Replacing fuse box with RCD consumer unit
Uno-Hoo!
old fuse box with a modern consumer unit?
I know that strictly speaking you should call out the electricity supplier
to remove the large main fuse on the supply side - but speaking to an
electrician recently he says that they regularly remove that fuse themselves
and just ignore the suppliers rules.
What's the legal position?
Kev
Palindrome
of the distribution company and deliberately breaking one or both
without authority is criminal damage.
The practical situation is that they can have no proof of who did it and
when. So they will simply replace the seal, when next there, eg
replacing the meter.
--
Sue
Cicero
==================================
I think there are two separate issues. First, interfering with the Board's
sealed fuses; according to some sources you'll be hung, drawn and
quartered for this crime - others say it's a bit risky. Secondly, the
actual replacement of the CU; this seems to require official inspection
and certification by the BCO. When I did mine the certificate issued was
actually very vague.
If you are going to do this yourself it can be simplified by installing an
isolation switch (100 amps) to which your supplier will connect new meter
tails (usually no cost). You then connect the old tails between the
outbound side of the isolation switch and your existing fusebox. You can
then install a new consumer unit at your leisure without interfering with
the main fuses simply by switching off at the new isolating switch.
Cic.
--
===================================
Using Ubuntu Linux
Windows shown the door
===================================
nobby
self certify. according to the niceic all the circuits and bonding/earthing
connected must comply with BS7671 and be fully tested with the necessary
certificates. You could always keep quiet and swap it regardless, make sure
you have rcd protection to sockets likely to be used outdoors.
"Cicero" <shel...@hellfire.co.uk> wrote in message
news:pan.2008.03.20....@hellfire.co.uk...
ARWadworth
"Palindrome" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:UhrEj.125681$Gl5....@fe02.news.easynews.com...
Broken seals on the main fuse are never going to cause a problem if the seal
on the meter is left intact.
Personally I cut seals on a daily basis and have only been investigated
once. Not bad out of the thousands of seals I have cut. The investigator
(some sort of Yorkshire Electric rapid responce unit)turned up 30 minutes
after the meter reader. The meter reader saw the cut seals and me changing
the CU and reported me. The investigator took one look at what I was doing,
called the meter reader a wanker and had a brew with me. I met him again a
few years later when I called YE over a PME supply with an out of spec
earth. He remembered me.
As to the OP and changing the CU then part P of the building regs apply and
these stop a DIYer just changing the fuse box. You either need to self
certify (by joining the NICEIC etc) or pay for a building control notice to
have your work inspected. There is nothing stopping someone doing the work
if they are competent to do so and keeping their mouth shut.
Adam
Uno-Hoo!
I think I'll probably bite the bullet and pay someone to come and do the
job!
Kev
ARWadworth
"Uno-Hoo!" <Uno-Hoo@NOSPAMbigfootdotcom> wrote in message
news:1f-dneKGnbX3r3Ta...@pipex.net...
How old are your cables? Swapping a fuse box for a split load CU can cause
trippng problems on the RCD if the cables are old or bodges have been done
on the wiring.
Adam