fuseboard question

[johnboy111]

Hi all,

Hoping somebody can help - my parents have had some work done on lighting and the electrician mentioned that the current fuse board (It's a wooden backing) needs replacing to meet up with current regs and also that any insurance would probably be invalid due to this.

Is this correct ? And if so, any idea what the going rate would be for this kind of work and what would it involve ?

Any advice gratefully received, thanks

 

[electronicsuk]

Hi all,

Hoping somebody can help - my parents have had some work done on lighting and the electrician mentioned that the current fuse board (It's a wooden backing) needs replacing to meet up with current regs and also that any insurance would probably be invalid due to this.

Is this correct ? And if so, any idea what the going rate would be for this kind of work and what would it involve ?

Whether or not your insurance would be invalidated would depend on your insurer's terms. It certainly sounds as if the consumer unit and perhaps entire installation may be well overdue replacement. However, the regs aren't retrospective, so unless work carried out on other circuits makes the replacement necessary to allow new/modified circuits to comply, there is certainly no impetus on you to replace it for anything other then safety and your own peace of mind.

 

[johnboy111]

Thanks for the reply - I've passed it along

 

[sherman0251]

I have my own company and we would charge around about the £300-£350 to change the CU and do a full inspect and test.

Based on a 3 bed semi with garage!

 

[flameport]

any idea what the going rate would be for this kind of work and what would it involve ?

It involves:
Testing the earth connection provided by the electricity supplier, or testing the earth rod if you have one. If the supplier earth is faulty, they will have to be contacted to arrange repair. If the earth rod is defective, one or more new rods will need to be installed.

A full inspection and test of all the existing circuits, and then repairing or replacing anything which is damaged or defective.

Installing main protective bonding to the gas, water and any other metallic services which enter the property. (Although you may have this already, it is very likely this will be undersized)

Removing the old fuseboard and installing the new one, this may also involve extending the cables if they are not long enough to fit into the new board.

Final tests on the new board and circuits to confirm it is all installed correctly.

When completed, you should receive an electrical installation certificate with details of all of the circuits and the test results. It will usually be several pages.
You should also get another certificate from the approved persons scheme that the electrician is a member of, this confirms that the installation complies with building regulations.
If the person doing the work is NOT a member of any competent persons scheme, the work will have to be notified to Building Control and the appropriate fee paid before any of the work is started.

Cost - several hundred pounds at least. If the existing installation requires repairs or partial replacement, it can easily be a lot more.

 

[RF Lighting]

I have my own company and we would charge around about the £300-£350 to change the CU and do a full inspect and test.

Based on a 3 bed semi with garage!

Does that include upgrading the tails and MEBs, and repairing the borrowed neutral on the landing light?

And rewiring the immersion heater circuit wired in VIR cable?

And tracking down and repairing the open circuit live leg on the downstairs ring?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

repairing the borrowed neutral on the landing light?

Don't - I've been putting off replacing my landing light because of that.

The thing is though it's shagged, and Mrs Sheds isn't going to put up with a portable halogen floodlight clipped to the top of one of the doors for much longer...

 

[scousespark]

repairing the borrowed neutral on the landing light?

Don't - I've been putting off replacing my landing light because of that.

The thing is though it's s*****d, and Mrs Sheds isn't going to put up with a portable halogen floodlight clipped to the top of one of the doors for much longer...

If you take a break from coming on here telling us how to be electricians, you could get your hands dirty and sort it before the clocks change and you lose a few hours daylight.

I am taking the mickey here BAS

 

[ban-all-sheds]

ha ha

It's complicated by the fact that it has been decreed that the light is in the wrong place, so a new one involves cutting a new hole and patching the old one.

And the cutting, patching and sorting the borrowed neutral will mean lifting the boarding in the loft, and the sheets are large, and covered with stuff....

 

[londonboy]

mean lifting the boarding in the loft, and the sheets are large,

ahhh the circular saw

 

[comms]

mean lifting the boarding in the loft, and the sheets are large,

ahhh the circular saw

Oooh even better
the armeg board cutter & filler cover or the fein.

 

[Chri5]

repairing the borrowed neutral on the landing light?

Don't - I've been putting off replacing my landing light because of that.

The thing is though it's s*****d, and Mrs Sheds isn't going to put up with a portable halogen floodlight clipped to the top of one of the doors for much longer...

My grd / 1st floor lights are on the same mcb

kin shared neutral

The hall will need a nice chase up the wall, behind picture rail and then behind 1909 6" curved cove, then there's lifting the up hall carpet, hardboard etc. So it's on hold awaiting redecoration orders 2010.

A full down stairs and upstairs hall redec for 1 wire- about 5 days work

 

[londonboy]

ehind picture rail and then behind 1909 6" curved cove

Can you not chase upto coving then drill a 12mm hole at a 45 degree angle towards the next room??

 

[sherman0251]

OK Mrs smith asks for her Cu to be changed, I price to swap board, test and inspect all circuits, upgrade main earth and upgrade earthing to Gas and Water.
What happens in this instance....the board has been changed and in the process of testing lighting find that theres crossed polarity on a circuit, the home owner has done a bit DIY and ran a length of 2.5mm T+E down the garden fence to a shed for some sockets, I could go on?? should there be a full inspection of installation before price is given to replace CU??

Repairing all these faults will soon had hundreds to the price of a CU replacement!

 

[flameport]

The hall will need a nice chase up the wall, behind picture rail and then behind 1909 6" curved cove, then there's lifting the up hall carpet, hardboard etc.

Possibly.

Depending where the CU is, it might be easier to run a new feed from there to the loft, and split the lighting so the landing stays on the downstairs circuit and the other upstairs rooms are on the new one.
Or the reverse, with a new feed installed for the downstairs lights.

Or put all the lights on one RCBO. It's not compulsory to have an upstairs/downstairs split.