FIRST HOME - Help with new Consumer Unit

[telectrix]

and, if you are moving the CU, are you also moving the cut-out and meter? if so, then it's a few hundred quid for DNO and/or supplier to do this legally.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Seems our friend is posting this on every electricians' forums known to man.

Better to do this in one place, or you'll get confusing replies because not all the information will get to all of the people who might want to assist you.

Just saying

http://Nope/threads/consumer-unit-does-it-need-to-be-ungraded.190060/#post-1525215

 

[Specialist]

Why are you not asking these questions to your Polish electrician?
£250.00 is far too cheap. I wouldn't swap a CU for that, let alone relocate one.
You get what you pay for, as you are going to find out.

Has your proposed electrician checked the main protective bonding, as well as advising about the poor bonding clamp currently providing your main earthing connection? Has he asked you request a pme terminal be fitted? Has he done any preliminary checks? Will the new CU postion be within 3 metres of the service head when relocated?
Good luck....I'm out.

Think you already know the answer to your questions buddy

 

[LewisM]

Your electrician should be able to answer all these questions but at £250 all in I doubt he can.

 

[Octopus]

Following your advises I'm considering to don't go over the top with the electrics and just replace the CU without splitting the rings per floor.

Do you think I could have all the lights in the house on a single MCD ?

Same for the sockets? One MCD for the kitchen, another MCD fo the rest of the house?

Then Do you think this would be ok:

RCD 1
32A Socket Ring Main
6A Smoke Detector
16A Immersion heater - in case the gas boiler fails
40A Electric Shower
16A Outside Sockets

RCD 2
32A Kitchen Ring Main
6A Ring Lights
32A Induction Hob
6A Gas Boiler
32A Separate Oven


Thank you

If I read this correctly you are adding about 5 circuits, so how much is your cheap polish friend saying he wants ti charge for this too?

What is your budget for your kitchen?

 

[polo1]

I have stopped using the BG boards due to numerous problems with them over the past year or so. I have gone back to using Hager.

Off topic, but what problems have you had?

 

[Andy78]

Off topic, but what problems have you had?

My issues have been:
Cage clamp terminals stripping their threads before tightening
RCDs not meeting times
Flimsy blanks that fall out
Poorly made bars and screws that can also strip easily

 

[Andy78]

To the OP,
All these questions should be directed to your electrician. If you don't have one, get one.
If you feel the need to ask the internet instead of your electrician, then get another electrician that you trust more.

 

[davesparks]

At the moment I have an old gas boiler with a small immersion tank. Then If I have a bath the next person would have to wait the water to heat. Also If I connect a Pumped Electric Shower to the water tank in the loft that supplies the water to the boiler I could have person having a bath and another having a shower downstairs at the same time. Please correct me if I am wrong.

Then you would be much better off having the plumbing sorted with a bigger hot water cylinder, if possible an unvented hot water cylinder will give you mains pressure hot water.
Or a combi boiler may be suitable.

 

[NDG Elecs]

My issues have been:
Cage clamp terminals stripping their threads before tightening
RCDs not meeting times
Flimsy blanks that fall out
Poorly made bars and screws that can also strip easily

So it's not just me then! Exactly the same problems bar the blanks which are binned. Plus the grommet strip is carp too, and their IP65 shower boards are shaped in such a way you can't fit a locknut on them without some butchery. Oh, and also the knockout spot welds are far too firm. My main issue from the above is with the awful cage clamp screws that strip far far too easily, had it happening with two RCDs and a couple of MCBs. They are cheap for a reason.

 

[JK-Electrical]

My issues have been:
Cage clamp terminals stripping their threads before tightening
RCDs not meeting times
Flimsy blanks that fall out
Poorly made bars and screws that can also strip easily

I experienced pretty much the same set of problems with a BG board that I fitted a couple of weeks ago. One of the meter tails kept slipping out of the cage clamp. An RCD was found to be defective. This is the second - and final - time that this has happened to me with a BG board, and some of the screws on the neutral and earth bars were quite stiff to turn. In addition, I had a titanic struggle to get the lid aligned. NEVER again.

 

[Rpa07]

And that's the problem with these cheaper boards that will inevitably be fitted by the chancers, poorly fitted and with little or no testing going against good workmanship from the get go. How many future faults will be incubating by the fitting of these cheap inadequate boards by cheap and inadequate fitters?

 

[DaniQ]

Thank you to everyone for your opinions and ideas.

I removed part of the plasterboard on the wall where the CU has to be fitted. It is a bearing wall with space of 320mm in between the studs, I expected to have a bit of luck and get at least 360mm to get a normal CU but I wasn't lucky this time.The space in between plasterboard is 85mm.

I have been searching for the right size of box but I can''t find any Dual RCD box to fit there with a minimum of 7 MCBs.

I would love to get a Design 10 Flush Consumer Unit by Hager with 10 ways and get the main switch plus 8 RCBOs but we are talking of over £250 and It doesn't give much room for future upgrades.

Also I have seen a Wylex one which I could fit removing the plasterboard on the back and fitting a new solid wood board on the top of the plaster (screwing to the timber, of course) to make the wall 12mm deeper. It shouldn't be to difficult.
Wylex Metal 17th Edition Amendment 3 7W High Integrity + 7 MCBs Consumer Unit - Toolstation - https://www.toolstation.com/shop/Electrical/d190/Wylex+Consumer+Units/sd2615/Wylex+Metal+17th+Edition+Amendment+3+7W+High+Integrity+%2B+7+MCBs+Consumer+Unit/p67344


I could take out an RCD and fit individual RCBOs to get extra space from a "two way" RCD ending with:


11 SPACE
RCD 1
32A Socket Ring Main
6A Smoke Detector and Lights
16A Immersion heater - in case the gas boiler fails
6A Gas Boiler


RCBO
32A Induction Hob
32A Separate Oven
32A Kitchen Ring Main
16A Outside Sockets
40A Electric Shower



What do you think about this idea? Also do you think I could combine any anything to save space in the CU?

Again, Thank you very much for all your help

 

[Octopus]

^^ that board DOES NOT have RCD's it has rcbo's

Read my earlier post - it's obsolete - and needs changing ....

 

[DaniQ]

^^ that board DOES NOT have RCD's it has rcbo's

Read my earlier post - it's obsolete - and needs changing ....

Yes, this is what that post is about, replacing this CU. I'm trying to find the right one to fit in between the timber.

 

[telectrix]

if that stud wall is not load bearing, you could probably get away with chopping a piece out of 1 of the vertical timbers. maybe to 1 where your hand is in pic#1. and reinforce with a couple of noggins.

 

[SJD]

You could take all the plasterboard off, and move one of the studs a few inches, to gain a bit more width.

You could also fit a dual RCD board but remove one of the RCDs and instead fit a few RCBOs and the remaining RCD, that will win you 2 slots.

 

[DaniQ]

if that stud wall is not load bearing, you could probably get away with chopping a piece out of 1 of the vertical timbers. maybe to 1 where your hand is in pic#1.

Is there any easy way to know what type of wall this is?

 

[telectrix]

stud walls are generally not load bearing. load bearing walls are generally masonry and if you look directly above, upstairs, you'll see if there's a wall directly above.

 

[Midwest]

I don't think the Polish electrician even exists, if he does his written English is very good. Better than mine.