New consumer unit ...

[LeeElms]

Well, just to add one more electrical thread -

How much would you expect an electrician to charge to install & do the necessary testing for a new domestic consumer unit (not including the cost of the consumer unit itself). There are 7 MCBs in the current consumer unit.

 

[devonwoody]

I had ours done around 7 years ago and he took around 90 minutes.

I think I paid around £30. However I did have to sort out a problem myself because a particular mcb kept failing and I had to go up in the loft and find the circuit I had messed up sometime in the past.

 

[llangatwgnedd]

Approx £250 for new box and trips, earth bonding whole house, also testing and certificate issued.

Oh, four years ago.

Oh again, I did have one fault which was the house did not have a proper earth, sorted same morning.

 

[LeeElms]

I've been quoted £300 (1 day) to install it, and 7x£30 for testing (7 circuits) making about £600 if you include the consumer unit itself. This was a little more than I had expected.

 

[Russell]

Just paid £700 to have one moved, new unit installed with each circuit with its own RDC thing. and a new kitchen ring main and supplies for cooker and hob installed.

 

[Dibs-h]

I've been quoted £300 (1 day) to install it, and 7x£30 for testing (7 circuits) making about £600 if you include the consumer unit itself. This was a little more than I had expected.

Is it going to take him most of 1 day to test all 7 circuits?

 

[LeeElms]

He just said that it would take 1 day to install the unit (£300) and £30 (reduced from the 'standard' £35) per circuit to test.

To me that sounds like the whole job was going to take the best part of 2 days !

He didn't indicate that there were any special complications ... I certainly couldn't see any.

I'll be interested to get some further quotes; I'll enquire a little more about the time etc.

 

[wobblycogs]

My spark reckoned he could replace and test my 12 way CU in a long day which would cost about £300, any faults found would be extra to fix. Moving a CU is often significantly more expensive because of the need to extend / shorten wires. £600 sounds like it's time you found another spark.

 

[LeeElms]

The input has been very useful. Thanks to all.

 

[devonwoody]

What the heck.

Remove company fuse.

disconnect leads from old fuse box.

Screw new consumer unit to wall.

Insert leads.

ALL DAY, what the pineapple?

 

[PeterBassett]

I agree wit DW however I'm sure you're not *allowed* to do that sort of thing anymore...

I wouldn't want to either. I like to have lights on in my house at night.

 

[Jonzjob]

We have just had our consumer unit changed from a fused one to double pole C/Bs, also the smaller unit for the solar water heating, immersion heater and boiler. 1800€ and that was the least of 3 quotes from reputable elecies...

The new unit has a surge suppressor, 3 RCDs and 22 C/Bs :shock: :shock:

 

[gwaithcoed]

Woody wrote

What the heck.

Remove company fuse.

disconnect leads from old fuse box.

Screw new consumer unit to wall.

Insert leads.

I'm with you man, been there done that :shock: :shock:

Alan
PS I was an electrical engineer before retiring.

 

[Dibs-h]

Sorry to hijack Lee's post - but is seems related (very).

In other countries - Euro as well as US - homes seems to have metal, dare I say commercial style - "consumer" units.

Is there any reason why that isn't the case here? Cost? Regs?

Cheers

Dibs

 

[wobblycogs]

I've wondered that too after seeing the fuse box of a friends place in Spain. My guess was because they tend to have a lot more circuits than we do being all radial. Since a commercial and residential CU would be of similar size industrial style metal ones are probably a lot cheaper than they are here due to the bigger market. Just my guess though...

 

[Jonzjob]

Just as a matter of interest about different wiring? A couple of years back I was trying to find out where a particular connection was in our house wiring. There are a load of about 7 X 5" plastic covers spread around the house on the walls, about a foot up drom the floor. I had a thought that what I was looking for was under the one just inside the kitchen door. So I took the lid off!

It went back on a lot quicker than it came off! The clear plastic cover on the right is the relay that controls the lights for the 4 way switching for the kitchen lights. The French use a very strick colour coding. Any colour in the rainbow, but leave green/yellow for earth, sometimes!

 

[devonwoody]

Well Jonz, you do have a picture of where each wire goes which might come in handy. :wink:

 

[Jonzjob]

DW, I may well know where they are in that jar of worms, but who in hell knows where they go???

Wobbly, you are correct. Ring main is against the law here. Everything radiates from the con unit, so you have things that would be on a 3 amp fuse in the plug in the U.K. on a 16 amp breaker here.. You are allowed 8 sockets off that one CB. Twin and earth are a no no too. The earth has to be the same size as the line and insulated. The differences go on and on!

Sorry for the hi-jack..

 

[wobblycogs]

That can of worms certainly looks exciting. I only have a passing knowledge of European wiring but their shunning of the ring circuit, I personally think, is a good thing. Both ring and radial designs have advantages and draw backs but over all I think the radial comes out on top.

The one thing I can't understand though is the insistence on separate wires rather than twin and earth. The separate wires system just cries out for a cowboy to pull in only a live and have a common neutral for everything which you wouldn't discover until you overloaded it. With T&E you would have to be monumentally lazy or stupid to end up with that situation.

 

[Dibs-h]

That can of worms certainly looks exciting. I only have a passing knowledge of European wiring but their shunning of the ring circuit, I personally think, is a good thing. Both ring and radial designs have advantages and draw backs but over all I think the radial comes out on top.

The one thing I can't understand though is the insistence on separate wires rather than twin and earth. The separate wires system just cries out for a cowboy to pull in only a live and have a common neutral for everything which you wouldn't discover until you overloaded it. With T&E you would have to be monumentally lazy or stupid to end up with that situation.

Why would a radial come out top over a ring?

Cheers

Dibs