how much to replace a consumer unit

[riveralt]

re it being safe. no checks were made , he just said it was old CU and needed updating and he would do it for 200 plus cost of new unit. He is part p reg so presumably knows what he is doing

I would take it at that price. Just make sure it includes any issues that may arise following the installation. Get that in writing. If he doesn't give you it writing then he is in breach of the law and the rules of his competent persons scheme.
If he is willing to take the job on without any prior checking of the circuits then the risk falls on him to ensure everything is up to current testing standard. I would never ever change a board without completing an EICR.
If he says he is 'part p' whatever that means check that he is registered with a competent persons scheme something like NAPIT or NICIEC or several of the others here:
http://www.competentperson.co.uk/

 

[ban-all-sheds]

re it being safe. no checks were made

So you have no reason to think it IS safe....,

He is part p reg so presumably knows what he is doing

Sadly no - he may never have changed a CU before.

 

[andrew17]

he just said it was old CU and needed updating and he would do it for 200 plus cost of new unit.

Sounds like an incompetant chancer to me trying to get himself work.
Replacing a CU is a good idea if other major-ish works are being carried to enable compliance with regulations but as a stand alone job it is virtually pointless without checking the rest of the installation.
An analogy would be fitting a brand new ABS control module to improve safety/modernise on a car with rusty brake lines, worn pads and discs that hadn't been checked.

ok thank you for that comment, it might be the case. He is doing other work for me , like fitting my kitchen ! So he needed a peep at my CU because hes got to do some electric work in the installation

 

[andrew17]

re it being safe. no checks were made

So you have no reason to think it IS safe....,

He is part p reg so presumably knows what he is doing

Sadly no - he may never have changed a CU before.

Crickey , youre a barrel of laughs . chill man !

 

[ban-all-sheds]

So he's a kitchen fitter, not an electrician.

If you knew how little someone like that has to know, and show that he knows, in order to register with a Competent Person scheme you'd not let him anywhere near the job of replacing a CU.

 

[andrew17]

re it being safe. no checks were made , he just said it was old CU and needed updating and he would do it for 200 plus cost of new unit. He is part p reg so presumably knows what he is doing

I would take it at that price. Just make sure it includes any issues that may arise following the installation. Get that in writing. If he doesn't give you it writing then he is in breach of the law and the rules of his competent persons scheme.
If he is willing to take the job on without any prior checking of the circuits then the risk falls on him to ensure everything is up to current testing standard. I would never ever change a board without completing an EICR.
If he says he is 'part p' whatever that means check that he is registered with a competent persons scheme something like NAPIT or NICIEC or several of the others here:
http://www.competentperson.co.uk/[/QUOTE]

Thank you for the advice. i will do that.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Andrew, I can assure you that this is absolutely true:

Sadly no - he may never have changed a CU before.

 

[andrew17]

Is part p the newish regs in place and means he can sign it off , or not ?

Someone said on here part p whatever that means ??
he is gas and electric part p and cis registered whatever that is ? plus c and g and nvq . i think he is competent even if some of you think he isnt .

You tradesmen ( not all of you ) make me laugh . You are always sniping each other or even other trades you are not connected to.Everyone is a cowboy except you .

 

[andrew17]

So he's a kitchen fitter, not an electrician.

If you knew how little someone like that has to know, and show that he knows, in order to register with a Competent Person scheme you'd not let him anywhere near the job of replacing a CU.

Oh dear , now youve got me thinking ! When i see him next I will probe him a bit about his electrical cv

 

[EFLImpudence]

i know you have expenses but so do plumbers decorators carpenters and i thought maybe wrongly that plumbers might charge 250 a day ( a day not on hourly rates) a decorator maybe 120 and a chippy 150 with an elecrtrician at about 150 aswell . If its half a days work then 200 is alot or not ?

I am genuinely interested in why you think it acceptable for plumbers to charge such a lot more than any other trade.
Are a plumber's expenses more than any other trade's?

I will assume it is because they work with gas and you think that is dangerous - unlike electricity which, it would seem, nearly everyone can easily fiddle with.

Regarding the 'acceptable' daily plumbers rate of £250, would you explain to me, following your logic, why solicitor's charge this per hour?
Also, why estate agents charge a percentage of the value of your property even if it is sold to the first person to view.

Do you complain or, more to the point, do anything about these grossly inflated charges?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Some trades (plumbers, etc) can be what is known as 'limited/defined scope' with respect to notifying that works comply with Building Regulations Part P.

Under Defined Scope schemes, registered and suitably electrically qualified trades (eg gas fitters, kitchen or bathroom fitters and alarm installers) can carry out certain electrical works in association with their core trade.

So, a plumber could add a fused spur in a kitchen to power a boiler that he is installing.

Defined/limited scope does not allow that person to do more complex tasks like add new circuits, change consumer units etc.

 

[andrew17]

i know you have expenses but so do plumbers decorators carpenters and i thought maybe wrongly that plumbers might charge 250 a day ( a day not on hourly rates) a decorator maybe 120 and a chippy 150 with an elecrtrician at about 150 aswell . If its half a days work then 200 is alot or not ?

I am genuinely interested in why you think it acceptable for plumbers to charge such a lot more than any other trade.
Are a plumber's expenses more than any other trade's?

I will assume it is because they work with gas and you think that is dangerous - unlike electricity which, it would seem, nearly everyone can easily fiddle with.

Regarding the 'acceptable' daily plumbers rate of £250, would you explain to me, following your logic, why solicitor's charge this per hour?
Also, why estate agents charge a percentage of the value of your property even if it is sold to the first person to view.

Do you complain or, more to the point, do anything about these grossly inflated charges?

its callled a market rate. if you want trade you price accordingly. I think 90% of the general public think plumbers charge morwe than other trades and they do . mAYBE THEIR training is longer etc . Its nothing to do with gas. Plumbing is water to most people. what do you think the going rate is for the trades i mentioned ? a solicitor trains for 4 years before he basically gets paid a bean. uni students get more than school leavers etc

 

[EFLImpudence]

Is part p the newish regs in place and means he can sign it off , or not ?

The two were introduced at the same time but are not related.

Someone said on here part p whatever that means ??

Part P of the Building Regulations merely states that electrical work shall be done safely.

he is gas and electric part p and cis registered whatever that is ? plus c and g and nvq . i think he is competent even if some of you think he isnt .

Surely worth £250 per day, then.

You tradesmen ( not all of you ) make me laugh . You are always sniping each other or even other trades you are not connected to.Everyone is a cowboy except you .

There may be some truth in that.
However, when stating that your CU should be changed for spurious reasons - may be your misinterpretation - then queries are going to be raised as to his competence and/or honesty.

 

[EFLImpudence]

its callled a market rate.

Well?

if you want trade you price accordingly. I think 90% of the general public think plumbers charge morwe than other trades and they do . mAYBE THEIR training is longer etc .

Nope.

Its nothing to do with gas. Plumbing is water to most people. what do you think the going rate is for the trades i mentioned ?

If it's market forces then whatever you can get.
I just don't see why you think there should be a difference.

a solicitor trains for 4 years before he basically gets paid a bean.

Electricians used to train for longer than that.

Why do solicitors get more than doctors, then.

uni students get more than school leavers etc

That's presumably because they do more knowledgeable jobs.
A trade training of three or four years should warrant the same rate, then.

There are numerous flaws in your argument which bear little with reality.
I note that you did not comment on estate agents.

 

[andrew17]

its callled a market rate.

Well?

if you want trade you price accordingly. I think 90% of the general public think plumbers charge morwe than other trades and they do . mAYBE THEIR training is longer etc .

Nope.

Its nothing to do with gas. Plumbing is water to most people. what do you think the going rate is for the trades i mentioned ?

If it's market forces then whatever you can get.
I just don't see why you think there should be a difference.

a solicitor trains for 4 years before he basically gets paid a bean.

Electricians used to train for longer than that.

Why do solicitors get more than doctors, then.

uni students get more than school leavers etc

That's presumably because they do more knowledgeable jobs.
A trade training of three or four years should warrant the same rate, then.

There are numerous flaws in your argument which bear little with reality.
I note that you did not comment on estate agents.

I dont want an arguement over basically nowt.
plumbers charge more than painters electricians carpenters -fact . If you are an electrician and you dont like that fact its not my fault. maybe there are less plumbers about or more work to do than for electricians . Do i think plumbers charge too much --yyes in alot of cases