Residential · 2022

New low-voltage board with RCD, SPD and dedicated circuits in a townhouse

A townhouse in Belo Horizonte still had its 1990s board, no protective conductor and three mixed circuits. I rebuilt the board, the earthing and the protection, with a recorded trip test for every single circuit.

Distribution board RCD SPD Earthing Design + site support
ClientPrivate homeowner (name withheld)
LocationBelo Horizonte, MG
Year2022
Load36 kVA
Area190 m²
Standard appliedNBR 5410 · NBR IEC 61439-3
Duration12 days
Resultevery circuit on a 30 mA RCD with a tested trip
New low-voltage board with RCD, SPD and dedicated circuits in a townhouse

What the old board told me

The porcelain board had given way to a generic surface box, curve C breakers stacked on the busbar and a make-believe earth: the green conductor left the bar and died behind the wall, with no rod, no inspection box, nothing measured. The shower, the washing machine and the microwave shared one 2.5 mm² circuit, and an RCD existed only over the kitchen.

What was done

  1. A new board to NBR IEC 61439-3, with separate neutral and earth bars and every outgoing circuit labelled
  2. Eleven dedicated circuits: two showers, the washing machine, outdoor area, kitchen, bathrooms and lighting per floor
  3. An earth rod with an earthing ring in the garage foundation and a 16 mm² bare copper conductor
  4. A 30 mA high-sensitivity RCD at the main protection and a class II surge protector installed after the meter

Three lessons for residential work

  • Showers and laundry outlets need circuits separated from the board, not a tap-off behind the wall
  • A green wire with no rod is not an earthing system: it is a loose conductor painted as safety
  • The test report is worth more than a handsome board: it is what the insurer accepts

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