I have many years of my life wiring up commercial distribution boards, some might say a DB is just a box.

It can be the difference between a very frustrating days work or and absolute pleasure.

What do we look for in a good design.

1/ Gland plates, a well designed DB will have then at the top bottom and sides.

2/ Wireways, the bigger floor standing units with dedicated wireways for routing the cables just makes life the job easier and allows for separation of cabling.

3/ Space, anyone who has worked with 185mm and up will know what it is critical to design a DB that flows.

Even a small DB with the silly backing board design, just makes for a challenge as the board is fills to capacity. I made the mistake of buying AC/DC Distribution board for a project, 3 hours of modification I finally got it to become afunctional DB. I should have rather spent the money on a Hager or Gewiss DB.

4/ The space behind the din rail is important, I have got into the habit of wiring behind the din rail rather than around the breakers, which would make life so much easier if we connected the right side of the breaker (top).

5/ Accessories, this has become a huge additional expense. I dont understand how a 18 way DB is sold with 4 holes in the earth bar and 6 holes in the neutral, which are suppose to fit 16 mm wire, but unless you cut off a few strands or drill 5.2 mm holes into the bar you aren't getting that wire in. I saw on a youtube video the other day, the guys use plastic pin lugs. OR you could just use 10 mm wire like everyone does, nobody can tell difference.

6/ Installing the same brand components in a DB certainly make it easier to fit busbars and stuff.

7/ Which brings me to an important part of the board, the busbars. A good quality circuit breaker will have a slot on the breaker for a forked busbar and others just the standard pin type busbar. Why do I prefer to use the forked busbar, because it prevents those big bangs when you try fit a wire in with the busbar. If yo use a forked busbar, it clears the terminal for the wires. If you are just working on domestic single phase installations, it not a big deal. When you start working with 3 phase DB's and multiple tiers, it starts making a huge difference.

Electroboard engineering was my preferred supplier for many years , then moved to panel technique for the distribution and control panels. Both make good quality panels.

When it comes to smaller DB's I have Gewiss make a good quality sturdy with lots of space behind the din rail. 2 things that they need to improve, the door clips and the fact that there are no neutral or earth bars and boy are they expensive to buy.

I have also been installing a bunch if Hager DB's, the ones we are busy with a the moment are half the price of the Gewiss panels, but very flimsy and the space between the din rail and back board is just not deep enough, you can squeeze a 16 mm wire behind the din rail, but only one. The boards have an earth bar and neutral bar, but certainly not enough to fit more than 1, so you have to plan the pre wire carefully.

Then we come to the worse DB of all, the AC/DC units, I will never waste my money on these units again, I made the mistake of buying and installed 2 of these units, 3 hours of cutting and modifying, just not worth the hassle.

If there is one thing I have learnt in this industry, a a DB is never TOO big.

As we start moving away from the standard one supply DB and into the dual power backup era and soon to the EV era, your old 18 way DB is just not going to cut it anymore.

You need to start designing your power requirements around backup system.

Solar and inverter installations already require dual power (essential and non essential) in the DB, just make sure you have allowed for future EV charger installs. If you think it wont happen here in SA, I take it you are not following the fuel price, which is said to be at R30 per litre before yo blink. Bond interest rates are climbing just as fast. Salary increases are the only thing not moving up. I hear people can expect 2-4 % salary increases.

Every call I have had this week has been requests to solar, inverters, timers and LED lights, ways to cut back.

If you not into energy saving, you must be one of the many people crying that work is quiet.