2 day CU upgrade,a bit of a pain.

[Dave OCD]

Yes it's a chore this one. 30 year old MK unit with main switch and no RCDs in sight. 18 circuits and on every one the original installer thought he'd write the MCB rating and cable size, no other circuit info at all !
There are 5 rings, 2 cooker circuits, 2 immersions, 3 socket radials and 6 lighting circuits so to determine exactly what went where and test everything has been a full on and headache inducing day ! And there are a couple of dodgy readings to be investigated and resolved as well as installing the new board with 18 RCBOs tomorrow.
You see Domestic isn't always as easy as many are quick to say.

 

[Andy78]

It's ones like that I like to go in with a pair. So much easier for testing.

 

[Dave OCD]

Yes that's for sure Andy, lucky I have my son with me or the testing would take two days ! Just finding all the sockets in a big house like this and making sure everything's unplugged is a pain before you even get properly started.

 

[westward10]

Don't want to worry about unplugging everything.

 

[Dave OCD]

Yes but with a board change you ought to have proper test results for every circuit ideally.

 

[westward10]

I do try to obtain L/N IR readings but in the grand scheme of things they are not crucial but I agree it is nice to get a full house.

 

[PEG]

It's ones like that I like to go in with a pair. So much easier for testing.

Depending on what accent,i use to read this post,it either means,you are one of two fellows...or you approach the task with an enhanced bravado and aggressive attitude...

I like both of those ideas

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I have often quoted for 2 days labour on a few CU changes of late, when you walk in and see the age and nothing is identified or labelled. then you get a sixth sense for trouble ahead..
It can even be more simple things when house bashing that confuse things.. today I have been working out why the lights have failed in a garage, fed from house in T&E and a fcu but working out which circuit its off is a nightmare as the circuits all rewireables with no rcd in sight have been interconnected. turned everything off in the end and found out somehow under the floorboards its got 3 different circuits supply the damn garage!! its not all easy in the domestic sector...

 

[Octopus]

30 year old MK unit with main switch and no RCDs in sight. 18 circuits and on every one the original installer thought he'd write the MCB rating and cable size, no other circuit info at all !
There are 5 rings, 2 cooker circuits, 2 immersions, 3 socket radials and 6 lighting circuits so to determine exactly what went where and test everything has been a full on and headache inducing day !

But finding out what they all do is very satisfying.

This is precisely why I simply don't believe a lot of EICR's are done in a decent way - as you point out determining what each circuit did took 1/2 day!

 

[Dave OCD]

Well it's not done yet as the new board didn't turn up at my house until 4.30 today, luckily the customer was absolutely fine about it and I brought another job forward to do today. When it's done tomorrow I'll post up a before and after picture, it shouldn't look much worse after. Still got a high end to end on the lives of one ring to sort out though and a low N-E on the biggest lighting circuit in the place.

 

[Dave OCD]

Had to have a last minute change of manufacturer too, with 18 RCBOs Hager was just too expensive so I was going for BG with the new compact RCBOs, but apparently there may be an issue and they're currently 'in quarantine' ?? Anyone on here ever tried a Niglon board ?

 

[Dave OCD]

Well the two day job is turning into a three day job. Still tracking down a strange fault and my brain said enough at 6.30 today.

 

[PEG]

Well the two day job is turning into a three day job. Still tracking down a strange fault and my brain said enough at 6.30 today.

Nice update...an honest admission of how a job,and therefore a possible quote,can go awry,if you give a hoot

If it is any consolation,i have one now,where it should have been boxed up Wednesday,but i will be there again tomorrow

Client is right as rain,and has tardis pockets,but so far,3/4 of the installed gear is either wrong,broke or incompatible,and the "joiner" has made me think,just how bad does a tradesman have to be...before he is merely a vandal?

 

[Dave OCD]

It's finally all done. Found the dodgy end to end on the kitchen ring, a neutral/earth reversal on a light fitting-worked fine before with no RCDs/RCBOs in sight and two radials sharing very good continuity on the neutrals,both upstairs sockets so may once have been a ring but high Megohms across L-L and CPCs. This is now a 16a single radial with two cables at the RCBO. Customers were very happy and no quibble with paying extra for the fault finding, this job has left me knackered though.

 

[happysteve]

Had to have a last minute change of manufacturer too, with 18 RCBOs Hager was just too expensive so I was going for BG with the new compact RCBOs, but apparently there may be an issue and they're currently 'in quarantine' ?? Anyone on here ever tried a Niglon board ?

That's slightly concerning (about the BG compact RCBOs), I was going to order a board's worth next week. Anyone heard anything about this? The client has already declined a Hager board due to the £110 price difference.

What board did you go with, in the end?

 

[Octopus]

RCBO boards rule OK............. sure they cost more but far better for the customer in the long run

 

[Dave OCD]

That's slightly concerning (about the BG compact RCBOs), I was going to order a board's worth next week. Anyone heard anything about this? The client has already declined a Hager board due to the £110 price difference.

What board did you go with, in the end?

They got hold of a Niglon board for me in the end Steve, which arrived only just in time. Ok although the actual enclosure seemed a bit thin, and it had the mysterious twisting RCBOs which were impossible to keep properly vertical ! Also the covers always come off easy but once the board is loaded up and connected it's a fight to get it back.

 

[EbolaSideRoom]

I used a Niglon RCBO board once about 10 years ago. The devices weren’t bad but the insulated enclosure was dreadful. Never used one again.
I’ve been using Lewden pre-loaded RCBO boards for a year or two now. Easily the most keenly priced units I‘ve come across. The devices are great; the metal enclosures are ok. Oddly enough MK metal enclosures seem to be the best but I can’t get on with the RCBOs, never mind the price. Hager are about the same as MK IMO, although they have recently brought out a reduced size RCBO up to 32A which was very useful in an existing 16th Edition board...

 

[a-z electrics]

Yes me too. What's with the BG compact rcbo's?

 

[Dave OCD]

Yes me too. What's with the BG compact rcbo's?

I'm not sure but was told by the independent wholesaler that I deal with a lot that they were being checked out by BG.