i have an old wylex consumer unit that needs upgrading from wire to mcbs and also need to install a circuit breaker. can you still get them ones that are totaly seperate from the main cu? also where can i get the mcbs to fit the old cu?
ta!
steve
Take an exsiting fuse to the local electrical supplies merchant. You will probably get sorted out.
Rick
By the time you've bought all that lot, wouldn't it just be cheaper to get the correct thing complete?
Yes you can get the standalone RCDs and housing and yes you can get those plug-in MCB to fit the Wylex.
However, going down that route will actually cost more than buying a new split load consumer unit kit with RCD and 10 MCBs, approx £75 at the likes of Screwfix et al.
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Or only £58. for a 10 way at
The old Wylex board is probably better quality than most of today moduliar DIN rail units. As the Clipsal im going to install shortly is plasticky and has no space for wiring inside it. I know should have paid out for a nice Crabtree or Merlin board.
Jon.
If you want something of better quality, go for a steel one. Not a huge difference in price overall. But for most, really not needed.
Yes a mate of mine installed a metalclad Clipsal and he said it was excellent with loads of space and a good solid busbar.
Jon.
I like Toolstation but their range is a bit more limited.
In this case, I understand that the Clipsal range are not very good quality and should be avoided.
Not sure about the GE one they sell but my experience with Wylex has been good and MK are 'supposed' to be the premium brand, unless moving onto MEM etc.
What do others think? I've changed the subject to reflect.
Rob
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On Mon, 08 Nov 2004 12:29:30 +0000, Kalico strung together this:
Clipsal, small and awkward, look OK though. GE, easy to wire, decent amount of room but the MCB's never sit right on the din rail. Wylex, good quality but not laid out inside too cleverly, not one to be avoided though. Hager, reasonable, on a par with Wylex overall. Not as well made but better laid out. MEM, not too keen on those but they are decent quality. MK, plenty of space inside, well laid out. My personal preference out of the lot mentioned above, although I usually go for Hager on the price front.
Why does it need upgrading to MCBs ?? I have an old Wylex consumer unit containing wire fuses . All you need do is buy a stand alone RCD install it before the fuse box and hey presto ! your whole installation , no matter how old is protected. I am a retired spark and have lived in my house for 36 yrs and never felt the need to upgrade to MCBs and have never had to change a fuse even once !!so
A whole-house standalone RCD will NOT be compliant with 18th Edition regulations.
Assuming the house hasn't burnt down in the last 18 years.
Owain
Gosh a 17yo thread has popped back into life from the 16th edition!
Yes, an installation that was a fairly crap idea during the 15th edition of BS7671 (which is the last time that practice would have been considered acceptable). It can potentially results in lots of nuisance RCD trips, and offers *no* discrimination at all in the even of a earth leakage fault.
Nothing inherently wrong with fuses as such, but "re-wireable" BS3036 fuses have both usability and potential abuse issues. They also impose limitations on the rest of the installation (such as cable de-rating to
70% of nominal current) due to their higher fusing factor.
when we moved into this house in 1977, one room had its own CU - Wylex with wire fuses. I replaced them with MCB, about the same time as I fitted "whole house" RCD.
Yes well, I wonder when you reach the point where the complexity of the protection mechanisms makes the system so unreliable that its pointless going any further? Brian
Breakers are also abusable. Seen people turn one back on time after time after time when there was clearly a problem.
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