Fuse board upgrade Consumer Unit and earthing upgrades
At the heart of every electrical installation is the fuse board and many properties still have outdated circuit protection, inadequate earthing and no residual current devices.
So you are thinking of changing your old fuse box or old smalled consumer unit for a nice new one… Its a good idea to upgrade because any electrical work that is carried out in your property that is new and not just a change of fitting, is likely it would need to be RCD protected which you may not have with your old fuse box. A lot of people neglect their electrics and have the view of, it works so don’t change it. Not everyone likes to spend money on something they do not really benefit from as such, but should they drill into a wall and hit a cable then they will have wished they has upgraded when laying flat on their back from an electric shock!
Before changing your old consumer unit or fuse box
Before I book a date in to change your old fuse box for a new one, I like to come round to your property and do a few pre work checks. Basically this involves checking each circuit is ok and fault free, and then walk around the property to see if theres any potential issues with your installation. Should I find that you need remedial work done first, for example a ring circuit with a broken ring, or class one light fittings on a light circuit with no earth, then these things need to be resolved first at an additional cost to the change of the board.
The pre work checks that I will carry out, are:
Size & continuity of main earthing conductor
Size & continuity of main protective bonding conductors
Continuity of protective conductors
Insulation resistance
Continuity of ring final circuit conductors
Prospecive fault current
Polarity of supply & check CSA of meter tails
Ze – External earth fault loop impedance
Visually check installation for potential problems
Check for borrowed neutral on stair light
Check earth leakage on whole installation
Check for point of supply isolation
How long does it take to change, get a fuse board upgrade?
Typically to change an old fuse box to a nice new consumer unit, you are looking in reality at 6 – 8 hours. Sometimes it takes less time, say 4 hours, and others it can take 8 hours, each and every fuse box change is different and the best way is to just allocate a day of your time to fully complete the job as you never know what problems you are going to have until you start. I like to arrive at approximately 8am and work through until around 6pm if needed or until the job is done.
Considering an new consumer unit remember to call me Plymouth sparky to quote you for your fuse board upgrade
R.C.D. (residual current devices) offer additional protection against electric shock and are not to be confused with M.C.B. (miniature circuit breakers.) In the event of somebody getting an electric shock, the R.C.D. will shut off the electricity supply before there is enough power to cause electrocution.
http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guides-and-advice/electrical-items/fuseboxes-explained/
Installation of R.C.D. protected fuse boards and earthing upgrades are normally straightforward. They take less than a day to install and are well worth the benefits offered.