CU change long overdue (pics)

[bongos]

Got a spark coming on tuesday to replace my old rewirable fuseboard.

At the moment I have the entire house running off 4 fuses - 3 if you count the fact that the immersion heater isn't used.

There is also a separate 45A rewireable for the shower. This is wired in 6mm t+e with the supply end connected straight from a Henley block (i'm sure this must be fronwed upon). No RCD protection. Anywhere. A 45A rewireable must be reaching the limit for 6mm cable although it is a run of about 10 metres with no insulation involved.

The main bonding to the gas and water is undersized too. Not being an expert in such things i'm guessing it to be 4mm csa.

All lighting is running off one 6A breaker (although it is a small house). At a later date I will be getting the upstairs rewired on a separate breaker as it is wired in singles at the moment all over the place.

Not sure what faults they might find though as I recently opened up the boiler FCU to be confronted with this

I'll add the new CU pics next week.

 

[nozspark]

Sorry, with a CU change all the circuits that you connect to it must be safe. If your lighting is in singles then this should be rewired before it is connected up.

 

[RF Lighting]

It might be DI singles, which is not so much of a problem

 

[securespark]

That is truly amazing and worthy of inclusion in the DIYnot Electrics UK House Of Horrors!!

Just one thing, that earth wire in white sleeving should be connected, surely?

 

[securespark]

Please remove.

 

[Click-Sure]

Its not that uncommon, I see that sort of arrangement when doing the electrical side of Gas Central Heating system upgrades, was quite a common method back in the day. Not good though!

 

[bongos]

It might be DI singles, which is not so much of a problem

I believe it is DI. Although there is no earth on the upstairs ligting circuit which is another reason for it to be rewired. But for now, if it safe then it will have to wait. There are no metal fittings on this circuit for this reason.

Just one thing, that earth wire in white sleeving should be connected, surely?

I opened the FCU when I had a problem with my boiler a couple of months ago and reconnected the earth when I noticed it was no longer in its terminal. This FCU has another FCU connected from the load side which powers the alarm.

The FCU for the boiler has both zone valves connected, the feed and return for the stat & programmer as well as the pump and power for the boiler. All amongst this mess. Like I said earlier I think the sparks will be uncovering a whole host of dodgy wiring when they come on tuesday. I lifted a floorboard upstairs and discovered the usual mass of junction boxes you find between floors in an old property along with 2.5 t+e and 1.5 t+e in the same JB's. Should have taken some pics!

 

[GaryMo]

I believe it is DI. Although there is no earth on the upstairs ligting circuit which is another reason for it to be rewired. But for now, if it safe then it will have to wait. There are no metal fittings on this circuit for this reason.

Assume all switches are plastic?
What about the face fixing screws? Are these metal going into metal backboxes?

 

[bongos]

I believe it is DI. Although there is no earth on the upstairs ligting circuit which is another reason for it to be rewired. But for now, if it safe then it will have to wait. There are no metal fittings on this circuit for this reason.

Assume all switches are plastic?
What about the face fixing screws? Are these metal going into metal backboxes?

Sorry Gary. I didn't explain particularly well.

The switches are plastic yes. The 'backboxes' are actually plastic ones that you usually surface mount (I say usually because I haven't seen plastic surface mounted boxes sunk in walls before - they are not the drywall type). They stick out around 3/4mm. Nice.

But yes, the fixing screws are metal. I should have been a little clearer on my earlier post. There is actually an earth in the upstairs switches (which are more recent t+e) and all downstairs fittings/switches but there is not an earth at the upstairs fittings (wired in older singles). The whole house is on one lighting circuit and as I said I'm expecting the sparks may well uncover a host of DIY nasties.

 

[JohnD]

for central heating, you can get what they like to call a "wiring centre" but is really just a plastic box full of terminals, for a few pounds. The terminals are numbered according to common heating wiring conventions and are usually shown in the wiring diagrams provided with CH boilers, programmers, pumps, thermostats etc.

It gives room to do it all neatly without that complicated jumble crammed into your FCU box.