Which unit do we need, single phase or three phase?

Look at the socket you will plug into. A blue 3-pin 32A outlet is single phase; a red 5-pin outlet is three phase. Both builds give the same six 16A ways out, so the kit you plug into the distro does not change either way. If you are not sure, send us a photo of the outlet and we will tell you which unit and which supply cable you need.

Do we need the inline RCD as well?

Not always, and we would rather say so than sell you one. The three-phase build carries RCD protection over the whole unit, so an inline RCD behind it does no harm and no good. The single-phase build has breakers only, which trip on overload and short circuit but not on current leaking to earth. If the venue can confirm the 32A outlet is RCD protected at the board, you are covered already. Where nobody can vouch for the supply, an older hall, an external socket, a generator, or where a way feeds kit people will handle outdoors, put the inline RCD on that way, press its test button before the show and keep it where someone can reach it to reset. Tell us the venue and what is on each way and we will say plainly which ways, if any, need one, and quote for them.

Can we plug ordinary 13A equipment into it?

Yes, through an adaptor. The six ways are 16A ceeform sockets, so plug-top equipment needs a 16A-to-13A adaptor, which we hire alongside the distro. One way can also feed a 13A four-way for low-draw kit like a desk and monitors, as long as the total on that way stays sensible. Tell us what you are running and we will make up the cable package to suit.

Our venue does not have a 32A socket. Can you still make this work?

Sometimes, but not by improvising. If the venue has a suitable supply without a socket on it, a competent electrician can make a proper temporary connection and test it, and we can arrange that. What we will not do, and nor should anyone, is open the venue's boards or wire into fixed circuits without one. For sites with no usable supply at all, a generator is often the honest answer, and either unit runs happily from one with the right outlet.

Can it live outdoors?

It is IP44 splashproof, which means rain-resistant in use, not weatherproof in open rain. Under a stage roof, in a marquee or against a wall out of the weather is fine. Keep it off wet grass and out of standing water, and dress the cables so water cannot run down into the connectors. If the forecast is bad, give it cover.

What happens if a breaker trips mid-show?

Only that way goes out; the other five stay live. The breakers sit under a clear window on the front of the box, so switch off or unplug whatever caused the trip, flip the breaker back up and the circuit is live again. If the same way keeps tripping, something on it is faulty or overloaded, and the answer is to move loads around or take the faulty item out, not to hold the breaker in.

Home Services Equipment Hire Power and Cabling Hire

Power distro hire — 32A single and three phase

Most power problems at a show are not about how much there is, but where it comes out of the wall. A 32A distro takes one big supply, the single blue or red socket by the stage or the outlet on a generator, and breaks it into six 16A ways, each behind its own breaker. We hire the PCE IMST range in two builds: 32A single phase in, and 32A three phase in with RCD protection, both feeding six protected 16A ways. The single-phase unit hires at £8 per day and the three-phase, with its RCD protection, at £16, dry hire or with a technician to connect and check the supply.

A power distro does one plain job. Your venue or generator gives you a single 32A outlet, which is more current than any one piece of equipment wants, all in one place. The distro plugs into that outlet and shares it across six 16A ceeform sockets, each sitting behind its own breaker. If a faulty lead or an overloaded circuit trips, it drops that one way and the other five stay live. Without a distro, the same fault takes out everything at once.

The boxes are from PCE's IMST range: compact splashproof units in shock-resistant polyamide with a folding steel carry handle, light enough at under 3kg to carry in one hand and stackable in the van. The breakers sit under a clear window on the front, so resetting a tripped way means flipping a switch, not opening anything. It comes in two builds. The single-phase unit takes a blue 3-pin 32A inlet, the kind of supply many halls and commercial kitchens have. The three-phase unit takes a red 5-pin 32A inlet, spreads its six ways across the three phases, and carries 30mA RCD protection alongside the breakers.

Which one you need depends on the socket at your venue. Blue three-pin means single phase, red five-pin means three phase, and both units give you the same six 16A ways out, so nothing downstream changes. Send us a photo of the outlet if you are not sure. As for what it will run: a 32A single-phase supply gives you around 7kW in total, which covers a substantial LED lighting rig, a sound system and backstage power together. Three phase carries roughly three times that.

The single-phase build has breakers only. A breaker trips on overload or a short circuit; it does not notice current leaking to earth through a damaged lead or a person. That is an RCD's job, and most modern venues have one at the board already. Where there is none, we hire a 16A inline RCD: a short lead with the trip built into the middle, 16A ceeform plug in and 16A socket out, that goes on one way and covers whatever hangs off it. It earns its place when a way runs to something people will touch, festoon, uplighters, a smoke machine at the edge of the stage; when the feed is an older hall's board or a generator with no RCD of its own; and on anything outdoors or in wet weather. Contact us for pricing; it adds to the distro's protection rather than replacing it: the breakers still guard against overload, and behind the three-phase build, which has its own RCD, it does nothing extra.

One honest note. Plugging the distro into an existing, tested 32A socket outlet is no different from using any other plug, and switching the ways on and off is simple. Anything past that is not a job to improvise. Connecting to fixed wiring, bare tails, a fused switch or the terminals of a generator is work for a competent person under the wiring regulations, and so is judging whether the venue's supply will actually carry your load. We can send one. Tell us what the venue has and we will either confirm it is a straight plug-in or quote for an electrician to make the connection and test it.

Hire is by the day: £8 for the single-phase unit, £16 for the three-phase with RCD protection. We carry 32A supply cable, 16A extensions and 16A-to-13A adaptors so ordinary plug-top equipment can run from the ways, and for larger sites we can put together as many distros and as much cable as the show needs.

What you get

The distro unit with its breakers checked before it leaves

Your choice of build: 32A single phase in, or 32A three phase in with RCD protection

Optional (contact us for pricing): a 16A inline RCD lead that puts earth-leakage protection on a single way, for kit people will touch or a supply with no RCD of its own

Not included as standard: cable. Tell us the run from your outlet to the stage and we will add the right 32A supply lead and 16A extensions

16A-to-13A adaptors so kettle-lead and plug-top equipment can run from the ways: ask when you book

Not included: the 32A supply itself. If your venue has no 32A outlet, talk to us before assuming one can be arranged

A competent person to connect anything beyond a standard socket outlet, confirm the supply and test the rig, if you need one

Good for

Outdoor stages and marquees running from a generator or a venue's external 32A outlet

School productions where the hall's 13A wall sockets will not carry lighting and sound together

Village halls with a single 32A outlet near the stage and nothing else useful

Dance school shows in hired venues, where the whole rig arrives in one van and needs tidy, protected power

Fairs, fetes and one-day events that need six protected circuits from one supply point

Breaking a generator's output into individually protected ways instead of a tangle of splitters

What you need to know

What it does: Takes one 32A supply and breaks it into six 16A ways, each behind its own breaker, so one fault drops one circuit instead of the whole rig.
Power: 32A in, single or three phase depending on the unit you choose. Six 16A single-phase ways out. Single phase gives around 7kW in total; three phase roughly three times that.
Connections: Ceeform throughout: a blue 3-pin or red 5-pin inlet, and six 16A outlets. 16A-to-13A adaptors let ordinary plug-top equipment run from the ways.
Where it goes: A splashproof IP44 box under 3kg with a steel carry handle. It sits on the floor by the supply, and is fine in a marquee or under a stage roof, kept out of standing water.
Who runs it: Plugging into an existing 32A socket is simple, and anyone can reset a tripped way through the clear window. Connecting to fixed wiring or a generator is work for a competent person, and we can send one.

Hire rates

Choose the one you need. The photo and price follow your choice, and add-ons are ticked separately below.

PCE IMST 32A Single Phase to 6 x 16A MCBOne 32A single-phase supply into six protected 16A ways.£8a day

PCE IMST 32A 3-Phase to 6 x 16A MCB + RCDThree-phase in, six protected ways out, RCD protected.£16a day

Add-ons

Tick anything you want with it. They go on your enquiry list together.

16A Inline RCDA safety trip on one 16A way, for kit people will touch or a supply with no RCD of its own.Contact usfor pricing

Rates are per day and exclude VAT. A longer hire costs less per day — tell us your dates and we will price the period exactly. Ask us about delivery and hiring with a technician. Where a line says contact us for pricing, tell us the dates and quantities and we will quote it.

Alternatives

Cable crates — the 16A and 13A runs that get the power from the distro to the rig.

Full technical specification (10)

Manufacturer and range	PCE IMST series, made in the EU
Unit type	Portable power distribution box: one 32A supply to six 16A ways
Input, single phase build	32A 230V 2P+E ceeform inlet (blue 3-pin)
Input, three phase build	32A 400V 3P+N+E ceeform inlet (red 5-pin)
Outputs	6 x 16A 230V 2P+E ceeform sockets
Protection	Each way behind its own breaker under a clear window; the three-phase build carries 30mA RCD protection as well
16 A inline RCD (add on)	A short lead with an RCD module in the middle: 16A ceeform plug in, 16A ceeform socket out. Adds earth-leakage protection to one way; the distro's breakers still handle overload
Enclosure	Shock-resistant polyamide, IP44 splashproof, folding steel carry handle, stackable
Dimensions	196 x 285 x 290 (H x W x D)
Weight	2.9

Common questions

Look at the socket you will plug into. A blue 3-pin 32A outlet is single phase; a red 5-pin outlet is three phase. Both builds give the same six 16A ways out, so the kit you plug into the distro does not change either way. If you are not sure, send us a photo of the outlet and we will tell you which unit and which supply cable you need.
Not always, and we would rather say so than sell you one. The three-phase build carries RCD protection over the whole unit, so an inline RCD behind it does no harm and no good. The single-phase build has breakers only, which trip on overload and short circuit but not on current leaking to earth. If the venue can confirm the 32A outlet is RCD protected at the board, you are covered already. Where nobody can vouch for the supply, an older hall, an external socket, a generator, or where a way feeds kit people will handle outdoors, put the inline RCD on that way, press its test button before the show and keep it where someone can reach it to reset. Tell us the venue and what is on each way and we will say plainly which ways, if any, need one, and quote for them.
Yes, through an adaptor. The six ways are 16A ceeform sockets, so plug-top equipment needs a 16A-to-13A adaptor, which we hire alongside the distro. One way can also feed a 13A four-way for low-draw kit like a desk and monitors, as long as the total on that way stays sensible. Tell us what you are running and we will make up the cable package to suit.
Sometimes, but not by improvising. If the venue has a suitable supply without a socket on it, a competent electrician can make a proper temporary connection and test it, and we can arrange that. What we will not do, and nor should anyone, is open the venue's boards or wire into fixed circuits without one. For sites with no usable supply at all, a generator is often the honest answer, and either unit runs happily from one with the right outlet.
It is IP44 splashproof, which means rain-resistant in use, not weatherproof in open rain. Under a stage roof, in a marquee or against a wall out of the weather is fine. Keep it off wet grass and out of standing water, and dress the cables so water cannot run down into the connectors. If the forecast is bad, give it cover.
Only that way goes out; the other five stay live. The breakers sit under a clear window on the front of the box, so switch off or unplug whatever caused the trip, flip the breaker back up and the circuit is live again. If the same way keeps tripping, something on it is faulty or overloaded, and the answer is to move loads around or take the faulty item out, not to hold the breaker in.

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