New consumer units help!!!!

[maxkd]

HI guys need a bit of advice from any sparkies out there!

Question: I have 2 old fuse boards side by side,1 is economy 7 i believe.
I had a spark look at it and quoted £500 to replace,which is better than the £2000 the s.e.board quoted!!

Now is it ok 2 replace the 2 fuseboards with 1 new large c.unit using a split board? as this is what the sparky said he would do,or do i need to still have 2 fuse boards?The idea seemed ok to me as he explained it but i just wanted to ask you guys to make sure!!

Any advice much appreciated!

 

[sparkydude]

depends on what sort of Economy seven you have, some have two sets of separate meter tails one for on and one off peak supplies, and others use a dual tariff meter with one set of tails and a teleswitch to change it over. he could install a board with two main switches in it and an RCD so you would effectiveley have a split load board and an off peak board in the same enclosure. His price sounds a bit low to me, is this including a full test and report on the house wiring ,as if carrying out a board change this should also be done and a certificate issued for it.

Nick

 

[maxkd]

Thanks for you reply nick,to me it looks like there are 2 main feeds one to each existing fuse board,he said the new C.Unit will have 2 independant mains switches so basically making 2 boards out of one unit is what he said.Im not sure of the certificate i shall clarify this with him,he seems to be genuine but i shall confirm,is there a specific name for this particular certificate?

 

[JohnD]

probably a double-decker CU

it won't hurt to see what brand he is budgeting for.

It's not Chinese, is it?

 

[nozspark]

Prob 2 x proteus CU's double decked with the jointing adaptors.

I have only used a Proteus CU once - NEVER again

 

[maxkd]

Ok guys apparently he is going to use the following Consumer unit to replace the 2 existing old fuseboards!


MK Split Consumer Unit. 16 module. 12-Way. Pre-assembled. Supplied with switch, 100A DP Isolator, 80A 30mA RCD, 2 cover mounted blanks and 10 MCBs. Insulated with floating busbar. 10 year manufacturer's guarantee.

He tells me the main switch will feed the economy 7 circuits and the RCD main switch will feed the rest of the circuits independantly and this will meet the safety requirements!

Does this sound ok?

 

[nozspark]

MK board - OK, although would use double decker CU.

One din rail for e7 circuits fed off isolator - OK.

Other din rail for all other circuits fed off RCD - many sparks on here including myself think it is very bad practice to run the lighting and sockets etc off the same RCD, I think that your spark should configure the rest of house din rail to be split load.

BUT that would depend on the earthing arrangements for the house, do you have a suppliers earth or do you have an earth rod??

 

[Adam_151]

Ought to have one overall Isolator for the installation as well

I'd probably get a normal split board for the normal stuff, and a Isolator board for the E7 put them side by side, clearly labeled, and have a 4 pole isolator nearby to switch both sets of tails

 

[JohnD]

perhaps he is suggesting the MK split-load as it is readily available at good discounts and he uses it a lot. It is a good brand though no longer one of the best. The suggested layout would work but is not ideal.

a dual-tariff double-decker would be more suitable and a little more expensive (probably not stocked by the discounters). So would a 2-board layout.

Compared to the total cost of installation including testing, rectification and certification, the extra cost of a better unit would not be very significant.

I agree it is poor practice to have a number of circuits controlled by a single RCD (especially if it includes lighting, cooking and water-heating).

If there are only the typical two socket circuits needing RCD protection it might be worth using RCBOs rather than a split load (especially if the alternative is not heavily discounted).

I like Adam's 4-pole isolator, not very expensive but I suspect not often seen in domestic installs.

 

[nozspark]

Ah RCBO's, I was wondering how long that would take!!

 

[JohnD]

have I told you how great they are?

 

[nozspark]

I think so, but you can remind me if you like.

Personally not that keen on them as you cannot tell the difference between overload and earth faults!

 

[JohnD]

a fair point, but leakage trips are more common round here.