SPD's: Months of Confusion, Finally an Answer...

Finally, the trade gets an answer over whether an SPD needs an MCB…

…police uncover 10 lorry loads of stolen tools in Essex…is yours among them?…

…and, this drill can kill, the government acts over a deadly power tool…

Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Sungrow , making every Watt count since 1997 , whether you're listening in the van, on site, or down at the wholesale counter.

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Show Notes:

Catch all the stories, links, and product info from this episode - it’s all waiting for you in the show notes at 👉 http://www.efixx.co.uk/spds-months-of-confusion-finally-an-answer

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Lewden Palazzoli 👉 http://hub.efixx.co.uk/lewden-enw
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Time Stamps ⏱️
00:00 Electrical News Weekly 02/02/2026
00:50 At last! Industry Rules On SPDs & MCBs
03:10 10 Lorryloads of Stolen Tools Uncovered in Essex
04:06 Trade Warned About Drill That Can Kill
04:41 Spark Helps Elderly Couple After Botched Job
05:28 No Evidence of Chinese Inverter 'Kill Switches'
06:15 Amd 4 Expected To Drive Firefighter Switch Sales
06:57 Paul Russells Lamp Of The Week
07:31 Learner Of The Week
08:15 Tea Break With Quickwire
09:12 eFIXX Fantasy League Roundup
11:30 Thanks To Our Premium Partners
11:54 Challenge Words & Winners
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#enw #electricians #electricalinstallation

Transcript

Coming up on this week's news, finally, the trade gets an answer over whether an SPD needs an MCB. Police uncover 10 lorry loads of stolen tools in Essex is yours among them. And this drill can kill. The government acts over a deadly power tool. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Sungrow. Making every what count literally since 1997. Whether you're listening in the van on site or down at the wholesale counter. I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. We're being lit by Flex 7 with their lightning fast pre-wired modular lighting connection system that keeps your installation times razor sharp. And if you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win this exclusive cap branded with Friends of the Show Quickwire and Chump Tools. And while you're there, click the links in the show notes to check out what our sponsors offer. After months of pleading, it appears we have finally got industry guidance on the use of miniature circuit breakers with surge protection devices in consumer units. The trade has been divided over whether home disboards with built-in busbar SPDs and no MCB conform to the wiring regulations. It hinges on whether an absence of a circuit breaker in such cases is a departure from the regs. Big switch gear brands have been divided over the subject leading to confusion in the market. Now the electrical networks association and the manufacturers association Beama have teamed up to rule on the issue. They judge that you can emit an overcurrent protective device such as an MCB and use the DNO cutout fuse instead. If all the following conditions apply, the SPD must be in a household or similar installation. The SPD must be installed inside a single phase consumer unit conforming to BS61439-3. Alternatively, it could be in an enclosure with a switch disconnector conforming to BSCN 60947-3. Both these options should have a rated conditional short circuit current of 16KA. This conditional rating is qualified using a 100 amp BS88-3 fuse, which also covers 60 amp and 80 amp fuse ratings. BS1361 type 2 and BS88-3 fuse link key performance characteristics are identical. Therefore, either is acceptable. The SPD itself must conform to BS61643-11. Additionally, the SPD manufacturer's instructions must state that a downstream overcurrent protection device can be omitted and specify the required upstream device characteristics. The SPD must not require withdrawal of the DNO cutout fuse for its replacement or maintenance. This position is, says the two authorities, in line with the safety aspects of the DNO cutout not providing functional protection. However, it can be relied upon in extreme conditions to perform a short duration fault clearing role. The reason they've chosen a conditional rating of 16KA is because it takes into account possible network changes and increased fault levels over the lifetime of the installation. Furthermore, they say that the electricity safety, quality, and continuity regulations and not breached by their advice, specifically regulation 25, which covers the making or altering of a connection is not compromised by simply relying on the protective characteristics of DNO equipment. The DNO's upstream overcurrent device is owned and maintained by the DNO and is not changed by the installer. I'll put a download link to the full advisory in the show notes. In other news, the Metropolitan Police says it's uncovered 10 lorry loads of stolen power tools in a house in Essex. The Popo say the kit is worth around 2 million pounds. The secret to their find, some trades people had fitted trackers to their gear. The tiny devices led detectives straight to the property in Ilford. The equipment ranges from high-v value kit taken from the lower temp's crossing building site in Tilbury to tools stolen from break-ins to vans. Some of the recovered items are believed to be linked to thefts dating back as far as 2019. Three suspects were arrested in connection with the probe. They're thought to be part of an organised criminal gang involved in reselling the goods online and shipping them across Europe. Inspector Mark Connelly urged contractors to forensically mark their tools and register the serial number with the manufacturer in order to give officers the best chance of reuniting them with their owners. And if your customers love their families more than you love your tools, then why not check out the fantastic range from this week's fire sponsor, FireAngel. They'll keep watch over you and your loved ones even when you can't. Still on tools, the government is warning the trade about a drill that can kill. It says a distinctive blue combi model from Hinsinc presents a serious risk of electric shock. That's because the insulation is insufficient and may break down during normal use. This could lead to electricians touching metal parts of the casing while the item is switched on. Additionally, the plug fuse doesn't contain ballast and is considered counterfeit. In the event of a surge in power, the plug may overheat and explode. The drill does not meet the requirements of the supply of machinery safety regulations of 2008 or the plugs and socket safety regulations of 1994. I'll put a link to the full product safety report in the show notes. In other news, a Scottish Spark has launched a fundraiser for an elderly couple who fell victim to what's been called an atrocious electrical installation. Brandon Burdett of JD & W Hamilton, an electrical contractor based in Dunfermline, discovered the work when he was sent out to a job at the couple's house in Kirkcaldy. Burdett says he was shocked to see the standard of work in the loft, which he deemed unsafe. The work had cost the pensioners £4,500. Burdett says it would be an injustice for them to have to pay out again to get the work fixed. So he started a GoFundMe page. It's still open for donations. I've popped the link in the show notes. And if you're a top sparks like Mr. Bedett, then have a look at Legrand's green I range of smart lighting controls. They'll cut carbon, reduce costs, and help you specify efficient future ready buildings. It's not just green I. It'll help to make a green U. In product news, American investigators say they can't find any evidence that Chinese solar inverters have so-called kill switches. PV magazine says it's seen a US Department of Energy report into the issue which found no definitive evidence of secret devices. It follows media reports from Reuters and others last year which indicated the presence of undocumented components in the equipment. US engineers dismantled 30 inverters during the probe. They found only two cases where the communication circuitry differed from the official documentation. Each of these was deemed non-malicious and non-intentional. Last month, EU officials discussed the banning of Chinese inverters over fears they could be turned off in the event of a conflict or disagreement. No advisories have yet been issued to the trade in the UK over the choice of inverters in renewable installs. That story is going back and forth more than the Wutang Clan. We'll keep you posted on updates as we get them. The new amendment four of the wiring regs is expected to drive sales of firefighter switches. That's because it's set to strengthen the requirements for emergency isolation in high-risk installations such as renewables. And the first company off the blocks with a suitable fire switch is CPN Cudis, which this week unveiled its 63 amp model. The unit comes in two and four pole options and features interlocking on and off positions. It's designed to be turned off using the traditional hooked pole. The hinged cover can only be opened when the switch is in the off position. The unit has two M20 cable entries on the top and bottom which can accept cable sizes of up to 25 mil squared. The ingress protection is IP65 and it conforms to all the relevant IEC standards. We're working on a full video review of that product, so keep an eye out for that. We'll let you know when we release the video. Now, to our newly introduced section celebrating the quality light sources illuminating our lives. It's the Paul Russell's lamp of the week. And today, we're celebrating the brand's dimmable candle lamp. This one gives out the same 470 lm output as an old school 40 W incandescent, but crucially, it only consumes a misily 4.5 watt. It's fitted with a standard bayonet cap or B-22 to give it its technical term and four LED filaments in a warm white colour temperature of 2,700 Kelvin. And they all dim down beautifully. Best of all, it's got a lifetime of 15,000 hours. That's eight times as long as a tungsten lamp. Now, it's that great moment where we get to celebrate the next generation. Our learner of the week slot is brought to you by Viperclip for rapid, secure, and fireproof installations of cabling. And our learner this week is Morgan Beal, who's studying at Sheffield Hallam University. Morgan took advice from Gary's LinkedIn group for learners which encourages students to use the platform to raise their profile in the trade. Morgan used AI to create an image for the festive season, complete with the slogan, "All I want for Christmas is an electrical apprenticeship." The cheeky post achieved 117 reposts and 49 comments. Now Morgan has landed an apprenticeship with Flagship Renewables in Doncaster. A fantastic result and an example of how thinking just a little bit outside the box can deliver results. All the best, Morgan. Everyone here at eFIXX wishes you well. And now to the lighter side of the electrical news. Yes, it's time for a tea break with QuickWire and its range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. A couple who lost power in a blackout ran their home from the battery of their electric car. Tina and John Griffin who live in Newquay Cornwall were able to keep their freezer going, run lights and Wi-Fi, charge their phones, and even do the ironing during a recent storm. That's because their newly bought Renault 5 E Tech features bidirectional power. Using an adapter that came with the car, they plugged an extension lead in and used its vehicle to load technology for the first time. The couple say they were flabbergasted by how powerful the battery was. Everything they used required just 30% of its capacity. In the future, we'll all be able to tap into our cars batteries when bidirectional tech becomes the norm and the industry finally agrees on the standards. That's the lighter side of the news in our tea break with Quickwire and their range of incredibly rapid electrical connectors. Click the link in the description to check them out for yourself. Now, just before we get to your favourite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're like having an Italian Star Striker in your premiership team. It's Lewden Palazzoli. And the best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products, it's Doncaster Cables. Click the links in the show notes to find out more about these great brands. If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all the correct guesses and select one at random to be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after about lunchtime on the Thursday after release will not be entered into the draw. Now, let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition. Last week's words were harvester and gorgonzola. And it was a rare occasion where I used them both in the same sentence, which seems to have thrown you all off a bit as not many people got it right. However, the person who came out of her electronic hat was Noamharduff. So, well done to you. Make sure you click the get involved link in the show notes to claim your prize. This week, we've been lit by Flex 7 with their lightning fast pre-wired modular lighting connection system that keeps your installation times razor sharp. Don't forget to click the links in the show notes to find out more. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Sungrow, making every watt count, literally since 1997. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening and until next time, have a great week.