New fuse box needed - would it be easier to become an electrician than employ one?

[Arbu]

At my landlord's request I had an EICR inspection of the electrics in my flat (in central London). The fuse board is very old (see photo) and doesn't have RCDs, so I can accept that it probably needs replacing. So the electricians who did the inspection (who aren't even NICEIC registered) want to charge me £1850+VAT to do the following:

• To supply and install 8 way new metal clad consumer unit with RCD and
SPD protection
• To change brass dimmer switch as not working with LED lamps
• To bond gas with cables run in mini trunking
• To bond water with cables run in mini trunking

I have already fixed the second issue by paying £7 to get some dimmable lightbulbs, and the fact that it was so easy makes me feel that these electricians are trying to rip me off. The bonding I imagine is also not very difficult. Clearly fitting a new consumer unit does need more knowledge. I have contacted a number of NICEIC electricians in my area by email, and they just don't reply. I can only suppose that they already have too much work on. I was wondering, would it make any sense to qualify as an electrician and do it myself? I would always have this useful knowledge then, and can even earn some income perhaps. Or otherwise, is there a better approach that I should be taking to get hold of an electrician?

Thanks.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Without commenting on the details, surely it is up to the landlord to arrange and pay.

 

[Murdochcat]

That price is well OTT

What do you mean by cost you? Surely the landlord should pay

How much do you think it would cost you to get trained and buy all the kit?

 

[EFLImpudence]

No registration is needed to carry out EICRs.

 

[Risteard]

At my landlord's request I had an EICR inspection of the electrics in my flat (in central London). The fuse board is very old (see photo) and doesn't have RCDs, so I can accept that it probably needs replacing. So the electricians who did the inspection (who aren't even NICEIC registered) want to charge me £1850+VAT to do the following:

• To supply and install 8 way new metal clad consumer unit with RCD and
SPD protection
• To change brass dimmer switch as not working with LED lamps
• To bond gas with cables run in mini trunking
• To bond water with cables run in mini trunking

I have already fixed the second issue by paying £7 to get some dimmable lightbulbs, and the fact that it was so easy makes me feel that these electricians are trying to rip me off. The bonding I imagine is also not very difficult. Clearly fitting a new consumer unit does need more knowledge. I have contacted a number of NICEIC electricians in my area by email, and they just don't reply. I can only suppose that they already have too much work on. I was wondering, would it make any sense to qualify as an electrician and do it myself? I would always have this useful knowledge then, and can even earn some income perhaps. Or otherwise, is there a better approach that I should be taking to get hold of an electrician?

Thanks.








View attachment 320893

No it's a stupid and incredibly infeasible idea.

 

[jurassic sparkk]

Surely, that fusebox needs replacing.
You don't need to worry about it. Consult your landlord its their property, not yours.

 

[chivers67]

Can you Unscrew that cover? No doubt 4 circuits - Lights, Sockets, Cooker, & Immersion ? There should be some indication inside the white Fuse cover.

Have you been supplied a schedule of test results, also not feasible to do this yourself unless you can test properly and sign the work off.

 

[ericmark]

As said down to landlord, and scheme membership not required to do an EICR, scheme membership is expensive and not worth it for one off job, one can go down the LABC route, it depends on the LABC inspector if he allows you to do the work, but again it is the owner who must apply to the LABC so again down to him to decide, a builder can apply for a client, but still down to owner to ensure done.

As to metal, RCD, SPD requirement, every edition of BS7671 has the date at which new DESIGNS must apply, so if no design change then does not NEED up grading although desirable that it is.

The problem lies when items changed, be it use of plastic water pipes, replace a shower which the manufacturer says it needs RCD protection etc. So what seems a small job becomes massive due to upgrading work that then becomes a requirement.

So yes best to get it up graded ready. But the EICR does not any longer have code 4 which was does not comply with current edition of BS 7671 it simply says protentially dangerous, and if it was not protententially dangerous in 1980 and nothing has changed then it is not protentially dangerous now.

The EICR is looking at the condition, clue in the name, so cables crumbling, broken sockets, removed bonding paths etc.

Ppersonally I think all homes should have RCD protection, but when I moved here it took me 4 months to get new CU fitted, and when it was fitted faults came to light, the fitting of a new CU is the easy bit, it was the fault finding which was hard, I was lucky I found it quickly, wrong neutral used in a light switch, but I have the tools and knowledge, trained to level 5, but as for an electrician just out of his apprenticeship finding it is an other question.

Coimplying with English law this will not have been first EICR there will be another one less than 5 years old, so the owner has had plenty of warning, just leave it to him.

 

[Murdochcat]

No registration is needed to carry out EICRs.

But you do need years of experience to gain the all round knowledge to do them, understand what you’ll be seeing and interpreting issues correctly

 

[Arbu]

It says here that leases longer than seven years are excluded from the requirement for mandatory electrical inspections. My lease is way longer than that, and so there hasn't been an inspection for about 20 years. My lease says that it includes "all fixtures and fittings in or about the Flat", so the consumer unit is part of my flat, and I would expect to be responsible for it. I don't really see why the freeholder should be responsible for it, but if you can tell me why, please do so and I'll go back to them.

I have unscrewed the cover previously and it contains four fuses, two with white dots on the covers which each deal with certain lights, and two with red dots on the covers which each deal with more heavy duty things.

My landlord's concern is about fire risk and extra insurance premiums arising from the current fuse box. If he's justified in these concerns then I think he's entitled to ask me to sort it out.

 

[Arbu]

But you do need years of experience to gain the all round knowledge to do them, understand what you’ll be seeing and interpreting issues correctly

And know that you may be able to hoodwink a customer into changing his light switch when all he needs to do is change the lightbulbs.

 

[pcaouolte]

You don't have to have the work done by the company who did the EICR. Get some more quotes.

 

[Arbu]

You don't have to have the work done by the company who did the EICR. Get some more quotes.

That's exactly the problem. No-one is replying. I suppose I should start phoning them up instead of emailing.

I've been given these specifications for the new fuse box by an independent electrician:

1 x VML108SPDRK 8-way board with 100A main SW and SPD2 x ADA332G 32A RCBO: type A2 x ADA306G 6A RCBO: type A4 x JK01B Blank module. It looks like they would cost about £150. I've been given a quote of £450 for a new unit by the one NICEIC electrician who replied but he gives no details with his quote - for all he has said he could be providing an equally basic unit as the current one. And now he's gone quiet.

I'd quite like to buy the parts myself and then get someone to fit them. Maybe someone will agree to that.

 

[Arbu]

How much do you think it would cost you to get trained and buy all the kit?

I was imagining in the region of the original quote that I have had. But I don't know.

 

[Murdochcat]

That's exactly the problem. No-one is replying. I suppose I should start phoning them up instead of emailing.

I've been given these specifications for the new fuse box by an independent electrician:

1 x VML108SPDRK 8-way board with 100A main SW and SPD2 x ADA332G 32A RCBO: type A2 x ADA306G 6A RCBO: type A4 x JK01B Blank module. It looks like they would cost about £150. I've been given a quote of £450 for a new unit by the one NICEIC electrician who replied but he gives no details with his quote - for all he has said he could be providing an equally basic unit as the current one. And now he's gone quiet.

I'd quite like to buy the parts myself and then get someone to fit them. Maybe someone will agree to that.

I never entertain customers buying kit like CUs

I always fit the same make and carry a box of spares in my van