Butchering a consumer unit Part deux

littlespark

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Heating system in a local church which is basically tubular heaters under a few pews.

A local company has already quoted thousands to rip all this out and start again. The committee are reluctant to spend massive amounts as the building only gets used for 2 hours once a fortnight.
It’s old, but it all works.
471CB6BF-E147-4C66-AA98-5C7A00053012.jpeg


Main switch on left is always on to power everything here.
The silver box next is a contactor.... will get to that in a minute..
Next is the mainswitch for the fuseboard... they turn this on during the week before a service.... but only sends power to the top of the contactor.
Next is the fuseboard.... 6 fuses across 3 phases going out on the old twin and earths that disappear into the wall below it then go to heaters.
The rightmost MEM switch doesn’t get used. Neither does the circular mechanical time clock below.... which is marked as suppliers clock.
The electronic programmer beside it appears to have replaced another mechanical clock which energises the contactor coil.... the switch below that overrides the programmer.... which is now surplus to requirements as the electronic programmer has its own override button.

So, just to make things a little safer without tearing it all out, could I take the guts out the fusebox and install a DIN rail with rcbo’s?
Leave the box and lid as it is, but fix a Perspex shield with a hole for the rcbo’s to stick through so they can be reset, but all the connections are safely behind the barrier.

6B045797-C179-4E4E-86DD-54AF9D89F9B3.jpeg

Whew... long post.
There’s a fairly modern 4 gang plastic CU elsewhere serving lighting and power, so I’m quoting to change this to rcbo as well.

ps, the other box a foot below the switch is a room thermostat, and if it’s also surplus, it’s coming out for LN.
 
If the right-most switch is no longer used, and the mechanical timer below it also obsolete, could you not just replace the box with the 6 rewirable fuses with a suitable DIN rail box and some RCBOs?

Space would be an issue, but you can probably take those cables in the rear of a box and the top mated to the trunking.
 
RCBOs, with their test buttons, means this solution can't be used.
What makes the test button on an RCD/BO any different to the trip mechanism on an MCB or even the pulling of the original ceramic fuse???
 
The most common tripping event, In the days of tungsten bulbs MCB would trip whenever a bulb blew, if a home owner knew that and replaced the bulb, the short circuit had been eliminated so resetting the MCB would not be against a short circuit, not reliable for all events, but.
 
I have no idea why you are intending to create an ad hoc dist board. I would give them two options, divert the supply into an rcd which isn't ideal or completely replace the board. The fact they are not keen on spending too much money would be of no concern to me.
 
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