Are the Current Consumer Units that I have ok?

[mdbalson]

Hi, I have just moved into a new house, and i would like to know if the current Consumer Units are safe.

There are two Consumer Units, a modern 5 way MCB Consumer Unit with lever MCBs, and a older 5 or 8 way MCB Consumer Unit with push button MCBs.

So i was thinking is it best to get the older push button MCB Consumer Unit changed to a modern, Consumer Unit with lever MCBs, as some of the push buttons on some of the MCBs, have started to crack or break, as they are made of Porcelain or some thing like Porcelain.

Thanks

 

[didthathurt]

It is always very difficult to answer a Q like this without seeing the item itself. To that end a pic would help. Broadly, though, the converse of the adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is that if it is broke, do fix it. If anything in a CU is cracked or broken, then it should, IMHO be replaced. (And yes, I am hedging a bit cos I would want to inspect the CU fully before committing to an unequivocal answer). What manufacturer's kit are we talking about? Are you E or W Kent?

 

[plugwash]

in my experiance push button mcbs nearly always means wylex standard, you can get new breakers to fit theese boards but if the breaker buttons have degraded i'd be suspicious about the condition of the rest of the unit.

also your installation may well be lacking in the RCD (not to be confused with MCBs which are simply a modern replacement for fuses) department and this should ideally be dealt with too.

got a picture of this install?

 

[mdbalson]

I will post a picture of it, on Thursday.

I am in Chatham, Kent.

 

[didthathurt]

I'm not that far away and drive past Chatham regularly. If you do want someone to have a look, email me a contact number (click on my name and you'll see the link) and I'll arrange to drop by whilst I'm in that area. I can, at least, then, give you an idea of what needs doing.

 

[JohnD]

OOI, why have you got 2 CUs? Does one do storage heaters? Or was there an extension added?

BTW new Wylex Standard MCBs (if you pay retail) are about £8 each, so I would hesitate to splash out that much on mending an already old and outdated CU.

 

[mdbalson]

I think that there is 2 CCUs because there was an extension added on to the house.

I think that the newer CCU is for the extension, and has the Kitchen socket ring, and other rings, etc.

I will post up on Thursday, a list of what is on each CCU

 

[mdbalson]

The Older CCU has:

The Upstairs & Downstairs Power Rings

The Upstairs & Downstairs Lights

Two Sockets in the Kitchen & the Outside Socket


The Newer CCU has:

The Shed Power

The Kitchen Ring

The Cooker & Hob

And a RCD Mains Switch for the CCU

 

[securespark]

If your set-up had circuits requiring RCD protection on the newer board and circuits not requiring RCD protection on the other, that wouldn't be so bad.

As it is, I would consolidate the lot into one CU with RCBO's or a S/L board.

Get a spark to do a PIR then you will be fully in the picture.

 

[mdbalson]

The Upstairs & Downstairs Power Rings have a 30amp MCB

The Upstairs & Downstairs Lights have a 5amp MCB

Two Sockets in the Kitchen & the Outside Socket have a 20amp MCB



The Shed Power has a 16amp MCB

The Kitchen Ring has a 32amp MCB

The Cooker & Hob have 32amp MCB

 

[mdbalson]

The older CCU is a MEM, MEMERA 3

 

[JohnD]

Memera 3 is quite a good quality thing, the ones I have seen were metalclad, so not a cheap job, but if they are starting to break up it needs replacing. However it is long obsolete. the MCBs are not easy to come by, though there are some second-hand ones about.

I would suggest you think in terms of having a large new CU fitted. Most people would say a split-load (I prefer RCBOs but they usually work out expensive). Think about getting one big enough to fit all the house's circuits onto (with room to spare) even if, at this time, only the circuits from the old CU are being moved. A large one, with some blanks, is very little dearer than a small one that's full up - you are just paying for a slightly larger plastic box with some fresh air inside it.

As there are two CUs it would be best to have a 100A DP switch in the meter tails to the henleys so that there is a single Main switch that can isolate the entire installation in the house. the main earthing and supplementary bonding should be updated at the same time.

Changing a CU is not really a DIY job - even though you can pay the Building Inspectors to look at it, the circuit testing is quite complex and requires expensive testgear.

Start asking friends and neighbours for recommended local electricians,

 

[mdbalson]

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/mdbalson/P9070086.jpg

Picture of Both Consumer Units

 

[mdbalson]

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/mdbalson/P9070087.jpg

Picture of Older Consumer Unit

 

[mdbalson]

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u125/mdbalson/P9070088.jpg

Picture of Newer Consumer Unit