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Non-combustible consumer unit enclosuresCan a metal board go on a wooden panel?
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All new consumer units are now made of a non-combustible material, usually metal. Domestic consumer units must be made of non-combustible material or installed inside a non-combustible enclosure.
- There are still tens of thousands of plastic boards in service. The rule applies to boards being installed, so an existing plastic board isn't automatically non-compliant.
- The point: a fire that starts inside the board (for example at a loose connection) takes much longer to spread out of a metal box. It will still get hot, but the building has more time.
- Misconception: some people think a metal board can't be fixed to a combustible surface. Because the enclosure itself is non-combustible, fixing it to a wooden panel is fine.
BS 7671 · Reg 421.1.201 · consumer units and similar switchgear assemblies in domestic premises: non-combustible enclosure
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