Moving meter and switchboards to loft

[vexille]

My meter and switchboards are in the hallway, with wiring running above into the loft.

I am replacing the asbestos walls and ceiling in the hallway with plasterboard.

Just want to know if it is ok to move everything into the loft? I don't need to disconnect any of the cables, just simply to place them on a board in the loft for now.

It's a timber framed bungalow. What would be the way to keep the meter and switchboards in the loft on a more long term basis? Like fitting a cabinet there or something?

Is there any regulation against having these there rather than the ground floor?

 

[ricicle]

I hope you are not trying to move a LIVE supply cable about (and all the others for that matter)
The results could be at best inconvenient.

 

[vexille]

I am removing the asbestos ceiling there, so it should be fairly easy to just move the wooden boards everything sits on through the ceiling and fit plasterboard there.

It is too unsightly to have it in the hallway, with all the wiring sticking through the ceiling.

Untitled

• vexille
• 26 Apr 2012
• 1

 

[ricicle]

Three issues:-

1)The dangers associated with moving a live supply cable

2)Accessibility of your consumer unit(s) when in the loft

3)Accessibilty of the meter company's equipment when in the loft.

 

[stillp]

And another issue is the Control of Asbestos Regulations. Are you a licensed asbestos removal contractor?

 

[Chri5]

What are the two balloon like black blobs upper LHS?

The meter reader needs easy access, you wont be able to move the head or the meter or the back henley box that sits between meter and the boards.

The boards need access, a light pops and you shouldn't be climbing in to lofts and scabbling around in the dark to reset a mcb / rcd.

Judging by the boards age, you could do with a fuse board / cu update in to 1 x tidy unit.

Maybe a countersunk flush fiiting unit would tidy up that area (subject to what the RHS wall is (material, thickness, load etc).

I would resign your self to having most kit there, be it must tidying with a new board, some 3" trunking to take care of the main cables and a new CU.

After that has all been done the boxing in profile would be much more discrete.

 

[sparkwright]

Moving the meter could prove an expensive nightmare.

Can you leave the meter where it is, and move the consumer unit so it's on the same wall? Then the cupboard would be less obtrusive.

You don't fit meters and consumer units in lofts.

If you really want it out of the way, the modern and neatest way is have the meter installed in a kiosk on the wall outside, and the consumer unit the other side inside. If the consumer unit is quite low down it can go in a nice low level cupboard in a corner.

 

[Taylortwocities]

You cannot put the fuseboard in the loft. It has to be accessible in the event of a fault.
Imagine, the lighting fuse goes. You have to get a torch, and get up into the loft, in the pitch dark, to locate the fuseboard. Then you'll remember that you need a screwdriver and some fusewire so you have to clamber down the ladder in the pitch dark, find the screwdriver and grope your way back up into the loft to fix teh fault.

OK, so you are 25 and it isn't a problem.

Now, consider this, you go away for a few days and a fuse blows. The person who has to fix the fuse is your wife who is expecting her baby in 3 weeks time.

Or.
You say that it is a bungalow. Very popular with older people. You sell the house to a 70-year old widow. A fuse goes. How is she going to fix it?

Oh, and on a purely fiscal note. Even if the electricity supply company were to agree to move their fuse and meter into the loft (they wont as the meter man isn't going to clamber up there) it will cost you around a grand just to move their bit. Then there's moving the fuseboard. Looks like it needs upgrading. Thats another £300.

Time to get real,..