Consumer Unit upgrade without rewire?

[dpm_dpmartin]

Good evening,

I have a rental property where there is a Memera 2000 Consumer Unit installed. The house was built in 1990 so the setup can't be ancient, but the wiring for lights is black and red, for example. I don't want to go to the expense of a rewire but I'd like to employ someone to upgrade the Consumer Unit as, I found out, part of the - plastic - flip-down cover now appears to be broken. Is it perfectly acceptable to want that or would I end up being 'strongly recommended' to go the whole hog?

There's nothing awry with the electrics. Everything is working fine.

 

[Iggifer]

Board changes happen all the time, often on older installations than yours.

Red and black is right for 1990 so no worries

Get three quotes and pick the middle one

 

[sparkwright]

There should be no reason to rewire a house built in 1990 - assuming it's been done properly.

It would be worth checking the wiring though, in case there are any faults.

It should also be checked that services like gas and water are correctly bonded.

But broadly speaking a rewire should not be necessary.

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

Thanks. I wanted the confidence to say so just in case someone tried to tell me the colours needed upgrading!

 

[Iggifer]

No, not necessary. Will need a sticker if there's blue and brown and red and black, but no need to rewire. Unless of course there are issues. But, a Memera 2000 may well have an RCD in it anyway? Not all of them did, but you may have at least one. They were Brilliant boards. Shame nobody really fits Eaton now (Eaton took over MEM)

 

[securespark]

They were Brilliant boards.

But pigs if you needed to swap out a faulty RCD....

 

[Iggifer]

They were Brilliant boards.

But pigs if you needed to swap out a faulty RCD....

Did like the sliding terminal covers though. Very swish

 

[chivers67]

Could you buy another board that's the same and replace the cover yourself?

 

[PBC_1966]

The new brown/blue cables didn't even become generally available in the U.K. until sometime around 2003/2004.

 

[Iggifer]

Could you buy another board that's the same and replace the cover yourself?

You could, if you can find one. There's only a couple of the right vintage on eBay, and I don't know how many ways the OP is, so might not even be the right ones.

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

It's worth considering, certainly.

 

[Jackrae]

No, not necessary. Will need a sticker if there's blue and brown and red and black,

Regulations aside - but stating the bleedin obvious seems like the application or use of a brain and common sense no longer applies.

 

[dpm_dpmartin]

My suspicion is that this would do me nicely...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MEM-Memer...934164?hash=item5b20993014:g:sMAAAOSwDuJWxzvA

...it'd be nice if there was a second picture with the flap down, then I'd be able to see better (as I'm no expert). Maybe worth a punt.

Damn - there is, further down the listing.

And I don't think it's a match, as the cover flap 'flaps' sideways, not down.

This looks like the one I'm talking about...

http://www.diynot.com/diy/media/memera-2000.19070/full

 

[davelx]

No, not necessary. Will need a sticker if there's blue and brown and red and black, but no need to rewire. Unless of course there are issues. But, a Memera 2000 may well have an RCD in it anyway? Not all of them did, but you may have at least one. They were Brilliant boards. Shame nobody really fits Eaton now (Eaton took over MEM)

They still are, and I did (see avatar)

 

[Iggifer]

No, not necessary. Will need a sticker if there's blue and brown and red and black, but no need to rewire. Unless of course there are issues. But, a Memera 2000 may well have an RCD in it anyway? Not all of them did, but you may have at least one. They were Brilliant boards. Shame nobody really fits Eaton now (Eaton took over MEM)

They still are, and I did (see avatar)

Yea I put one in for my parents a few years ago. All RCBO. Love it. Jealous of it to be fair