Should a consumer unit be fitted 2 inches from a boiler?

[littlespark]

He’s a fire starter.... twisted fire starter....

 

[FatAlan]

If I were the tenant my --- would be straight on the phone to landlord and if they fobbed it off then I'd get a spark in and have the bill sent to landlord, I'd be inclined to make the metering company aware too, possibly even local authority also

...and if I was the spark being called out I’d like some prior confirmation as to who is paying the bill!

 

[Mtgmmd]

This is always assuming that the fault that shook the house was electrical? The Boiler was in the same cupboard! mind you we have not established if the boiler was gas, oil or electric.

The boiler is gas
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Can you post a photograph of the consumer unit? (remove/obscure any obvious personal identification of course)

As Mike says, any loud noise could be from the boiler but I presume there is good reason to identify the CU as the problem (signs of smoke/melting/etc)?

The fire brigade were called as the cupboard was on fire. The boiler and consumer unit were taken out. The boiler is now going to be fitted in on the kitchen wall. My worry is this house is a house of sockets. I've never seen so many sockets. There must be 6 just in the. Box room. Also some make a crackle noise when you plug something f in
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The boiler is gas
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The fire brigade were called as the cupboard was on fire. The boiler and consumer unit were taken out. The boiler is now going to be fitted in on the kitchen wall. My worry is this house is a house of sockets. I've never seen so many sockets. There must be 6 just in the. Box room. Also some make a crackle noise when you plug something f in

We have been told it was a power surge

 

[freddo]

We have been told it was a power surge

what was?

Sounds like it needs a rewire.

 

[derek]

The landlord needs to be made aware of your concerns about the poor condition of the sockets and any other concerns, this should be done in writing, email is fine as long as you have a copy in case of court action. Make sure you ask in writing when the last electrical inspection was carried out and ask for a copy of the EICR.
If the property is a HMO then there is a legal requirement for an EICR every 5 years, this is to be extended to all domestic rental properties in June.

Is there a copy of gas safety certificates? These have to be done every year, if the landlord isn't carrying this out then you definitely have a case for legal action. Landlords must provide their tenant with a copy of the gas safety certificate within 28 days of the check being completed, and new tenants should receive a copy before they move in.

Who told you it was down to a power surge, were they in a position to know for sure?
I believe if the property is really dangerous you can report it to the Health and Safety Executive.
Citizens Advice is another option and is probably where I'd go to first, they are used to dealing with dodgy landlords, I'm not sure how easy it will be to contact them in the current situation.

 

[pc1966]

Considering the report of an exposed live wire by the meter change "engineer" then it seems very unlikely it had a current EICR (or if it did, not one done by a competent person).

I would start by giving the landlord the benefit of the doubt and asking, in a civil but very insistent manner, that a EICR is now conducted by an registered electrician for the whole house and that you are given a copy of it (and full details of who does it) for peace of mind.

Having a lot of sockets is not a bad thing in itself, it is better than having dodgy extension leads everywhere, but as an ECIR typically does not check every socket (usually a sample of them) you should draw attention to your concerns. In particular, if there are any that don't look or feel right (cracked, evidence of overheating, imprecise switch action, unreliable connection, etc) then you should identify them (e.g. put on a sticky label) and ask the inspection specifically looks at those and they are replaced if there is any doubt.

If the landlord is not cooperative then take it further with legal advice, but it might be they have had a nasty surprise as well and are now willing to sort it out properly by getting a professional in to do what is needed.
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While there should be an EICR now due to the accident, if you wanted to do independent 100% testing of the sockets you can buy basic socket testers for around £10 and they will pick out the most serious of faults, but they do not show a poor earth connection, only a complete loss of it. For around £50 you get better ones that are able to analyse the earth impedance, such has:

https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/kewtech-loopcheck-107-advanced-plug-in-socket-tester/4670j

But remember testing is secondary to inspection: if a socket looks or feels bad it should be replaced, otherwise it should then be tested and if it measures bad its an electrician's job to investigate further (replace and check wiring, etc).

 

[Mtgmmd]

what was?

Sounds like it needs a rewire.

What caused the fire