Consumer Unit

[BlueMoonMole]

I know its cliche for a regular poster (and registered Tradesman (GAS)) to be asking, but...

What's a typical price to pay, to have a Consumer Unit replaced?

The one in my property is the 'old style' apparently, as a fuse blew the other day and I went to get one...

It's a 230v 30A fuse, and looks like a 3A fuses bigger brother.

Basically, I'm wondering if its worth replacing the existing unit or not, so an idea of a cost would be great!

Incase it makes any difference, I'm based in Manchester, North-West England.

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

It depends on a number of variables, none of which can be seen by people reading this, but just as an idea:-

pk of 10 fuses = about £2

new Board, correctly tested = £300 to £500 (ish)

Have you had many fuses pop?

 

[sparkticus]

I would concur that £300 - £500 is the typical range but I would add that it would be more than wise to have a Periodic Inspection Report (PIR) done first. Yes that will add to the cost but you will then know what needs to be done and what it will cost.

A new consumer unit fitted to an older installation without a prior detailed inspection is asking for trouble. Many professional electricians will insist on the PIR first.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

If it's just a case of a newly blown fuse being replaced.
It's a case of "if it ain't broke don't fix it". Nothing wrong with the old boards, may not be that convenient when the fuse goes and you need to replace it in the dark, rather than resetting the MCB.
But like mentioned above "every job is at least a little bit different", sometime a hell of a lot different. So variable's need to be factored in to getting your price right.
Things like;
How old is the wiring?
How accessible is the fuse box?
How many circuits are on it?
Any alterations been made, that could cause problems?
Is the earthing arrangement in place?
Has the mains bonding been done?
All common issues.
You would need a PIR (periodic inspection report) doing on your system prior to replacing the fuse box. Anyone who does not, is a fool!
It's much like an organ transplant, checks need to be made to assure there are going to be no problems at a later date.
Also you would want to have a check for earth leakage, as the new 17th edition boards come fitted with RCDs and they are sensitive to earth leakage, this could lead to nuisance tripping or even no power at all.
But a straight swap including PIR and earth leakage test on a non problematic existing installation.
Could well be as stated anything between £300-500!
If it's a case that your fuses are going quite often, you have a fault that needs rectifying first.

 

[kai]

If your old board is a Wylex, you can buy replacement Wylex breakers that fit in place of the fuse (handy for lighting circuits) as the failing lamps tend to blow the fuse or trip the breaker in the consumer unit.

They can make financial sense, as a replacement breaker can be had for under a tenner, whilst replacement five amp consumer unit fuses cost around two quid each from B&Q or electrical wholesalers.

 

[RF Lighting]

You could also throw your money down the drain.

Fitting plug in circuit breakers is a waste of time and money.

If you've got something which is regularly blowing fuses then you really ought to find out and resolve what's causing the fuse to blow.

Circuit breakers are more prone to tripping than fuses are to blowing by normal spikes etc on your circuits such as a failing lamp.

You will be better off saving towards a replacement CU rather than spending money on plug in circuit breakers which will get binned when you finally replace the CU anyway.

 

[flameport]

If your old board is a Wylex, you can buy replacement Wylex breakers that fit in place of the fuse (handy for lighting circuits) as the failing lamps tend to blow the fuse or trip the breaker in the consumer unit.

Those plug in breakers should be discontinued by the manufacturers, as people who fit and buy them generally think they are somehow improving the safety of their home, when in reality they are not improving anything.
They are also fitted for convenience where fuses blow often, which just means whatever faults are causing the blown fuses are not investigated or repaired.