I dont really want to change the whole board
Steve
[
[Edited on 17/7/11 by steve m]
I have a fuse box similar to this one in my house, can i replace the fuses only with a switch/trip fuse?
I dont really want to change the whole board
Steve
[
[Edited on 17/7/11 by steve m]
Yes, i believe so. (well you can, they are available)
When we moved into our house, someone had already done this. They simply plug into the existing positions.
Screwfix has them, or used too anyway..
http://www.screwfix.com/p/wylex-32a-sp-type-b-curve-mcb/87979
Thanks, just the answer i was after
steve
Obiously that will only give you MCB and not RCD functionality.
6 of those £60 quid odd.
Bear in mind you can get a brand new CU for not much more than that which would also offer RCD.
[Edited on 17/7/11 by BenB]
I would strongly recommend that you get a proper sparky to have a look at it. With a fuse box of that age there are bound to be other issues in the property and he will advise you on what you need to do to make sure it is safe
If that was my consumer unit I would be rather concerned about the rest of the wiring!!
Dave
All comments noted, thanks, Steve
I know a sparky, his house has a similar fusebox he fitted about 40 (probably more) years ago. 4 fuses, upstairs ring, downstairs ring, lighting,
cooker. That's it. He sees no reason to change.
The latest consumer units and so on haven't made a lot of difference to safety, unless anybody can point out some figures that I haven't
seen. They have kept sparky's in work though. (I have nothing against sparky's before anybody jumps down my throat.)
And if it needs replacing then yes, use the latest stuff. And if it has the old rubber insulated wires anywhere they really ought to be replaced (the
insulation breaks up badly with age)
Its always tempting to tart up an existing system, but for the extra cost involved I would change the entire board. It will give you extra fuses to expand the system and will give the insurance less excuse to reject a claim if anything were to go up in smoke. Just my poinion of course.
And can you be a bit more careful when painting , dont get it on the wood next time ,or do the whole lot!!!
quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
I know a sparky, his house has a similar fusebox he fitted about 40 (probably more) years ago. 4 fuses, upstairs ring, downstairs ring, lighting, cooker. That's it. He sees no reason to change.
The latest consumer units and so on haven't made a lot of difference to safety, unless anybody can point out some figures that I haven't seen. They have kept sparky's in work though. (I have nothing against sparky's before anybody jumps down my throat.)
And if it needs replacing then yes, use the latest stuff. And if it has the old rubber insulated wires anywhere they really ought to be replaced (the insulation breaks up badly with age)
I'd just do the important stuff.....
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like the one that runs the 250 amp welder in the garage.
Paul G
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
I know a sparky, his house has a similar fusebox he fitted about 40 (probably more) years ago. 4 fuses, upstairs ring, downstairs ring, lighting, cooker. That's it. He sees no reason to change.
The latest consumer units and so on haven't made a lot of difference to safety, unless anybody can point out some figures that I haven't seen. They have kept sparky's in work though. (I have nothing against sparky's before anybody jumps down my throat.)
And if it needs replacing then yes, use the latest stuff. And if it has the old rubber insulated wires anywhere they really ought to be replaced (the insulation breaks up badly with age)
The difference there is that, i assume the spark has lived in that house 40 years and thus knows that no one has f**ked with the wiring. Those boards arent dangerous when the installation is in good order. Over a long time it becomes more likely that a diyer will have bodged something, even if its not specifically to do with the wiring - ie, made a shelf bracket live by skimming a cable with the screw. New boards are safe becase the rcd compensates for an awful lot of otherwise dangerous situations.
As for statistics, AFAIK no one has died of electrocution in a house with a correctly fitted rcd. You cant ask for much more than that?
As for the op, a new board would be around £300 plus any fault finding. Replacing the fuses is more about convinience than safety.
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
quote:
Originally posted by cliftyhanger
I know a sparky, his house has a similar fusebox he fitted about 40 (probably more) years ago. 4 fuses, upstairs ring, downstairs ring, lighting, cooker. That's it. He sees no reason to change.
The latest consumer units and so on haven't made a lot of difference to safety, unless anybody can point out some figures that I haven't seen. They have kept sparky's in work though. (I have nothing against sparky's before anybody jumps down my throat.)
And if it needs replacing then yes, use the latest stuff. And if it has the old rubber insulated wires anywhere they really ought to be replaced (the insulation breaks up badly with age)
The difference there is that, i assume the spark has lived in that house 40 years and thus knows that no one has f**ked with the wiring. Those boards arent dangerous when the installation is in good order. Over a long time it becomes more likely that a diyer will have bodged something, even if its not specifically to do with the wiring - ie, made a shelf bracket live by skimming a cable with the screw. New boards are safe becase the rcd compensates for an awful lot of otherwise dangerous situations.
As for statistics, AFAIK no one has died of electrocution in a house with a correctly fitted rcd. You cant ask for much more than that?
As for the op, a new board would be around £300 plus any fault finding. Replacing the fuses is more about convinience than safety.
As a spark all I can say that a new Consumer unit with RCD IS the safest way to go, Changing your wired fuses to MCB will only protect the circuits
better NOT YOU should you come into contact with a live wire.
That said you also have to take into consideration that in upgrading your consumer unit would require you under the new regulations to have the whole
house tested and certified by an approved electrician, though your local buildings regulations dept can usually sort this for you.
So the choice is yours really
1) Conveniance of MBB's and better WIRING protection
OR
2) Better safety for YOU & FAMILY by upgrading to RCD consumer unit.
Hope this helps
RD 
Oh dear, hornets nest approaching!!!
I only asked a question!!
Oh dear indeed, makes me want to YAWN steve lol
ha ha. ben
yawn or not, i do wonder why you want to swap them! £60 for no gain really, as rewireable fuses very rarely break, and certainly not when light bulbs blow. So you arent gaining much convinience, and it certainly is no safer.
quote:
Originally posted by rallyingden
As a spark...
Hard not to recommend them when it pays your wages.
The fixed wiring in the building isn't the only possible source of faults, a dodgy appliance is probably more likely to cause you harm than
anything else.
An RCD will trip at 30mA fault current in a couple of ms. A fusible link will not trip until it's been running at several times it's rating
(so at least tens of amps) for possibly a good fraction of a second. If the fault current is low enough it may not trip at all. MCB's aren't
much better than fuses, other than being able to turn them back on again (most of the time). I know which I'd rather have protecting my supply
when I whizz through the mains flex on my angry grinder.
If you are working with power tools or anything where there is a risk you could damage the cable/appliance, then I'd have an RCD somewhere in the
circuit, even if it's only a plug in adaptor.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by rallyingden
As a spark...
...you earn your living by installing new consumer units amongst other things