old consumer units need to be upgraded?

[alex2012]

Hi,
The consumer units in my house and my friend's seem quite old. I added the photos below. I'd be grateful if anyone could give me any comment on these consumer units? Do they need to be replaced to a modern 17version one. and how much it will generally cost for the replacement

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• alex2012
• 13 Apr 2012
• 1

It has six circuits in the main-switch plus another one for the shower (the white one on the left. But it seems no RCD or RCCB etc installed)

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• alex2012
• 13 Apr 2012
• 1

It seems the device in the bottom-right is RCCB for shower. The consumer unit is earthbonded to a pipe in the bottom-left. There are three fuse box on the main-switch at the top (one for 5A, one for 30A, I don't know what current the white one in the middle is for.) The white switch in the middel is for a ring-circuit in living room.

 

[securespark]

The tails feeding the RCCB are piggy backed off the one way Wylex unit and the RCCB-fed circuit does not appear to be fused down.

Other tails are undersized and rubber/fabric insulated. The brown Wylex CU has no fuse cover nor a fuse in the empty fuse shield.

There are IP breaches galore & CU lid fixing screws missing from the elderly Crabtree CU.

Oh, and is the CU with the screws missing in an external cabinet?

GET AN EICR ASAP!!

 

[Steve]

I'd get it all replaced and definitely get a periodic report done (£120-200). To replace the top arrangement with 17th ed board, provided no complications, £250-350. Northern prices. The bottom setup will be more work, probably nearer £500. Dont forget old circuits can cause issues when moved onto new, sensitive protective equipment and you should budget for any investigative work to fix this too.

 

[alex2012]

Thank you very much. Sorry for late reply. very busy day.
I added several more photos of my friends consumer unit. it seems his is very old and looks very dangererous. His house was built around 1900s. Is my consumer unit ok? the house was built around 1970s. i don't see earthbonding and RCD etc at all.

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• alex2012
• 14 Apr 2012
• 1

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• alex2012
• 14 Apr 2012
• 1

Untitled

• alex2012
• 14 Apr 2012
• 1

The tails feeding the RCCB are piggy backed off the one way Wylex unit and the RCCB-fed circuit does not appear to be fused down.

Other tails are undersized and rubber/fabric insulated. The brown Wylex CU has no fuse cover nor a fuse in the empty fuse shield.

There are IP breaches galore & CU lid fixing screws missing from the elderly Crabtree CU.

Oh, and is the CU with the screws missing in an external cabinet?

GET AN EICR ASAP!!

I'd get it all replaced and definitely get a periodic report done (£120-200). To replace the top arrangement with 17th ed board, provided no complications, £250-350. Northern prices. The bottom setup will be more work, probably nearer £500. Dont forget old circuits can cause issues when moved onto new, sensitive protective equipment and you should budget for any investigative work to fix this too.

 

[ericmark]

There is not requirement to up-grade to latest edition of BS7671 (16th or 17th Edition) but should you want any additions then they will need to be to BS7671:2008 Amendment I.

So to have something simple like one extra socket will cost well over normal price as special cable and RCD sockets would need to be used.

So in real terms to up-grade makes sense and will mean it will be easier to add anything required. And also there will be added safety of having RCD protection.

Back in 1990 my house was the same and I considered fitting RCD protection and my father-in-law rightly pointed out if I didn't and one of my children were injured then I would not forgive myself so two RCD's covering whole house were added well before any regulation said it should be done.

With my son becoming a licensed HAM and then becoming an electrician with all the experiments involved likely it did save him injury as he did manage to trip the RCD's from time to time.

However my father-in-law still has no RCD protection and has no intention of adding it. He's now in his 80's but all male family are electricians so he would not have to DIY.

My advice is forget the regulations and instead consider your family. If anyone is likely to do any DIY in the house even just putting up the odd shelf then up-grading would be a good idea. The worst shock I got was not working as an electrician but installing a water supply to my fridge freezer and cutting though some horizontal cables I did not know existed.

What you do need to do is consider how to up-grade. There are two basic ways. The twin RCD or the RCBO method. Both have plus and minus points. With twin RCD's you will likely know if they trip but with RCBO's one can trip and you could be unaware for some time. However RCBO's are less likely to trip without cause.

There is also the quality of the RCD. Mine are cheap and a good electric storm can trip them. With the modern types like the X-Pole the false tripping is less likely and there are even auto resetting types. But at £350 each and you need at least 2 not something I would fit in a domestic premises.

Personally if I was re-doing mine today I would use RCBO's but since already on twin RCD more likely I will up-grade to X-Pole to reduce tripping in electric storms.

 

[alex2012]

Thank you very much indeed.
I guess my friend will find an electrician to update the CU or even rewire if necessary within weeks.

There is not requirement to up-grade to latest edition of BS7671 (16th or 17th Edition) but should you want any additions then they will need to be to BS7671:2008 Amendment I.

So to have something simple like one extra socket will cost well over normal price as special cable and RCD sockets would need to be used.

So in real terms to up-grade makes sense and will mean it will be easier to add anything required. And also there will be added safety of having RCD protection.

Back in 1990 my house was the same and I considered fitting RCD protection and my father-in-law rightly pointed out if I didn't and one of my children were injured then I would not forgive myself so two RCD's covering whole house were added well before any regulation said it should be done.

With my son becoming a licensed HAM and then becoming an electrician with all the experiments involved likely it did save him injury as he did manage to trip the RCD's from time to time.

However my father-in-law still has no RCD protection and has no intention of adding it. He's now in his 80's but all male family are electricians so he would not have to DIY.

My advice is forget the regulations and instead consider your family. If anyone is likely to do any DIY in the house even just putting up the odd shelf then up-grading would be a good idea. The worst shock I got was not working as an electrician but installing a water supply to my fridge freezer and cutting though some horizontal cables I did not know existed.

What you do need to do is consider how to up-grade. There are two basic ways. The twin RCD or the RCBO method. Both have plus and minus points. With twin RCD's you will likely know if they trip but with RCBO's one can trip and you could be unaware for some time. However RCBO's are less likely to trip without cause.

There is also the quality of the RCD. Mine are cheap and a good electric storm can trip them. With the modern types like the X-Pole the false tripping is less likely and there are even auto resetting types. But at £350 each and you need at least 2 not something I would fit in a domestic premises.

Personally if I was re-doing mine today I would use RCBO's but since already on twin RCD more likely I will up-grade to X-Pole to reduce tripping in electric storms.

 

[Steve]

Not within weeks, just factor it into decisions such as decorating. Do the electrical work first.

And stop quoting, use the reply button.