Consumer Unit Advice:

[23790954]

Hello to all you good forum members again.
I would like some advice on consumer units. I have read through many previous posts on the subject, but could not find an answer to my solution.
I purchased my bungalow some 25 years ago, and have lived in it ever since. I have decided to have an electric shower installed (DIY).
However I also would like to change the old fuse box, (wired fuses),
to a modern consumer unit. Having said that, I notice that there are dozens of different types and sizes of consumer units, and would like some kind electrician to advise me on the correct type to purchase.
Connecting to the Consumer Unit, would be;
the lighting circuit;
the circuit for the numerous house sockets;
a cooker connection;
a connection for my shed electrics, which needs strong power for Welder;
a connection for my electric shower.
If some kind person could advise me on type and size of Consumer Unit
required, it would be very much appreciated.
Many thanks.

 

[wingcoax]

THe kind person you need to speak to will be the electrician who does the job for you. This is beyond the ordinary diy job as well as being notifiable to the local building control dept.

 

[oharaf]

As already said, you need a sparky, in Yorkshire, who can do this for you, certify it and notify it.

NOT a DIY job.

There are plenty of GOOD sparks in Yorkshire crying out for work, you'll never get as good a price as you will now.

Find one of us at

www.competentperson.co.uk

 

[dunny123]

Sorry to be brusque but if you dont know the size and type then you should not contemplate DIY electrics. CU change is a big responsibility, are you confident you know what you are doing in order to prevent fire or shock hazards to your kids/family/self ?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Indeed. It would be irresponsible to try to encourage you to even think of embarking on this. There are a lot of things to consider, some are practical, some are safety, some are legal.

Per the above, this is not a DIY job, it is not just swopping the old for the new as you must bring the installation up to date. There may be larger considerations if the wiring is more than 25 years old and you can't learn what you must do on the internet!.

Firstly read this //www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:part_p:diy_electrical_work_and_the_law
You will find that if you do this work and do not comply with the legislation then you will have severe troubles selling your house at a later date. That's setting aside the safety aspects>

My advice is to identify a local qualified electrician at www.competentperson.co.uk and have him/her carry out a Periodic Inspection Report on your wiring.
This will identify what must/should be done (if anything) BEFORE the fuseboard is updated. He/she can also carry out the remedial works and sort out all of the tricky technical and legal issues.

 

[LittleDarkOne]

There are many different CU's available that will meet your needs. My personal preference would be a split load ( 2 x RCD's) 12 way CU. this will leave you with a couple of spare ways for future requirements. you can get a brand new one for about £50 supplied with 2 rcd's and 10 mcb's from the worlds favourite auction site! no names mentioned.

When you put it in just remember to balance the load as evenly as possible between each side and in such a way as to minimise inconvenience in the event of supply interruption to one side. i.e. have some lighting circuits on both sides, sockets on both sides etc.

They usually come with a couple of non-rcd protected ways for mains powered smoke alarms and a deep freeze socket.

But as per everyone else, if you're not sure... employ someone who is.

 

[flameport]

you can get a brand new one for about £50 supplied with 2 rcd's and 10 mcb's from the worlds favourite auction site! no names mentioned

You can, but why would anyone want to? At best it will be poorly made rubbish, at worst it could be a dangerous load of fake MCBs.

 

[23790954]

I do appreciate all your concerns, but I DO NOT intend fitting it myself.
I would prefer to purchase one myself, then get an electrician to fit it, thus avoiding any unnecessary extra cost by the electrician.
All I would like to know is, what type, size etc., of consumer unit would fit my needs. Many thanks again.

 

[RF Lighting]

My personal preference would be a split load ( 2 x RCD's) 12 way CU..

Really??

Given all the choice on the market, and all the different available configurations you could choose, a dual split would be your very favorite type, and what you would want to install in your own house?

 

[RF Lighting]

I do appreciate all your concerns, but I DO NOT intend fitting it myself.
I would prefer to purchase one myself, then get an electrician to fit it, thus avoiding any unnecessary extra cost by the electrician.
All I would like to know is, what type, size etc., of consumer unit would fit my needs. Many thanks again.

An electrician will buy his preffered brand at trade price. Most probably cheaper than you can get it for too.

He will be able to decide what size CU you need when he comes to look at the job, and decide if you just need a new CU, or if other work is required too.

Do NOT be tempted to buy one of the cheap CUs off eBay. Yes they are cheap, probably cheaper than the one your electrician will supply, but this is for a reason.

Thay are rubbish, badly build, and take far longer to install. You will be paying for this additional time, and be left with a bad job. False economy.

Also there is a risk that some of the parts may be fake, and not actually operate if there ever was a fault with the installation.

 

[flameport]

I would prefer to purchase one myself, then get an electrician to fit it, thus avoiding any unnecessary extra cost by the electrician.

Most (all?) electricians will not want to fit a consumer unit they have not supplied themselves.
Even if you find someone that will, you won't be making any savings.

Most of the cost of a CU change is the time taken to test/repair all of the circuits and upgrade protective bonding etc.

 

[sparkybird]

Hi there

You may find that your electrician charges you more for fitting a consumer unit that you have bought (I know I would). That's because we tend to stick with one preferred manufacturer (in my case, Wylex) as I then carry all the right mcb's, RCD, rcbo's etc. I also know my way around it and can fit it in good time.

Buying the cheapest CU may also backfire as they can be poorly designed and hard to find reasonably priced mcb's in the future.

Best to get an estimate for labour and materials from your electrician.

Hope this helps

SB

PS I never buy my CU's from places like Screwfix as they have a poor reputation for malfunctioning RCD's. I get mine from electrical wholesalers where I get a discount anyway.

 

[LittleDarkOne]

PS I never buy my CU's from places like Screwfix as they have a poor reputation for malfunctioning RCD's. I get mine from electrical wholesalers where I get a discount anyway.

No objection to the fact that fake/poor quality CU's are a waste of money but screwfix sell Wylex, MK, Crabtree and Volex. And there are several legitimate retailers on ebay who do sell genuine/quality products. but admittedly it does require some research into who you're buying from and what you're buying.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Volex, aahh now you are talking about quality