ᐅ Is an Additional Circuit Breaker / RCD Really Necessary for a Home Office?
Created on: 9 Jun 2020 17:23
K
kati1337
Hello!
I need to ask again because we have very little knowledge about electrical work. I’m not sure if our electrician is overcharging us or if these additional costs are necessary and reasonable.
We have planned an office where we want to set up 2 gaming PCs. Originally, we planned for 18 power outlets there (just to have enough), but we are now reducing that to 8. For each PC, we will probably need a power strip (1 computer, 2 monitors, possibly some small devices like a label printer).
The electrician says:
Can it really be true that this creates a chain of costs like this? Is it necessary?
He says that if we don’t do the separate circuit and RCD/GFCI, we can save on the larger distribution panel, but then we wouldn’t be allowed to use power strips there (which he says would be a major fire hazard).
I’m surprised because we have run exactly this setup in our current house (30 years old, with only one RCD/GFCI for everything) for almost 10 years without any problems (or fires). Are we risking our lives every day for years, or is the truth somewhere in between?
I’m not sure what to do here right now.
I need to ask again because we have very little knowledge about electrical work. I’m not sure if our electrician is overcharging us or if these additional costs are necessary and reasonable.
We have planned an office where we want to set up 2 gaming PCs. Originally, we planned for 18 power outlets there (just to have enough), but we are now reducing that to 8. For each PC, we will probably need a power strip (1 computer, 2 monitors, possibly some small devices like a label printer).
The electrician says:
- We need a separate circuit for the office: 150€
- A separate residual current device (RCD) / ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI): 115€
- And because we get an additional circuit and RCD/GFCI, we also need a larger distribution panel: 490€
Can it really be true that this creates a chain of costs like this? Is it necessary?
He says that if we don’t do the separate circuit and RCD/GFCI, we can save on the larger distribution panel, but then we wouldn’t be allowed to use power strips there (which he says would be a major fire hazard).
I’m surprised because we have run exactly this setup in our current house (30 years old, with only one RCD/GFCI for everything) for almost 10 years without any problems (or fires). Are we risking our lives every day for years, or is the truth somewhere in between?
I’m not sure what to do here right now.
Okay, if I understand correctly, having a separate circuit and RCD (residual current device) would ensure that if something else in the house trips the RCD, my PCs would still stay on, right? If I only have one circuit breaker (MCB) for the room, even with a separate circuit, the office would lose power if the RCD trips?
At the moment, we're leaning towards just going ahead with it. Let the electrician earn their $300; it's better to have it installed and not need it than to not have it and later think "we should have done it."
But the offer for the $600 patch panel and switch can be forgotten.
At the moment, we're leaning towards just going ahead with it. Let the electrician earn their $300; it's better to have it installed and not need it than to not have it and later think "we should have done it."
But the offer for the $600 patch panel and switch can be forgotten.
kati1337 schrieb:
So if something somewhere else in the house trips the RCD, my PCs stay on, right? Exactly. Just having a dedicated circuit breaker (MCB) is not enough. That circuit would also lose power if the RCD protecting the whole house trips, for example due to a fault in a kitchen appliance.
With a separate RCD and circuit breaker, even in the same enclosure, your PCs will stay on.
For that reason, I personally didn’t hesitate and equipped the house with many more RCDs than required. Honestly, I think having just one or now two RCDs as mandatory is far too few. But that’s just my opinion.
kati1337 schrieb:
We are currently leaning towards just having it done. Let the electrician earn his 300€ — better to have it installed and not need it, than to not have it and later think “we should have.” A very sensible mindset.
kati1337 schrieb:
But he can forget about the 600€ patch panel and switch offer. Same here. Especially network cabling and patch panels and the rest—this should be a piece of cake for a software developer.
We finally signed the amendment offer yesterday. With a bit of gritting our teeth, but we kept almost everything in.
After sleeping on the resentment for a few nights, we decided that we should think about ourselves here. If we remove things just because we don’t like the electrician, then in five years we'll be the ones regretting what’s missing. You have to differentiate and sometimes pay someone you actually don’t want to.
At least the main contractor has been accommodating and hassle-free. The second residual current device, which is now required by regulation, was accepted without any issues, and the larger distribution board (which partly comes from contract components and partly from our own additional installations) will also be fully covered by the main contractor.
We also added a cable duct for the TV. Again: sure, the electrician we’re not thrilled with will earn more, but do I want to have to break open the wall myself later? No.
Now he wants an extra 100€ to install the CAT cables properly inside conduit, as required. Honestly, it’s a bit outrageous, but I’m tired of the discussion, so fine, as long as they’re installed inside the conduit.
After sleeping on the resentment for a few nights, we decided that we should think about ourselves here. If we remove things just because we don’t like the electrician, then in five years we'll be the ones regretting what’s missing. You have to differentiate and sometimes pay someone you actually don’t want to.
At least the main contractor has been accommodating and hassle-free. The second residual current device, which is now required by regulation, was accepted without any issues, and the larger distribution board (which partly comes from contract components and partly from our own additional installations) will also be fully covered by the main contractor.
We also added a cable duct for the TV. Again: sure, the electrician we’re not thrilled with will earn more, but do I want to have to break open the wall myself later? No.
Now he wants an extra 100€ to install the CAT cables properly inside conduit, as required. Honestly, it’s a bit outrageous, but I’m tired of the discussion, so fine, as long as they’re installed inside the conduit.
I would have handled it similarly since your concerns were not unfounded: therefore, involve the general contractor in the responsibility and have them share the costs. In the end, it’s not a big deal for any of the three parties and just another item checked off.
It just shouldn’t become the norm.
It just shouldn’t become the norm.
Just as a side note:
Using an RCD (residual current device) to protect PCs is, from an IT perspective, completely pointless. The RCD is designed to protect people, not devices—and that’s exactly what it does. If you want to properly protect your PC and your data is important to you, even if the RCD trips, there’s a power outage, or something else happens, you should get an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for about 150€. That covers all bases, and you don’t have to worry about anything.
Using an RCD (residual current device) to protect PCs is, from an IT perspective, completely pointless. The RCD is designed to protect people, not devices—and that’s exactly what it does. If you want to properly protect your PC and your data is important to you, even if the RCD trips, there’s a power outage, or something else happens, you should get an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for about 150€. That covers all bases, and you don’t have to worry about anything.
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