UK Add new outlets in house with original fuse box

[Pretty Mouth]

A board change would be best, but I appreciate there may not be the budget for this. An alternative way could be an RCD in an enclosure immediately downstream of the rewireable fuse, with the ring terminated into it. This would likely bring the circuit into compliance, assuming no other existing issues, allowing the alterations to be done. It could all be done inexpensively, as a minor works.

 

[Bidges]

New sockets aside, I would give serious consideration to a new consumer unit. They have moved on leaps and bounds since the old Wylex 3036 rewireable boards. Your house and your safety will be much better off for it.

 

[cdayuk]

I am coming around to that, although maybe not until next summer due to all the clutter in my house which will make it harder. Meanwhile, the 'garage board' workaround could hopefully enable me to replace my boiler soon rather than risking it fail during the winter. Last weekend, a very helpful electrician who had been rewiring a nearby house, I suspect one of the first on the estate to be rewired, also considered that it was a grey area, and importantly indicated that he knew an electrician who would probably be able do it.

Having confirmed the facts, it really does seem disproportionate that the the introduction of the 18th Edition Regs meant that overnight simple jobs that could be previously be signed-off easily could, when green gue was present as it will be in many properties constructed in the 1960s, only be signed-off after a full rewire.

Surely overreach: while modern installations undoubtedly provide more protection, there don't seem to be many cases of people actually suffering harm, relative to risks in other everyday activities. And as far as I know, there are no campaigns encouraging householders to upgrade their electrics, no date set by which old fuse boxes must be replaced, and equally no requirement for properties' electrics to be tested periodically - say every ten years - to ensure that they are safe.

In my case, although not a taxpayer, and losing my winter fuel allowance, having lived very frugally for many years ultimately I can afford to have my house rewired if necessary, although it's a lot of money.

Thank you all for the advice!

 

[Bidges]

I am coming around to that, although maybe not until next summer due to all the clutter in my house which will make it harder. Meanwhile, the 'garage board' workaround could hopefully enable me to replace my boiler soon rather than risking it fail during the winter. Last weekend, a very helpful electrician who had been rewiring a nearby house, I suspect one of the first on the estate to be rewired, also considered that it was a grey area, and importantly indicated that he knew an electrician who would probably be able do it.

Having confirmed the facts, it really does seem disproportionate that the the introduction of the 18th Edition Regs meant that overnight simple jobs that could be previously be signed-off easily could, when green gue was present as it will be in many properties constructed in the 1960s, only be signed-off after a full rewire.

Surely overreach: while modern installations undoubtedly provide more protection, there don't seem to be many cases of people actually suffering harm, relative to risks in other everyday activities. And as far as I know, there are no campaigns encouraging householders to upgrade their electrics, no date set by which old fuse boxes must be replaced, and equally no requirement for properties' electrics to be tested periodically - say every ten years - to ensure that they are safe.

In my case, although not a taxpayer, and losing my winter fuel allowance, having lived very frugally for many years ultimately I can afford to have my house rewired if necessary, although it's a lot of money.

Thank you all for the advice!

I understand what you're saying about how new regs may seem disproportionate for minor alterations, but that's because of a culmination of the number of regulation changes which have come out since your consumer unit was installed. For example, if it were an early 18th edition board then it could still raise an eyebrow for older Type-AC RCD's, but that's less of a worry than no RCD at all.

Nobody can force a homeowner to upgrade their electrical installation, but to put it into perspective, if you were to have an electrical safety inspection (EICR) then it would be deemed unsatisfactory and coded a C2 (potentially dangerous) and anyone adding sockets without stopping it from being potentially dangerous by adding RCD protection would be responsible if you or your property came to harm.

I liken it to an old car with no seatbelts or airbags. Nobody can force you to upgrade, but it's potentially dangerous if something goes wrong. Or put simply, RCD's save lives.

 

[cdayuk]

I liken it to an old car with no seatbelts or airbags. Nobody can force you to upgrade, but it's potentially dangerous if something goes wrong. Or put simply, RCD's save lives.

There's a difference between being required to install an RCD and being required to have a full rewire when all the houses around have similar electrics to mine...

Actually, my first car didn't have seat belts, but as I was by then flying gliders, I knew their value and arranged to have them fitted!