Metal all the way, no brainer

[andysparkfree]

Hi all, just thought i'dd share the picture of the live distribution board we came across this afternoon following a callout

not only was this live when we got there (seems that the fire brigade removed the wrong fuse from the ryefield board) but is a shocking example why every old distribution board should be changed to metal asap

 

[netblindpaul]

TBH, I would be saying that the manufacturers of these boards have a LOT to answer for, but, money talks, and they have bought their way out of trouble.

 

[Rpa07]

If it wasn’t for the brown and blue, I’d have said that you put a sepia mood filter on that for effect.
Looks gooey!
Can you see where it started, anything loose or obvious?

 

[Dave OCD]

A bit of a clean and perhaps a new front cover and it'll be fine. Bloomin Drama Queens.

 

[ruston]

@Rpa07
It certainly looks like a re-touched photograph.

 

[andysparkfree]

fire was nothing to do with the fuse board( however strange nothing tripped) but yep a bit of Cillit Bang and BANG it would be as good as new !

 

[Rpa07]

@Rpa07
It certainly looks like a re-touched photograph.

It’s mildly haunting - it keeps drawing me back! I hope I don’t have nightmares - I’M MELTING!

 

[Rpa07]

If it was nothing to do with the fuseboard, you’d probably have to put a temporary supply in for the clean up anyway, wouldn’t trust a metal board after the fire service spraying their hoses all over the shot!

 

[Rpa07]

I’ll bet that it still goes down in the statistics as a fuseboard fire cause.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Quick jet wash to clean it all off and a hair dryer then pop down the supplier tomorrow for a new empty cu and it will be good to go.

 

[ruston]

If it had been a metal box it would have cooked the innards and bared those nice cables..

 

[westward10]

What a strange thread, this is a shocking example why every old distribution board should be changed to metal asap backed up by the distribution board was not even the cause of the fire!
I should hope you are not preaching this to your customers.

 

[Deleted member 105166]

@Rpa07
It certainly looks like a re-touched photograph.

Hmmm, I agree, there's something not quite right about that pic.

 

[andysparkfree]

no not really in to job creation, was more thinking of it db was metal, it could of been isolated easier ! Safety!

 

[westward10]

no not really in to job creation, was more thinking of it db was metal, it could of been isolated easier ! Safety!

How so?

 

[andysparkfree]

As i would hope that you could lift the flap and turn off the main switch a lot easier
as you can see in the picture, nobody would really want to stick fingers or anything else close

 

[KEV 1 N]

If all terminations within a DB are made correctly and tightened properly, then there is no reason why there should be overheating to cause a fire. The majority of burnt cables I’ve encountered are purely down to the fact they haven been tightened sufficiently. The change to metal DBs (in domestic) to contain fire is akin to putting a bucket under a leaking roof..........fix the roof!
If installed correctly there is nothing wrong with existing plastic DBs.

 

[shaun1]

It's interesting to see that whilst the case and front cover has mostly melted away the important bits (breakers, main switch, cable insulation and even the structure around the busbars) has remained largely intact.

 

[andysparkfree]

just lack of melting plastic in the way of the main switch, or at least i'dd hope

 

[shaun1]

Was the fire close to the board or is that smoke damage?

 

[Andy78]

What a load of cobblers. Parts of your house becoming more dangerous in the event of a house fire, who'd have thought it ?

 

[The_apprentice2.0]

Still neater than the apprentices installs

 

[westward10]

As i would hope that you could lift the flap and turn off the main switch a lot easier
as you can see in the picture, nobody would really want to stick fingers or anything else close

That doesn't isolate the board just the outgoing circuits.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Have only experienced one CU fire, and that was also caused by an external source.
The fumes given off by the plastic enclosure were not nice.

 

[happysteve]

Looks like a Hager board.

I like how the protective devices are straighter here on this picture, after all around had melted, than on a brand new MK or BG board!

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

I have litrelly just opened up this lid. The cover is all sorts of melted but had just been put back on amd the N moved terminals.

Im changing a shaver light, just opened it to test.

 

[Rpa07]

That’ll be the factory fitting that the sticker tells us to tighten before commissioning! Obviously the installer didn’t!

I have litrelly just opened up this lid. The cover is all sorts of melted but had just been put back on amd the N moved terminals. View attachment 47937

Im changing a shaver light, just opened it to test.

 

[7029 dave]

fire was nothing to do with the fuse board( however strange nothing tripped) but yep a bit of Cillit Bang and BANG it would be as good as new !

I could tell that by the pic, them finals are in great nick. lol they are.!!

 

[jdinduntocher]

When will people stop saying these boards are unsafe fires are caused by poor workmanship not making sure connections are properly tightened there are thousands of these boards fitted perfectly safe installations done by proper sparks. The London fire service were the main complainants of pvc boards but agreed that bad workmanship was the reasons for the fires. I was called to a house of a friend who had no power and when I investigated I found her 80 year old father had decided to change consumer unit himself this is what sparks are up against.

 

[Rpa07]

Did he use 2mm earth sleeving for the CPCs I do wonder!

When will people stop saying these boards are unsafe fires are caused by poor workmanship not making sure connections are properly tightened there are thousands of these boards fitted perfectly safe installations done by proper sparks. The London fire service were the main complainants of pvc boards but agreed that bad workmanship was the reasons for the fires. I was called to a house of a friend who had no power and when I investigated I found her 80 year old father had decided to change consumer unit himself this is what sparks are up against.

 

[Rpa07]

Was thinking of you Westie, as always!

Did he use 2mm earth sleeving for the CPCs I do wonder!

 

[westward10]

Ain't it funny how some things stick in your mind and who quoted it.

 

[Rpa07]

Ain't it funny how some things stick in your mind and who quoted it.

I shudder now when I see 3mm or even sometimes 4mm.
I shudder more when I mislay my reel of 2mm!

 

[Duncan Norman]

80 year old - nothing wrong with that . was he a sparks ?was his regs current? did he hold testing and inspection cert's ?
was he a member of a scam ? - just saying cause not good to be - ageist . I'm a 103 year old 'battery electrician'b.t.w - U'2s - PP'3s I can change any of them - The worlds my lobster

 

[tudore]

Anyone watching Counterpart? This looks just like the meltdown that caused a rift in the space-time continuum! I am in the process of replacing a metal CU that is a shining example of why plastic boxes were introduced, I'll post a picture as soon as I can.

 

[SparkyChick]

Ain't it funny how some things stick in your mind and who quoted it.

The voice of Westy in my head made me pick up a reel of 2mm sleeving a couple of weeks ago. Can't imagine not using it now as it does look so much nicer

 

[happysteve]

I finished my first 100m of 2mm sleeving not so long ago. I thought of Westward when I picked up the replacement. I've got a couple of hundred metres of 3mm, not sure I'll ever use it now...

 

[westward10]

Never thought I would have such an effect no bugger listens to me on site.

 

[Dave OCD]

My roll of 2mm is down to just a few metres now, must get that sorted.

 

[chrisdungan]

speaking as a Kiwi, it beat me why you Brits insist on metal domestic boards. We've been using plastic boards for over 30 years without any significant issues. When I started working in the UK 2008 it felt as though I had dropped back into the dark ages. I reckon plastic is superior and much much easier to use. Metal boards are a pain in the a**e down by the sea