3 Phase Distribution Board 

John......I'm not an electrician and only do some basic "home" stuff like lighting and power sockets.....I'm an enthusiastic amateur and know my limitations.....I've spent a lot of time learning the basics over the years but your well presented videos are the best I've found. Very informative and I really enjoy your dismissive "dry humour". Thanks again and keep them coming

I know nothing about 3 to single phase electrics. But I followed this and did it my self. Really useful and well presented, easy to follow and even more so as the unit was identical to ours. Everything works as it only ran a few LED lights, a fridge and few other bits.

Great video as usual John, very informative. Thanks for posting keep up the good work.

Here in SA the industrial boards come in both steel and GRP, which makes it easier to drill the holes for cabling glands and such. Steel will typically have a set of partially punched knockouts, but if you want to actually get it out you generally will need a hole saw in any case, as the knockout is more a suggestion than something that actually has gone through the metal. I had to do some work on the old DB of a building, and needed 1 hole saw per hole to cut them, the old metal was that thick and that tough that a hole saw that would typically do 100 holes in regular steel panels would simply dull in seconds, even with lubricant. I use an old vacuum cleaner when drilling them, so the swarf you make does not deposit itself all over the inside of the panel and the breakers, which is not a good thing on an already populated ( and possibly live already) panel you are adding to. Even use it with the GRP units, as then the dust is gone before you need to sweep, and as a bonus you can clean inside the panel as well to get all those little clipped ends and plastic pieces out. You just have to go into the bag to get the loose washers and screws it finds, you might really want those later. Also great for cleaning inside machinery to get the dirt and dust away, along with all grease and oil spills. Cylinder vacuum that was noisy, but a new motor and it is not, plus it gets a regular washing with hot water and soap to get the grease out of the pipe.

I really am enjoying your videos John. They are clear, professional, simple, your voice is clear and consise (im not blessed with a clear voice, more of a rumbling thunder sound!) And furthermore they are all on subjects that are relevant or intresting

1:00 Open the door, get met with a very shocked face

clear, precise and as usual just the right length .. thank you

Big fan of your work. Big fan of your tshirt. Thanks for your videos, helping me on my way to my JIB gold card 👍🏻

Thank you John very informative as always. Keep them coming. Any chance of a video on testing bonding to gas and water. What is acceptable ,how to prove extraneous etc. Please

Superb video yet again !!

great videos and very informative ,thank you

Hi John, Another great video, thanks. Shame we cannot fit these everywhere. Trying to get fully populated RCBO's fitted is tight in the consumer units.

Thanks a lot, very helpful info

Thanks John as ever, would like to have seen the mcbs/rcbos fitted...

hi John! Is it right to mount mcb's horizontally? I think the arc chutes inside are most effective only when the MCB's are vertical as the ionised gases get longer time to cool down and extinguish successfully.

Hi your videos are very informative and often you are quoted by other RU-vidrs. Any chance you could consider giving advise on large domestic properties using 3ph, example how to spread the load across floors and provide EV charging

hi JW, if you convert a 3phase to a single, is it good practice to change the label inside on the loads side to L1 only? pleasea advice

Great video

good info John have you got any videos or upcoming videos on BS electrical symbols and how to read electrical drawings for an industrial drawing thanks

Hi John, your videos here are very informative...Can you also make a video for the comparisons and applications for SP, SPN, DP, TP, TPN, 4P circuit breakers and isolators....thank you in advance.

Tremendous this cheers

Thanks John for the videos. I have mostly been working on domestic supplies. If you are turning this into a single phase supply wont the voltage be higher than 230V if all 3 bars are connected as one? Also for a three phase supply is a ELCB breaker better than a RCBO breaker

One of the things that strikes me about the UK electrical system is the small number of circuits in favor of local fusing. There's a comment below from someone having to rewire a house with the implication that 24 circuits is a lot. Here, I regularly install 40-circuit panels. Your voltage is higher, but so is your current. 32A circuits for receptacles -- that's not a thing here. We can't install general-use receptacles on any circuit larger than 20A. Of course you have fuses in the plugs to protect the final cord: here, someone has done some math and figured the impedance of a device's power cord with a dead short on the end, and calculated it should reliably trip a 20A breaker without catching fire, so that's the most we can use for the entire circuit.

great lesson...

I was an electrician many years ago (15th edition). I distinctly remember that the regulations prohibited switching the neutral in three phase applications. This must have changed, and I wonder why.

Hi John, on a 3 phase domestic supply is it acceptable to use all the phases for the various household circuits or should it be done as per the video with a shorting bar. Also I presume the requirements for rcd protection should still be met? or better yet rcbo all round.

I have both 3 phase and single phase in my home and work shop with I'm told single phases taken from the 3 phase to power different single phase lines in the work shop and home and i have a few questions which I hope you can answer 1. Is that possible 2. Will my single phase handle the job if I remove the 3 phase as running 2 metres is quite expensive 3. Is using the 3 phase in this way cost effective ie. Running single phases from a 3 phase meter . Actual 3 phase not being used and nothing bigger than a rod welder , power washer and lights in the workshop and 2 electric showers and an electric oven and hob in the house ? Single phase 400 units per month 3 phase 130 units per month ?????

Pre requisite to assembly the feader circuit and final circuit at the pannel

John, Could you do a video at some time about installing Henley blocks? Thanks.

Do you have to use a particular type of rcbo or mcb for these commercial units ? They are not the domestic type. ?

Is choosing to use the bigger 3 phase unit instead of a domestic style single phase due to futureproofing since it's going in an industrial location?

Great vid, not sure if you take requests for vids but I'm struggling with supply distribution topic namely the 3 wire system delta and star connections and their windings... I've reviewed the topic several times but can wrap my head around it, could you help? or point me towards a source of info? I feel the text book I'm reading from is letting me down... any helps appreciated. keep the vids coming

i have a common problem that if ashort circuit happen in socket as an example the feeding mcb and the main mcb trip at the same time so wht sould i do

Great lesson 👍. Can the earth and neutral be link together in the distribution board if ur using TT system of earthing.

can you do a video on reaction times of mcbs and rcbo and so on I'm at college doing my lvl 2 and would be really helpful thanks

John, I work in China where domestic apartments can have both 3 and single phase supplied. The 3 phase is designed primarily for larger air con only. Can you give me some suggestions how I should ask the local "electrician" to wire up the consumer unit so all the different phases and the individual 3 phase supply to the AC are RCD protected. Will I have to have an older style single RCD that shuts off supplt to everything in the apartment rather than the individual protected circuits, there will be three single phase networks each with RCD.. Many thanks

Thanks.

Hi JW, Could you do a video explaining three-phase power in general - what it is; how it works; why you'd use it instead of normal 240V mains; that kinda thing. It's something I can't seem to get my head around, and it's apparently not very common here in Ireland, but nonetheless something I'm interested in! Thanks!

Hi John, I wonder if installing ryfield for new flats is the supplier job or an electrician should do that? Thanks in advance

This is so interesting. So I suppose... ...if, for example, someone had built a new large garage / workshop and only needed a single phase supply at that point, but wanted an option to perhaps upgrade to three phase later on, this (by this, I mean this board), would be the perfect way to proceed. I guess. Well, that's what I would do anyway. >

how do you wire a 3 phase submain of the 3 phase supply distribution board

HI John Can u do a video on a single phase ryefield board please. Thanks.

Hello John, Beautiful video very knowledgeable. I wish to buy the incoming disconnector switch with the neutral link and shorting bus bar to convert 3 phase to single phase. Please let me have the details of incoming disconnector with conversion kit. Many thanks and wish you happy festive holiday. Best regards, Ahmed

Hi John, we've had a complaint where the guy says he bought a brand new soldering iron from The Range, left it for 10 minutres to heat up. Went to use it and there was an explosion and knocked him out until his wife woke him up. The burn mark is just above the handle so its unlikely he melted through the cable.A couple of things we noticed is that ALL of our branding, batch number and other writing has been rubbed off, indicating that it was in fact not new. It also has some solder and a little copper ccoloured material on the hot end. We believe that the Line and Neutral somehow touched and caused a bang. Can I get your opinions? Thanks

I feel like I've just been on a training course to do a new job :-)

The thing that annoys me is, as soon as you fit a dis board the mcb's that are ment for it are then no longer available. worst still someone has fitted a dis board with a name you have never heard of. This is usually in a new build were the the builder has cut his price to the bone and then gets cheap electrical fittings.

I'm starting a project where the customer has 24 RCB's spread over 3 consumer units (single phase) from the 70's - The idea of using a single 8 ways 3 Phase distribution board is VERY appealing - Is Eaton the only brand you would recommend when it comes to this kind of 3 Phase to Single Phase conversion? Do Crabtree and the likes offer the same, seemingly simple solution that you demonstrated here?

Dear Mr.John i have one big question. How can we know that our customer now requires a three phase system to supply his all her house and that a single phase system is no longer sufficient to supply his or her house?

Can someone please explain to me why you short out the 3 phases with that bit of busbar? I'm training to be an electrician and I'm just curious

I got a great bargain. Im just trying to demonstrate for a D.O.L connection for an air conditioner. Someone was selling an ABB distrubition box for 3£

i have 3 phase ac, my dad instaled it when he build house, is thare any advantages over single phase i dont use lot of electricity?

Can you use this 3 phase DB for Single Phase and Three Phase simultaneously

what is typical for modern britisch homes ?? 1 phase 230/240V at 100Amp ?? i like these panel much more than what i most homes in germany have! modern homes have in most cases 3 phases servis but the fuses boxes are so smal that if you use all slots you cant close the box because its exploding with wires!

0:59 surprised Pikachu face

Also, why do people say we have 230V but we can measure plugs 250V and some people say 240V. I know the Chinese make manufacturers make sstuff that can take pretty much any voltage.

nice but you should have made it more real by using wires or connecting them either. nice work kudoss to you

Hi JW, just an observation that unless skilled or instructed persons- 3 phase 4 pole with switched neutral as far as we are aware ( without reaching for BS7671) One of our recent inspection jobs a memshield DB they decided to fit 30ma rcd on a large three phase board- rather than 4 pole switch and RCBO's (cost) also no accounting for de rating factors in trunking. While we like the quality of MEM, as series change older breakers become more expensive to source- unless you know of another manufacturer MCB that will fit. Just off the cuff comments, thank you for video's as always

is there a device that allows me to switch 3 phase to two different directions?

Why is this in HD only? It's unwatchable for us with UK standard rural internet connections

I'm sorry but that neutral link connection _must_ be straightened properly to satisfy my OCD here. If only I could reach into RU-vid with my PZ2... Curious question: Is there any reason 3-phase dis. boards generally don't switch the neutral on the incomer compared to domestic C.U. that typically does? Would it be expected to have a separate 4-pole isolation device installed in situations where a 3-phase dis. is fed direct from the mains? And whilst we're here, arguments on whether MCBs should switch towards or away from board centre. I've come across too many that, in my mind, have had the MCBs installed backwards (towards the centre for 'ON'), which has thrown up all-sorts of questions in my head with regards MCB design and logical reasoning. I think it may even be manufacturer specific, where some design for switching inwards, and some outwards. I don't tend to see 'Line/Load' markings on MCBs, either, just to make matters worse.

Here's a challenge: Can someone count how many times JW says "phase" in this video? :)

What about five phase power? Is there a five phase panelboard?

Reading some of these comments scares me. Playing with 400 volts is NOT something you can do after just watching a video. Leave TPN work to people who have been professionally trained.

GOT IT only single phase going in. I am an idiot.

Had to watch to make it 666 views. Ofcourse, would of watched anyway, John.

WHY do YOU talk like THIS