[1]
Quick Facts
- Common enclosure material
- Sheet metal (North America) or bakelite/wood (older UK fuse boxes)
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
A common 60-amp fuse box design featured in homes built from 1940 through 1965 included four plug fuses for branch circuits and one or more fuse blocks for major appliance circuits.[2] After 1965, the more substantial 100 A panel with three-wire 230 V service became common.[2] In the United Kingdom, BS 7671 defines a consumer unit as a type-tested coordinated assembly for control and distribution of electrical energy, principally in domestic premises.[1] These UK installations usually have single-phase supplies at 230 V nominal standard.[1]
Wiring regulations in 2001 mandated residual-current device (RCD) protection for sockets that could supply outdoor equipment.[3] Wylex fuseholders and breakers are still commonly available, unlike similar designs from other manufacturers.[3] In American panelboards, some live parts are commonly exposed when the cover is removed and cables are visible.[4] In Canadian service entrance panelboards, the main switch or breaker is in a separate service box so no live parts are exposed when servicing branch circuits.[4]
The "Wylex standard" consumer unit, which used rewirable fuses, was popular in Britain up to 2001.[3]
What the cited sources add
A 2008 book titled "The complete guide to wiring" was published by Creative Pub. International.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Distribution board" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: IET Wiring Regulations Seventeenth Edition - British Standard BS7671:2008, Part 2 Definitions (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Distribution board" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: ((The editors of Creative Publishing )), "Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Wiring", Cool Springs Press, 2008, p. 75; George, "Improving Your Home Wiring", Popular Science, January 1966, p. 160 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Distribution board" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Google search on UK availability of Modern breakers for older consumer units", Screwfix (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Distribution board" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "C22.2 No. 29-15 — "Panelboards and enclosed panelboards"", Canadian Standards Association, 2015, p. 40 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9781589234130 ("The complete guide to wiring."). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Distribution board (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Distribution board (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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