Fuse box change.

Footie, fantastic weather and Magners, is there a better way to spend a Thursday Evening?

After a very warm and exhausting day I am now at home relaxing and waiting for the football to start.

This morning I was drilling a couple of large holes in walls for extract fans. This one of these jobs I hate, and would rather have sex with a sweaty horse called Mabel than do and its probably why apprentices were put on this earth.

This afternoon, I was working at Rob Fishers (www.fisherbuildingservices.co.uk) finishing (well almost) his attic conversion. When its finished it will be fabulious.

I have decided to tell you about the method of changing a fuse box to a modern consumers unit. This is an electrical job that should always be left to a competent electrician.

I get asked to price a fuse box to a consumers unit about two times per month, and for someone who is trained it’s relatively straightforward and simple and will take around a day.

The first step is important. It involves testing the house. We need to do this because we cannot reconnect any circuit which are present an immediate danger or potentially dangerous, and there are a great many circuits out there that have either decayed with age, or DIYers have “had a go” and installed additional accessories and completely messed it up. Another function of the test is that if done properly it will highlight problems that will cause unwanted tripping of an RCD (this is a sensitive device that is found in modern consumers units, and switches off the electricity when a fault occurs) If we find any such problems they would need to be rectified before the fuse box is changed.

We also need to consider the

• Earthing arrangement for the house – we are required to ensure that your house has adequate eathing, this will involve the electrician wanting to see the gas meter and water stop cock. Strange things for an electrician wanting to see I know, but we are required to ensure that these services are earthed with the properly sized earth wire. If its not present than it will need to be installed before the fuse board is changed.
• Main tails to the fuse box – these are the two grey wires that supply electricity to the fuse box, and if incorrectly sized will need to be changed.  Some of the other issues that need to be considered before. 

Assuming that everything is ok to this point, the fuse board can be changed. This is literally a matter of disconnection the old one, then replacing with the new consumers unit. There will almost certainly be some cables that are to sort to be routed into the new positions, these will need to be jointed before terminating into the new locations.

After all that has been done, there are a few more tests required and the house made live again. After completion you should be issued with a certificate or it will be mailed to you along the invoice.

I often get asked over the telephone how much will it cost to replace a consumers unit, where I can give them a ball park figure, it will not include any remedial works, upgrading the earthing etc. the actual cost of replacing a consumers unit only depends where you live in the country, I have seen prices from as little as £275 to £550. But as previously stated this is unlikely to include remedial works.

It is also worth noting, that these works fall under Part P of the building regulations and should only be undertaken by someone who is registered as a Domestic Installer. I have attached a link to the building regulations. (http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADP_2006.pdf)

Until next time, thanks for taking the time to read this and don’t forget to let me know what you think, I will be glad to receive comments, good or bad, and if I can help you with a consumers unit change or any other electrical work please drop me a line. 

Why don’t you follow me, nothing bad will happen!

Thanks again. Ian

24-Hour Emergency Call Out Service.

Please see website for details. www.johnstoneselectricalservices.co.uk.

For your electrical needs, please call us, we can advise on.

Additional Sockets and lights	Replacement consumers units / fuse boxes.
Low energy lighting.	Intruder alarm systems.
Heating system wiring	Re-Wire and new extension wiring specialists
New Builds & Extension wiring	Inspection And Testing
Landlords Certificates	Kitchen wiring
The text below is fabricate and a nonsense. I have only included this to help my goggle rating. Hidden in the text there are key worked, which should help me, get a better ranking.  Over the last few days I have rewired a house, which took me a while. in the house fuse box  and consumers unit, which had to be replaced with a replacement fuse box.  There were a few additional sockets, which I had to install too. I had to wire a wiring extension, and install additional down lights and additional lights including additional outside lights.  I needed to wire a AEG cooker; there was also some new outside lights and a mira shower too. I am also an emergency electrician and on call 24hours. Just in case you don’t know I am an electrician in preston, or to put another way I am a preston electrician,  I also in stall lighting preston.