Advice about electrics in front of CU [with photo]

[ted209]

Hello,

We're redecorating our living room, and have just taken out the cupboard which housed where the mains electricity enters the house and where the CU is.

The current installation:

As you can see, it is a work of great beauty. Unfortunately the previous owner only replastered up to the old cupboard and the plank of wood where the "Seeboard" main fuse is mounted is not properly secured.

I had the meter replaced (twice actually, they replaced the old radio teleswitch with a meter which clicked irritatingly ever few minutes, so I got them back to put in a quiet digital one!). But I could not convince the installer to put the meter anywhere else.


Ideally, we'd like the whole thing tidied up on one wall (the left one) and lowered by 6 inches, so we can rebuild a cupboard around it.

My questions:
1) Can I get an electrician to do the job, or do I need to contact my electricity supplier to arrange work on pre-CU electrics?
2) My fear is that an electrician will come round and tell me everything needs replacing for some huge price, when actually it doesn't. Have you any comments on this?

I don't want to spend hundreds on this job if I don't have to (I can just leave it and build a bigger cupboard!), but if it would benefit from reinstallation (with a RCD), then I can accept that.

Thanks,

Ed

 

[Steve]

If an electrician were to do any work here, he'd be affecting every circuit, therefore every circuit becomes his responsibility, and he wouldn't be able to leave without fitting a 30mA RCD on the socket circuits.

What is inside that black box above the meter? Is it just a junction box? (You can open it, this belongs to you)

If that board where the service fuse is fixed to is loose, phone your supplier and tell them you think its dangerous. Dont call it pre-CU, i thought you meant before CUs had been invented

The problem you'll have is that obselete wylex consumer unit is quite small compared to todays newer consumer units. They are a lot wider, you may find it fouls the main service cable to the left.

So when the electric co come to repair the fuse back board, make the guys lots of cuppas and ask them nicely to move the meter and fuse onto one board. Sometimes a cash incentive works, but you didnt hear it here.

Any decent electrician will want to replace that old consumer unit. Sorry.

 

[Chri5]

The 6w wylex unit is 272mm and a 9w wylex split board is 290mm, you might be lucky and just squeeze it in.

Retaining the same area should allow all the cables to be re termination on a new CU without problems. Dropping the CU down to the skirting edge means a heap of crimping or some re-runs or simple links (if the black box is a termination box of some sort)

Bonding 10mm earths for gas and water will need to be run.

Then a full test, certification etc.

Not sure why the tails from head to CU look bigger than the tails from meter to henley block. The DNO / District network operator / supplier will have to fix the board, once done the henley block will look like the titanic and if that's being straightened out the meter might as well be sorted at the same time.

So what is the black box?

 

[ted209]

Thanks for the reply.

I don't mind getting a modern CU installed, I just didn't want to if I didn't need one. It's just reassuring to hear it from someone without money to make!

I believe that black box is just a junction box, I will check when I get a chance. Perhaps I can buy a modern smaller one.

I guess first I'll get an electrician round to replace the CU (perhaps that can go on the right wall). Then hopefully I can persuade the electric company to move the main fuse board down six inches.

Thanks again, I really appreciate your advice!

Ed

 

[ted209]

Looks like the black box is a junction box:

Seems a bit big for what it is. Hopefully there is a smaller modern equivalent.
Chri5, I didn't quite understand what you meant about the Henley block - is there a smaller type? (actually I don't know what the Henley block does).

Ed

 

[Adam_151]

Give seeboard a call, tell them that their metering equipment mounting board is in a state of disprepair and when they come out and refix/replace it, tell them you'd also like the meter moving back over to the same board as the service head, when you phone up ask about an isolator switch as well

 

[Cremeegg]

The Henley is the small black box above the Wylex consumer unit that takes the main supply from the meter to the consumer unit.

Agree with others - get the DNO to move the main head and meter to where ever you want them so a sparks can sort out the rest. Doesn't look too pretty and the more I look at the big black junction box the more I think there may be more horror stories elsewhere.

 

[Steve]

the more I look at the big black junction box the more I think there may be more horror stories elsewhere.

not nessecarily - i have a feeling it is only here because the consumer unit was moved down sometime in the past and the cables all needed extending.

 

[streetlighter]

Looks like the main going into the Seeboard cutout is a splitcon, Would be easy to move that henly cutout down the wall if thats the case. Of course im not recommending you touch the DNOs equiptment but i know what id be doing.

 

[kai]

Is that a PME - TNCS system you have there?
The service fuse block looks very much like one of those.

 

[securespark]

Could be either. Only real way to tell is to gauge whether the cable is split-con (TN-S, fatter than equivalent straight-con) or straight con (TN-C-S).

Or open up the cut-out to see whether N & E terminals are linked....DON'T TRY THIS!