updating house electrics

[brigham]

Hello, first post here.
My bungalow, built in the 70's has 3 curcuits:- Power sockets, Lighting and Cooker. The Wylex fuse box from the meter has 3 fuses one for each circuit. An update was added some time latter consisting of 3 MCB after the Wylex fuse box. I would now like to have the 3 curcuits protected for overload and personal electric shock. I have been quoted over £300 for a new consumer unit to be fitted in order to do this. My question is this:
Do I actually nead a new consumer unit to do this, or is there a simpler and cheaper way.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hello, first post here.
My bungalow, built in the 70's has 3 curcuits:- Power sockets, Lighting and Cooker. The Wylex fuse box from the meter has 3 fuses one for each circuit. An update was added some time latter consisting of 3 MCB after the Wylex fuse box.

So now you have 6 circuits.

I would now like to have the 3 curcuits protected for overload

All 6 already are.

and personal electric shock.

If you mean an RCD fitted, then which 3, and why not all of them?

I have been quoted over £300 for a new consumer unit to be fitted in order to do this. My question is this:
Do I actually nead a new consumer unit to do this, or is there a simpler and cheaper way.

A new CU would be the best and neatest way.

Get a few quotes, and find out what each person proposes to do about testing first - you do not want to end up with an open-ended job paying by the hour/day whilst he tries to resolve problems uncovered by the new CU.

As ever, personal recommendations are always the best way to find a reputable tradesman, but if you're having to go ahead without much in the way of those, or references, don't put any store by registration itself - sadly it is possible to become registered with woefully inadequate qualifications and zero practical experience. You don't have to spend long here to see people cropping up who are registered and "qualified", but who are clearly seriously incompetent in reality and who should not be charging for their services.

You are looking for someone to replace a CU, and it may surprise and dismay you to learn that it is quite possible to become a "qualified electrician" without ever having done that before, and without having acquired any of the practical skills needed to do it without half-destroying your house in the process.

It's your money, £'00s of it, and you have every right to ask prospective tradesmen what their qualifications and experience are. Just being listed here is not a good enough guide. No genuinely experienced electrician, with the "full set" of C&G qualifications will mind you asking - in fact he will wish that everyone was like you.

I feel sorry for people who have been misled by training organisations and (shamefully) the Competent Person scheme organisers into thinking that a 5-day training course, a couple of trivial examples of their work and some basic understanding of how to use test equipment will make them an electrician, but not sorry enough to agree with them trying to sell their services to Joe Public.

 

[brigham]

Thanks B.A.S, for info. The bulk of your reply about finding a reputable tradesman is my main concern. Perhaps I did not describe the circuits correctly or I have not understood your reply about now having 6 circuits. There are still only 3 circuits, Power, Cooker, Lighting. The wiring from the meter comes into the wired Wylex fuse box with 3 fuses for the Power, the Cooker and the Lighting. That same wiring then goes to the 3 MCB and protect the Power, Cooker and the lighting. I just thought the tradesman could just then add on 3 RCD's to cover the same Power, Cooker and Lighting.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Do I actually nead a new consumer unit to do this, or is there a simpler and cheaper way.

You don't need a new Consumer unit, you can protect all the circuits by installing an RCD to cover them all. But if you have any earth leakage you will loose all the power in the house.
To be honest £300 sounds cheap, has the electrician quoted for an electrical installation conditional report, as this must be done before any attempts to change the set up you have.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The wiring from the meter comes into the wired Wylex fuse box with 3 fuses for the Power, the Cooker and the Lighting. That same wiring then goes to the 3 MCB and protect the Power, Cooker and the lighting.

Do you mean that the meter tails go to the old Wylex, and then loop on to the newer CU with MCBs, and that's where the house circuits originate?

If so why wasn't the old Wylex removed? And how are the connections done inside, as the terminals may not be designed to take 2 conductors in each.

Or do you mean that 3 sets of cables leave the fuse ways in the Wylex and go to the 3 MCBs? If so that's mental.

Photos would help.

Either way, I'd be wary of the possibility of whoever did all of that having done other daft, possibly incompetent or dangerous fiddling with the rest of your wiring.

I just thought the tradesman could just then add on 3 RCD's to cover the same Power, Cooker and Lighting.

Replacing the MCBs with RCBOs would be better.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I think pictures of the set up would improve the chances of a satisfactory resolution to your problem being discussed.

 

[brigham]

Hi Dum Spiro Spero, as there is only 1 circuit for all the power sockets in the bungalow I do not see that as a problem but I would like the Lighting and Cooker to remain on and vice versa.

B-A-S, I do not know why the wired Wylex fuse box was not removed. I am not understanding your two wiring methods, all I know is that I have a wired Wylex fuse box and 3 MCB in a sepatrate box and if there is an overload, for instance a bulb blows then one of the MCB operates.

Further I am interested in the question of what the tradesman is going to do about electrical conditional report. What answer should I expect to get from him/her ?

 

[sparkwright]

If the consumer unit is quite new you may get RCBOs to fit it.


It's a lazy job fitting one RCD before the consumer unit - if a fault causes it to trip you will have no power whatsoever.

If you can't fit RCBOs into it;

As you only have 3 circuits, you could get a board with just a standard main switch and fit three RCBOs.

You could also have instead a dual RCD board, which has two RCDs, and fit 3 circuit breakers.

Not a lot of difference in price, the first method is more foolproof and desirable.

Be sure to get a board with plenty of spare ways, to allow for future circuits like a shower, outbuildings, immersion, new kitchen circuit, security alarm, etc.

 

[brigham]

Sorry PrenticeBoyofDerry, got you handle wrong

 

[sparkwright]

Not sure myself about the old Wylex board that appears to be left in place.

Assuming it is not an off peak heating board, I can only assume it's been used as a junction box for some reason...

 

[brigham]

Be sure to get a board with plenty of spare ways, to allow for future circuits like a shower, outbuildings, immersion, new kitchen circuit, security alarm, etc.

All these items are there on the Power circuit apart from the separate Cooker circuit

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Hi Dum Spiro Spero, as there is only 1 circuit for all the power sockets in the bungalow I do not see that as a problem but I would like the Lighting and Cooker to remain on and vice versa.

It's a good idea to have all circuits individually split or at least a two way split.
So at least you can have light, whether it be by the lighting circuit or plugged in lamp.

Further I am interested in the question of what the tradesman is going to do about electrical conditional report. What answer should I expect to get from him/her ?

That would depend on whether they are bona fide or cowboy/girl.
It's important that EICR is done when having RCD protection installed, as you may have faults on your existing system that the MCBs are not detecting but a RCD will. So it is important that it is proved your existing circuits are suitable for RCDs or could end up having no power.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Be sure to get a board with plenty of spare ways, to allow for future circuits like a shower, outbuildings, immersion, new kitchen circuit, security alarm, etc.

All these items are there on the Power circuit apart from the separate Cooker circuit

How many conductors are in the MCBs?
Are you sure you don't have two independent boards?
Each board serving 3 different circuits.

 

[sparkwright]

Be sure to get a board with plenty of spare ways, to allow for future circuits like a shower, outbuildings, immersion, new kitchen circuit, security alarm, etc.

All these items are there on the Power circuit apart from the separate Cooker circuit

And have any of these items been added later, and connected into the consumer unit?

If they HAVE then you have a golden opportunity to put some on their own circuit.

 

[brigham]

the emersion heater would have been there when the bungalow was first built, but the electric shower was installed later, possibly 10 years ago.

The shower has a swich outside the room that has to be operated before the shower itself can be turned on. All I know is that if the power MCB is off then all the power is off including the shower and imersion heater.