Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg????

[electro]

Hi


looked at a handful of jobs that had so call upgrades on domestic properties, which in essence meant new distribution boards. The electricians were happy at the time to install new distribution board and issue new installation certificate (all readings fine). On a deeper investigation floorboards were lifted and a list of problems exposed, cables rapped around pipes, cables installed just underneath the boards. Cables run along side extra low voltage cables, junction boxes hid away. On reflection the electricians would not have certificated this work and taken reasonability for it, had they known. Would do you guys think/feel about this matter..


Regards

 

[kung]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

This is the problem there is only so much we can do and a new cu would require a cert as you said and this will require tests to installation etc that was done so when the cert was issued it will have limitations of work covered by the cert unless you have full permission from customer to remove floorboards etc and do a full P.I.R you wouldnt know whats happening if test results are fine thats all we can do. Imagine how long a cu upgrade would take if we had to inspect everything (lift floorboards etc) Take your point but not really down to us if the customer only wants cu upgrade and nothing else touched like in a P.I.R you have LIM.
Regards
Tony.

 

[pushrod]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

Very interested in this myself as this is the sort of work i envisage doing when qualified. I know from my own house that there are problems associated with a CU upgrade as there is no earth on the lighting circuit (dates back to approx late 1960's) and previous owner has fitted class 1 light fittings that require an earth. Is it possible to do the work and just make notes on test certificates as to inadequacies or do you have to turn the work away if the client refuses to have necessary improvements carried out.

 

[Guest123]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

Hey all.

This topic has been debated to death on at least 3 other threads.

Check these out.

http://esc.org.uk/pdfs/business-and-community/electrical-industry/BPG1_08.pdf

 

[electro]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

Hey all.

This topic has been debated to death on at least 3 other threads.

Check these out.

http://esc.org.uk/pdfs/business-and-community/electrical-industry/BPG1_08.pdf

Hi


Thanks for your negative reply lenny. If this has been done before which I'm not aware, it will naturally disappear in to the Ethernet. If we stop discussing items that have been discussed before the forum would grind to holt. This issue has surfaced because we are changing distribution boards more than ever because of the 17th edition. Sorry people if this sounds like a rant but some people on this forum put more effect into criticizing.


my mom use to say if you have nothing good to say..... you know the rest...


Regards

 

[markspark]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

suppose easiest way around it would be to do a periodic inspection prior to doing the consumer unit! if you can get the customer to pay for it!!
as it states on the pir that floor boards havent been lifted etcetc

 

[Guest123]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

Hi

Sorry people if this sounds like a rant but some people on this forum put more effect into criticizing.


my mom use to say if you have nothing good to say..... you know the rest...


Regards

Who's criticising who now then, there's nowt worse than a hypocrite

Also if you mean by that statement that my input is ineffective and of no use then I'll gladly stop.

I see now why the "old guard" have disappeared off this forum.

I was merely stating that this topic had been discussed only last week.

 

[electro]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

Hi


oh come on lenny don't get stroppy. I started the post from something that came up in another thread If there's no interest the post will soon disappear, it appeared you killed the thread from your post, as a senior member I would expect better. Its a issue I hear about a lot and I wondered what other peoples views were.


I hope the people like myself who missed the thread before find it of some interest?


Regards

 

[bathroomboy]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

I find this interesting as most of my work is bathrooms, where if I want to put something it has to be protected by an rcd, and the price of putting in individual rcbos or a local fcu rcd it may make more sense if i offer to upgrade the board, but as said above the existing installation could cause problems if it's not up to scratch.

 

[Paul_Rawlinson]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

at the end of the day by upgrading the CU to a 17th dual RCD you are making the installation safer. yes of course you do all the tests as required, and bonding, but its impractical to lift boards and look in lofts. If you lifed board people would be annoyed with the mess, the extra time and of course the increase in cost.

 

[pushrod]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

Hey all.

This topic has been debated to death on at least 3 other threads.

Check these out.

http://esc.org.uk/pdfs/business-and-community/electrical-industry/BPG1_08.pdf

have you got the the link to the threads . The one above is very interesting/useful and already had it in my favourites , but searched the last 4 pages on this forum and didn't find anything obviously on upgading CUs from the titles.

 

[wattsup]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

I am quite comfortable, it is better/safer than it was, I know a grey area (the bodies concerned luv scapegoats...except you only give results of the test, you sign as tested. The idiots have taken over the asylem, made matters worst in fact. Like the good old days of bent tests (mot's). This government cannot be trusted with running anything, never mind anything remotely techy

 

[billybob]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

As far as I know,you change the cu,then certify it,noting on the cu cover"cu only".
Therefore making clear you only did that.
Also,nearly every cu you do will discover faults in the original circuitry,so forewarn the customer.

 

[winfit]

Re: Do you feel comfortable upgrading consumer units or is it the tip of the ice berg

Firstly Hi to everyone as I am a newbie.

The biggest issue I am finding in the world of the PIR is the low costs some people are doing them at.

How on earth can a full PIR be done in less than 6 hours and for the princely sum of £90.

Have any of you come across this kind of pricing before or if you are doing a full PIR for this price yourself could you let me know how please ?

I now turn the PIR work away as it does not pay unless the client wants us to do the remedials that have become apparent. (there are always faults).

Would like your thoughts on this ..... and also what do you think a fair price would be for a normal 3 bed semi PIR ?