Best Consumer unit for home

[ferg]

Can you resolve the issue of whether or not Hager offer SP+N RCBOs (regardless of cost) in a single module width? My understanding was the same as @timhoward in that they don't.

For me the main selling point of Hager is the fact that backward compatibility has been maintained over many years, but would favour Starbreaker in that regard as the range also incorporates other beneficial features. I don't dislike Hager in the least, but often struggle to understand their popularity in the domestic distribution board market.

I'm not 100% but I'm almost certain Timhoward is right.

It's probably a bit Milwaukee or Dewalt TBH.
For me I'm a creature of habit and as I say I have to carry a fair bit of stock so switching between brands is a pain.
Backwards compatibility is a big selling point as is the longevity of the brand, availability, build quality and appearance.
Like a lot of one man bands I've had some of my customers a very long time so I like to be confident that what I fit is going to stand the test of time and not bite me in the backside a few years down the line.

 

[AJshep]

Your right after looking they are only Single pole !!

 

[timhoward]

Maybe I over think this, and maybe less relevant in the home of a sparks who has IR tester, but generally I reckon being able to disconnect N-E faults easily is a big benefit of RCBO boards and for this reason I don’t tend to fit Hager. When AFDDs actually work, are testable, and cost £25 I might reconsider!

 

[baldelectrician]

I always use Hager, however my confidence in them has been dented with the AFDD woes

In my home I have a Hager 3P+N DB with RCBO's plus an essential services DB for lighting, heating etc with a 63A Hager DP changeover switch

 

[mainline]

For me the main selling point of Hager is the fact that backward compatibility has been maintained over many years

Apparently, Hager are only compatible for metal consumer units.

That's only for about the last 7 years.

 

[nicebutdim]

Apparently, Hager are only compatible for metal consumer units.

That's only for about the last 7 years.

I thought it went back much farther in time.


Like Starbreaker

 

[mainline]

I always use Hager, however my confidence in them has been dented with the AFDD woes

I agree I saw a Hager afdd being tested, and it did absolutely nothing, other makes tripped fine.

 

[Timbo]

SBS consumer units, double pole rcbo's, twin busbar, no flying neutral leads. SPD available.

 

[westward10]

Is that fitted or on your couch.

 

[Diddy]

SBS consumer units, double pole rcbo's, twin busbar, no flying neutral leads. SPD available.

That guy who started this company was years ahead of the game. Quality products.

 

[nicebutdim]

That guy who started this company was years ahead of the game. Quality products.

They have an excellent reputation, but I can't help wondering about the future availability of components. While I like the idea of trade only sales, their business model doesn't lend itself to volume sales or widespread availability.

I've never seen an SBS board in the flesh and, if I found myself faced with adding a circuit to one, would be less than pleased with the hoops that have to be jumped through in order to add a new circuit. No chance of local availbility, the need to open an account to buy components and a requirement to prove competence in order to do so. I'd have to think long and hard about fitting an SBS board for a customer, if future simple works were to be made unnecessarily arduous due to mail order only availability and the possibility of no longer being available if the owner were to retire without finding a buyer for the business.

 

[timhoward]

That guy who started this company was years ahead of the game. Quality products.

I’ve fitted two. There’s lots I like about them. CPC bar could have more capacity for bonding. And I wish they didn’t use self drilling / tapping screws to hold din rail on.

 

[pc1966]

I went with Wylex for my rewirable home board's replacement (though it has been upgraded with plug-in breakers 25 year before...) and a friend's dual-CU problem home, and that was largely due to:

• Known brand, even if they have proven dumb on compatibility many times
• Spare readily available
• SPD that has no need for separate OCPD
• DP switching RCBOs
• Quality seems OK

For work though it has been Hager TPN stuff and the lack of DP switching RCBO irks me, but I do very little in either case.

If your supply is TT then going with a 100mA delay incomer and DP switching RCBOs would seem the best plan. Some Wylex board types don't support that (as I found out recently) but I think the domestic ones with the gravity-dropping covers do have that option, but those are limited in load, think it is 50A MCB and 40A compatible RCBO from memory.

As TT you don't need open PEN stuff for any EV, though you might get a TN-C-S supply if 3P upgrade offered for that?

 

[Timbo]

They have an excellent reputation, but I can't help wondering about the future availability of components. While I like the idea of trade only sales, their business model doesn't lend itself to volume sales or widespread availability.

I've never seen an SBS board in the flesh and, if I found myself faced with adding a circuit to one, would be less than pleased with the hoops that have to be jumped through in order to add a new circuit. No chance of local availbility, the need to open an account to buy components and a requirement to prove competence in order to do so. I'd have to think long and hard about fitting an SBS board for a customer, if future simple works were to be made unnecessarily arduous due to mail order only availability and the possibility of no longer being available if the owner were to retire without finding a buyer for the business.

I believe (don't hold me to it) that it is LVE stuff.

 

[oscar21]

Not sure why people are rating the Wylex and Crabtree stuff, the last couple of boards from them I have fitted have been awful. The metal they are made out of it more like tin foil but the worst part about them by far is you can't take the din rail out of them. It makes life so much easier if you can get all the gubbins out of the box to fix it and dress the cables first.

 

[nicebutdim]

Not sure why people are rating the Wylex and Crabtree stuff, the last couple of boards from them I have fitted have been awful. The metal they are made out of it more like tin foil but the worst part about them by far is you can't take the din rail out of them. It makes life so much easier if you can get all the gubbins out of the box to fix it and dress the cables first.

Can't say much for wylex, but I rate Crabtree for reasons already stated. Again I can't post much about wylex, but any starbreaker board I've fitted didn't the impression of being flimsy - quite the opposite when drilling as they've been made from considerably thicker sheet steel than many competitors.

Out of curiosity, when did you last fit a starbreaker board? Specifically starbreaker and not wylex.

 

[pc1966]

Not sure why people are rating the Wylex and Crabtree stuff, the last couple of boards from them I have fitted have been awful. The metal they are made out of it more like tin foil but the worst part about them by far is you can't take the

What have you found that is cheap-ish and good?

din rail out of them. It makes life so much easier if you can get all the gubbins out of the box to fix it and dress the cables first.

The DIN rail assembly is fairly easy to remove, there are two screws and a key-hole style of fitting so you can loosen them, lift and pull-forward the DIN rain and its out, reverse for fitting. Just don't loosen screws too far or you have to find them again...

 

[oscar21]

Do they still make the starbreaker board, thats the one with the plug in MCB's isn't it. All I know is the last Crabtree board I fitted was identical to the Wylex one, even the MCB's had the same style din clip on them.

 

[oscar21]

What have you found that is cheap-ish and good?

The DIN rail assembly is fairly easy to remove, there are two screws and a key-hole style of fitting so you can loosen them, lift and pull-forward the DIN rain and its out, reverse for fitting. Just don't loosen screws too far or you have to find them again...

I like the Fusebox boards and would fit them if I got to choose, my mate reckons the newest Chint board he fitted the other week was the best he's used in a while, plenty of space and all the MCB's line up perfectly. As for the din rail in the new Wylex boards, they are riveted in and there is now way of removing them. Its a pain in the arse if you are fitting a dual RCD on as you have to remove all the tails to get them out of the way instead of removing them all in one go. Here is what I mean about the din rail. (Crabtree and Wylex are the same with this model)

You probably could get it out if you bent the case enough but its not designed to be removed really.

O/T but I'm stuck with that board now, I was in a rush and the spec said Crabtree board so I found a Toolstation that had one in stock and bought it, it wan't until I was halfway through fitting it that I realised it had AC RCD's in it, I wasn't even aware they still sold that version. There was no way I was uninstalling it all and a new type A board was the same price as separate RCD's so I just got one of them, swapped the RCD's over and carried on. But now I'm stuck with something I cant take back as all the model labels and box are wrong. What can I do with it.

 

[nicebutdim]

Do they still make the starbreaker board, thats the one with the plug in MCB's isn't it. All I know is the last Crabtree board I fitted was identical to the Wylex one, even the MCB's had the same style din clip on them.

They do and I'd assumed that's what you were referring to as it's what people had recommended.

I also quite like fusebox, but their enclosures don't come close to the quality of starbreaker. More than a few people have complained about fitting covers on fusebox boards - it's not a problem I've encountered, but I can see how this could happen, due to flex in the enclosure, as they aren't pressed from particularly heavy steel.