Best RCBO consumer unit

[Pghstochaj]

This would be my thought, using the new Type A RCBO with switched L and N .

View attachment 49053

Ok so I should keep Wylex on the list it seems then. Thanks

 

[Pete999]

Hi everybody.

In the not too distant future I would like to get my current consumer unit replaced. I want to select the brand for my electrician as I’m a pain and like to research things. I was looking to see whether my thought process seems reasonable so would welcome and appreciate any help please.

I have 14 circuits from my main board at present and want some spares for future expansion (all I can guess for now is the potential for electrical cars). So probably the facility for 16 circuits. I want an all Rcbo board. The current cable runs are rear entry but it could be top entry if required. The board is on show but in a sort of store room (future cinema room?!) so aesthetics are reasonably important. There’s one SWA but from what I can see, it hasn’t been glanded in any shape or form so that will need resolving. I like value for money so not the cheapest but also don’t want to pay unnecessarily!

I love the SBS board, I think the design is brilliant and the prices are also good. However, part of my upgrade is due to poor availability of spares and I’m really struggling to buy something which may have the same problem long term. It annoys me because as far as I can see, it is the best option for an all rcbo board and all boards should move to his design.

Having read up on here, it looks like the 20 way Design 30 board from Hager is the best choice if I want increased certainty of spares. I would then get this populated with 14 x compact RCBOs which seem to be about £22 each. These RCBOs seem to be available from numerous suppliers including screwfix in case any failures occur.

Does this seem reasonable or is there an alternative I should consider? I can see BG will be cheaper to populate but so many people moan About BG (rightly or wrongly?). I want a board which will be as easy as possible to wire up as it will be a busy board and I want to make my electrician’s life as easy as possible.

I’ve also looked at other “unbranded” suppliers for rcbo boards but the certainty of spares makes me want to avoid.

Feedback welcome please, thanks.

Might be best to let the Electrician doing the CU change know what you prefer with regards to what make of CU you want and let Him/her organise the purchase of said item,
If you buy it yourself, any errors omissions will be down to you and could be expensive, by all means ask the Sparky to come with you to the Wholesalers when you make your choice They may not like it much but it's your dosh after all, at the least you can pay there and then and Mr/Mrs/ Ms Sparky will be safe in the knowledge that if you are one of those people who quibble or refuse to pay the Sparky will only be short of cash for their time,

 

[Pghstochaj]

Might be best to let the Electrician doing the CU change know what you prefer with regards to what make of CU you want and let Him/her organise the purchase of said item,
If you buy it yourself, any errors omissions will be down to you and could be expensive, by all means ask the Sparky to come with you to the Wholesalers when you make your choice They may not like it much but it's your dosh after all, at the least you can pay there and then and Mr/Mrs/ Ms Sparky will be safe in the knowledge that if you are one of those people who quibble or refuse to pay the Sparky will only be short of cash for their time,

Understood but I’ve already spoken to them
and they’re not fussed as they understand what I’m like! I work in power industry (chemical engineer) so I like to do my own research and select my own products, as long as it’s not a massive pain for the electrician.

 

[Charlie_]

Understood but I’ve already spoken to them
and they’re not fussed as they understand what I’m like! I work in power industry (chemical engineer) so I like to do my own research and select my own products, as long as it’s not a massive pain for the electrician.

So, your chosen electricians can’t be up to much then? Instead of using their advice/knowledge you would rather do your own research, which basically consists of coming on here and asking other electricians..

 

[Pghstochaj]

So, your chosen electricians can’t be up to much then? Instead of using their advice/knowledge you would rather do your own research, which basically consists of coming on here and asking other electricians..

Not really fair. My electrician is fine, it’s just that he is only one opinion and I want to see further opinions. It’s also rare for a full RCBO board even now so I think that is another reason he doesn't have a strong opinion.

And even if my own research did only involve posting here then it’s still valid research rather than relying on one person’s opinion. But I’ve done a lot more than that, which is probably evident in my first post.

Maybe if you were getting a new boiler you might want to look into what’s best rather than just asking your installer, who might get a bigger commission for x/y? After all, you’ve got to live with it and not the installer. That research might include posting on a forum...

 

[ElectricSeamus]

Oh dear god. Hopefully the OP has the required info as this, like so many threads, has been derailed. I read through just waiting for that first comment. Maybe, just maybe the OP, like all of us, is entitled to do what the hell he wants. Sad.

 

[Charlie_]

I think you need a more experienced electrician, he should be able to give you all the options available and the pros and cons..
Fully populated RCBO boards aren’t rare, just not the most popular.
Have you discussed type A and type AC with him yet?
I don’t think your choice of analogy is a good one.

 

[Pghstochaj]

Oh dear god. Hopefully the OP has the required info as this, like so many threads, has been derailed. I read through just waiting for that first comment. Maybe, just maybe the OP, like all of us, is entitled to do what the hell he wants. Sad.

Cheers. Appreciate the comment, it’s always sad when forums have people commenting like that. If I was asking about doing notifiable work without being competent then I would expect that sort of thing, but this is different.

I think I do have what I need and it’s useful to speak to people that deal with this day in day out. The people I work with only use Schneider acti9 for commercial building services and this is not within my price range.

I’ll go back through the thread tonight and use the info for when I do get the work done so thanks to everybody

 

[Charlie_]

Have I said anything offensive? No.

I have given my perspective of the situation, maybe have a little think about what you are doing.. If I was asked to install a consumer unit for an incompetent person I would hope they would have faith in me..
If that person then said he was going to do his own research and ask advice from other electricians; how do you think that would make me feel?

Does that sort of thing happen to you in your profession?

 

[ElectricSeamus]

It's just part of the process on here. Unfortunately it is disruptive, detracts from the original enquiry and leads to debates about unrelated matters. There are people willing to help as you've found already but I think they are put off when this kind if negativity comes along. If you're in the clique, you're unaffected by forum rules.

 

[Pghstochaj]

I think you need a more experienced electrician, he should be able to give you all the options available and the pros and cons..
Fully populated RCBO boards aren’t rare, just not the most popular.
Have you discussed type A and type AC with him yet?
I don’t think your choice of analogy is a good one.

It is in context of the question I’m asking. I’m not asking detailed design comments on the type of RCD I’m asking about the general board design, aesthetics, quality, equipment availability, price etc. Those are things I need to live with, not my electrician, hence why I’m seeking additional and broader advice.

Presumably I can get a, ac and b RCBOs regardless of supplier so it doesn’t influence me on which board I ask him to fit.

 

[telectrix]

i've fitted a couple of the BG boards with compact RCBOs. only gripe was that the positioning of the din rail is critical ( there's a bit of lstto get the lid on right, and there's 2 fixing screws covered by RCBOs, so you need to get it right before populating/fixing the busbar.

 

[telectrix]

there's 2 sides to this thread.
1.OP wants input on what he will be happy with.
2. the electrician who installs it will have some preferences.
..... end of the day, needs OP to discuss with sparks so both are happy.

 

[Pghstochaj]

Have I said anything offensive? No.

I have given my perspective of the situation, maybe have a little think about what you are doing.. If I was asked to install a consumer unit for an incompetent person I would hope they would have faith in me..
If that person then said he was going to do his own research and ask advice from other electricians; how do you think that would make me feel?

Does that sort of thing happen to you in your profession?

Yes of course it does. If I believed everything that contractors said I wouldn’t have a job. There’s only a limited amount of objectivity in most answers. It’s my money and he has already agreed that he doesn’t have a strong preference and my personality includes the need to verify decisions so therefore it’s likely I will specify the board manufacturer. He’s not upset that I’m involved in the decision any more than when I specified the various lighting controls I wanted when he did some lighting work for me.

If your customer spends his working life around LV and HV electrical equipment, turbines and boilers, it would be odd, in my experience, for them not to want to have a significant involvement in work of this type.

Offensive? No, but I didn’t say that. Unhelpful? Probably.

As an example of the problem with relying on one person’s opinion, this thread has people saying Wylex, hager, MK etc as their preferred boards. If I had asked the electrician who said MK to do the consumer unit replacement he would presumably have advised MK. Should I accept that and tell him to get on with it or rely on the numerous posts on here saying that MK is not the best board?

 

[telectrix]

another ting to consider is this..... your electrician will have his preferences and for the boards he usually installs will have spare RCBOs, and have a rapport with suppliers as if anything goes wrong, replacements will be readily available. that's related to my post ~28