Slightly OT: New Consumer Unit

[Brownie]

Slightly OT as this is meant to be DIY but I need a professional.

We have a 50 year old 3 bed. Has standard fuse box of about 6 fuses plus a couple of other single boxes that seem to have been added, all looking a bit old now. For safety I'd like to change it to a good RCD type panel, I think that is called the 'consumer unit' (?)

Can anyone give me an idea of the price I should expect to pay to have one of these fitted professionally? Are there any disadvantages of them or features I should look to have?

[Colin Wilson]

This question came up recently - IIRC the prices were in the region of=20 =A3250+

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[BillR]

£300 upwards in London. Nice work if you can get it! Get a split load kit e.g. Wylex from Screwfix £75. DIY in a couple of hours if you know what you're doing...

[PoP]

You will need to get some quotes for this job, and I would suggest getting 2 or 3 before reaching a decision.

Reason being that if the electrician is going to change the consumer unit then he should really certificate the installation. And that would mean making sure that the installation complies with the current wiring regs. For a 50 year old house that might well include a full house rewire and probably upgrading the earthing arrangements for the property, which is going to take it well outside of just changing a CU.

PoP

Sending email to my published email address isn't guaranteed to reach me.

[Jerry.]

So were does one get new 'company' seals from then, or do you just work 'live side' ?!...

[John Rumm]

What if you install a new CU alongside the original (split the tails from the meter with a Henley block) and wire just one simple circuit to the new CU (say the light in the under stairs cupboard). Get that certified, then you move the other circuits over at your leisure?

[John Rumm]

Two schools of thought on that one... phone the leckky supplier and tell them you are going to pull the main fuse, or, don't.

Either way someone might replace the seals at some point in the future if they can be bothered! If anyone asks you can always tell then the "electrician" did it (who exactly escapes your memory).

[Colin Wilson]

Ask them to come and fit an isolator - its usually free (in our area at least)

[PoP]

Question is too difficult for me to answer authoritatively. I just recall the C&G2381 lecturer saying that if a sparky carries out any work on an installation (e.g. adds a new socket) then said sparky is required to test and certificate that entire circuit.

Thus, if I read this correctly, modifying the circuit by adding a Henley block ought to mean that the old wiring would still need to be brought up to current standard.

But it's no good relying on me for this answer - I don't claim to be an electrician :)

PoP

Sending email to my published email address isn't guaranteed to reach me.

[Chris Oates]

which for your own satisfaction can be done with this

this this as a giude Thus, if I read this correctly, modifying the circuit by adding a

[John Southern]

Just pull the f**king fuse out and start work then put the fust back in after all inital dead system tests have been carried out. Then call the supplier to reseal the fuse. Of course they should provide a means of double pole isolation but rarely do,i have seen a 100A DP switch in some meter cupboards on newbuilds and also in feeder pilliars for road lighting.

Jon.

[Bob Eager]

ISBN 0750654694 on Amazon...

[John Rumm]

I think that is what I was saying - just with more words! ;-)

[Chris Oates]

I use it at work & it beats the old 'wind up' megger we used to have.

I would have liked a Robin but this does a good job especially for fixed fittings via the fly leads - they are really huge with 10A fused probes

Ta for that - bargain price

Chris

[PoP]

Now I'm feeling just a little confused. That product description advises "Tests all requirements of the 16th edition....".

However I thought that you needed something like the Robin KTS1620 to do all the tests? Or is the above just referring to all the requirements of the earth leakage tests?

There's a bit of difference in price between the TLC tester and a Robin KTS1620 - about £500 :)

PoP

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