Looking for advice on the best brands of Domestic CU available

[Retired-Still-Interested]

Hi. Can any electricians who carry out domestic installations recommend the best brands of CU currently available. I am a recently retired electrician (over 50 yrs in the trade) but worked mainly in industrial/commercial installations and maintenance. Working now for family, friends and neighbour's for mates rates of course. I prefer good quality gear and I don't mind paying for it.I am familiar with the likes ok MK , Crabtree, Merlin Gerin and Square D etc but I can see a lot of new names out there now such as BG ,MCG, M2, Proteus, and Contactum etc. I will be grateful for any advice/recommendations that electrician's have to offer. Thank you.

 

[telectrix]

Fusebox CUs seem to be very popular with a lot of members. BG are good value for the price. I've used several BG without any problems. . Proteus are own brand by CEF and are pants.

 

[Pete999]

Hi. Can any electricians who carry out domestic installations recommend the best brands of CU currently available. I am a recently retired electrician (over 50 yrs in the trade) but worked mainly in industrial/commercial installations and maintenance. Working now for family, friends and neighbour's for mates rates of course. I prefer good quality gear and I don't mind paying for it.I am familiar with the likes ok MK , Crabtree, Merlin Gerin and Square D etc but I can see a lot of new names out there now such as BG ,MCG, M2, Proteus, and Contactum etc. I will be grateful for any advice/recommendations that electrician's have to offer. Thank you.

Not Proteus though, had some awful catastrophes with Proteus

 

[Dustydazzler]

generally domestic sparks will tend to install what ever is cheapest or on special at their local suppliers.
that said I don’t do math board swaps these days and will only use rcbo boards...

 

[loz2754]

And don't forget a consumer unit change is classed as notifiable works under Part P of the building regulations.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Similar position to you "Retired-still-interested", now days I only use Hager boards and RCBO's they seem to give less problems than most.

 

[telectrix]

Similar position to you "Retired-still-interested", now days I only use Hager boards and RCBO's they seem to give less problems than most.

Till you try to get the cover screws in., 3 hands needed. 1 to hold the cover in correct alignment, 1 to hold the flap up, and 1 for the screwdriver.

 

[Retired-Still-Interested]

And don't forget a consumer unit change is classed as notifiable works under Part P of the building regulations.

I don't have the Part P qualification. I was left unimpressed a while ago when I had to pay my local authority planning department £55.0 to come and inspect/test the new wiring I had installed in a building extension to my property before they would sign it off to comply with Building Regs etc. Without being disrespectful to the young electrician who attended he asked me if I had installed additional lightning and power circuits or extended them and what my test results were. He made a note of all that and signed it off. It felt like a box ticking exercise where the experience and knowledge of the electrician counted for nothing. Would it be a one day course for me as an experienced electrician and what would it cost me

 

[Mike Johnson]

Get hold of a copy of the Regulations, read until you understand them, that's it.

 

[SJD]

Till you try to get the cover screws in., 3 hands needed. 1 to hold the cover in correct alignment, 1 to hold the flap up, and 1 for the screwdriver.

Try a Hager dual-row board, with 2 flaps to hold up ...

 

[Zerax]

I don't have the Part P qualification.

Part P is not a qualification.

If you wish to be able to sign-off notifiable work, you need to be a scam member... which involves a sizeable one-off fee, then equally sizeable annual fees.

 

[Zerax]

He made a note of all that and signed it off. It felt like a box ticking exercise...

That's because it was... but in all fairness to the local authority... they're just doing modern society demands of them.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Try a Hager dual-row board, with 2 flaps to hold up ...

Small rare earth Magnet.

 

[Strima]

Fusebox, Lewden, Wylex and Hager.

For some reason customers don't want to pay out for Schneider...

 

[Zerax]

Small rare earth Magnet.

I think the Contactum boards come with them ?

 

[Mike Johnson]

Fusebox, Lewden, Wylex and Hager.

For some reason customers don't want to pay out for Schneider...

Ohh Schneider, the latest one's have hinged Din rails to allow easier access to the units for wiring very posh.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I think the Contactum boards come with them ?

IMO even if the do come with magnets to hold the flaps open, it's still not a good enough reason to use them.

 

[SJD]

IMO even if the do come with magnets to hold the flaps open, it's still not a good enough reason to use them.

The Contactum boards come with magnets to keep the flaps closed (at least the last ones I installed did, before I changed to Fusebox about a year ago). Without the magnets, the flap didn't quite stay closed. I was never totally happy with this arrangement.

 

[Dustydazzler]

Just pull the flap off if it’s getting in the way ...

 

[Zerax]

Just pull the flap off if it’s getting in the way ...

Easy tiger...