Does my consumer unit need upgrading?

1) My fuse box looks old does it need a new one? 

We are asked this question regularly by many different customers in Liverpool and there is often not a one size fits all answer. The age of your fusebox will mean that it may need changing although many fuseboxes can provide continued service for many decades it doesn’t mean that they should necessarily be left to do so. 

2) What do I mean by this?

Well, let us compare the old fuse box to an old car. An old car will get you from A to B just like a newer car will. The issue we have is that an older car is missing many key safety and other features. Cars over a certain age may not have seat belts, air bags, crumple zones and may have old drum style brakes. The car may not have good fuel economy, it may be noisy, thinner tyres and sluggish performance. It may have failing components that can’t be seen but are likely to cause issues soon.

3) “An MOT will likely pick up on serious safety concerns but will likely not pick up on any drivetrain or engine components that are likely to fail soon. We can carry out an electrical MOT for you when needed.”

Now, lets look at the fuseboard. An older style fuseboard will continue to provide electricity to your home just as a modern unit would but like the car there will be many key safety features missing. Modern Fuseboards / consumer units are designed with switches rather than fuse wire. These are able to withstand a higher fault current when there is a problem. They are able to be reset quickly after something happens such as a blown light bulb causing the circuit to trip. This can be a fiddly pain in a rewireable fuse board.

The modern fuseboard contains special devices that protect against electric shock in your home. A feature that is often missing with older style consumer units. Modern RCBO devices separate the circuits from each other minimising inconvenience in the event of a fault. These devices are designed to save lives in the way a car air bag is. The RCBO device will detect somebody having an electric shock and disconnect the power to the circuit. These can also assist in detecting when cables have melted or may cause fire under the right circumstances.

There are now devices that protect against electrical arcing and sparking. ARC FAULT DETECTION DEVICES or AFDD are here and becoming more affordable. These can detect when connections are arcing and disconnect the affected circuit.

This may not answer the initial question of DOES MY CONSUMER UNIT NEED UPGRADING but it may go some way to assisting you in making a decision.

This optional approach to upgrading the consumer unit / fuseboard is all very well but if you are considering having works carried out then it may be an absolute necessity to have the consumer unit replaced. The electrical wiring regulations in the UK are in place to ensure the safety of electrical installations for users and owners of those installations and they are regulations that have to be followed. There are minor grey areas and areas where clarification is sometimes necessary for the engineer installing electrical equipment but on the whole the regulations are very clear.

4) When would I absolutely need a new consumer unit?

If you had a very old consumer unit that was no longer compliant with the regulations or parts of your installation needed upgrading before further work could be carried out then it may be necessary for you to have an upgraded unit fitted.  In some circumstances your electrician may insist that an electrical MOT is carried out. This is known as a periodic inspection. The resultant paperwork produced is an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR). You see, we sometimes cannot install a brand new consumer unit into a very old electrical installation as there can be hidden issues. An older consumer unit has much older technology that is not capable of finding hidden faults like a newer unit can. In these cases, we have to test the electrical installation before comitting to installing a new consumer unit. It is best to find the issues before we remove the old unit from the wall as you could potentially be left without power whilst wiring problems are fixed.

That maybe has still not answered the question….. DOES MY CONSUMER UNIT NEED UPGRADING?

Consider the following:

5) Are you selling the home?

6) Are you doing any major work to your home?

7) Is your existing consumer unit damaged or very old?

If you answered YES to any of the above then it is a good idea to have your consumer unit checked, an inspection carried out and possible replacement of the unit depending on the test results that come back from the inspection.

If you are not planning on major work to your home, not selling or renting your property and the existing unit looks to be in good condition then you may be okay to leave things as they are.

8) I didn’t get the answer I was after, i'm worried about the age and condition of the electrics can you help?

So I appreciate that the blog above is not telling you to do one thing or another. We are in business to make money and to grow the business. We will not do this by carrying out unnecessary work or for customers that will not benefit from the work we do. We will always give an unbiased opinion of your electrical installation. If you are worried about the age of your electrical installation then there are a number of things that we can do to help.

• We can carry out a visual inspection and produce a short report. This is of limited use but is the most economic option.
• We can carry out a periodic inspection and produce a much longer and more detailed report for you. This is possibly the most useful option.
• In rare circumstances we can tell you from photographs, free of charge that your property will need rewiring and the consumer unit replacing. These are rare circumstances though and very few installation are old enough for us to judge this accurately.

9) What should I do?

If you thinking….. DOES MY CONSUMER UNIT NEED UPRGRADING? Then give us a call for an informal chat. We can start with some photographs from you via whatsapp or even pop in when we are passing for a quick chat.

Normally the best thing to do is to have an electrical inspection carried out. This will advise you of exactly where you stand, the condition of your installation, the approximate age of the installation, any issues that need urgent attention, any issue that should be investigated and any recommendations for improvement.

Most importantly, never sit and worry about your electrical installation. We are here to help and we will advise you what is needed. Contact us today!