Domestic fuse boards

[dinger809]

Hello chaps, looking at different boards for dwellings. MK don’t make them anymore, Schneider are hit and miss with knockouts knocking out and the wholesaler “own brands” ( the ones they push) can be somewhat tight. I’m looking at Hager and wondering on views, before I commit to buying the 12 I need for a job I’m about to start. Many thanks

 

[multimick]

i have fitted LVE, loads of late ,never a problem with them rcbo's about a tenner and no earth leads .

 

[SJD]

Whichever you choose, I'd avoid RCBOs that need earth leads, they make it harder to leave the board not looking like a bowl of spaghetti.

At the cheaper end of the market, I've currently given up on Contactum because of the RCBO earth leads, and installed a few Fusebox ones lately.

 

[dinger809]

Thanks all. I’ll take a look at some of those other boards and compare prices.

 

[telectrix]

BG with their compact RCBOs for me. budget price for good quality.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

If money allows I will always go for Hager
Did fit a load of MK ones recently as they were reduced to clear in homebase. small ones okay, but 10 ways you get the famous MK slant!
If budget is tight and customer wont pay then its Steeple (denmans own brand).
I am looking at the fusebox brand in future.

I am waiting to see if Schneider will continue to make MCBS for MK boards, as they have been making the MK switchgear for a few years now. they may just say our mcbs are okay for Mk boards... time will tell.

 

[Dobes_88]

Contactum for me, solidly built at a budget price. Have fitted the RCBO boards for years without any issues - SPD kit is also under £40.

 

[davesparks]

If money allows I will always go for Hager
Did fit a load of MK ones recently as they were reduced to clear in homebase. small ones okay, but 10 ways you get the famous MK slant!
If budget is tight and customer wont pay then its Steeple (denmans own brand).
I am looking at the fusebox brand in future.

I am waiting to see if Schneider will continue to make MCBS for MK boards, as they have been making the MK switchgear for a few years now. they may just say our mcbs are okay for Mk boards... time will tell.

Merlin Gerin used to make MK MCB's, but as far as I know they haven't done since before the rebranded to schneider.
I believe the most recent range of MK mcbs have been made by Siemens.

 

[JOURNEYMAN]

I've just purchased a CP fusebox with surge protection and rcbos, my first try with them for less than £150 delivered and the build quality isn't bad at all and not flimsy. No earths on the rcbos, nice and easy.There's plenty of room inside and not cramped. I'll update later how I get on with it but at that price and several other sparks recommending them it's certainly an up and coming make to look out for and consider. Hager is nice but just so pricey especially when competing in the domestic market. I've also fitted plenty of BG boards with no problems. MK have lost it for me as quality has gone downhill in recent years especially with accessory screws. Wylex good but a little pricey. Tried CEF own brand M2 which was ugly and very basic although it did the job with no comebacks. Most fuse boards I fit tend to be out of sight in a cupboard or under stairs somewhere and end up with client's leaning the vacuum cleaner, sweeping brush, mop and any other rubbish against them anyway so aesthetics aren't terribly important unless on show.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I'm surprised Hagar is so popular. I realise it is probably a very nice board to fit and make neat but the cost puts me off. If I gave the choice of a dual RCD hagar or dual RCD BG board to a customer I'm pretty sure the customer would go for the BG as it would be far cheaper. It would also be just as safe as a Hagar board. The price difference would be even more evident with a BG RCBO consumer unit compared to a Hagar RCBO CU.

Could I ask why so many of you prefer to quote the higher priced hagar to a customer? What are it's advantages over a BG board?

 

[Andy78]

I'm surprised Hagar is so popular. I realise it is probably a very nice board to fit and make neat but the cost puts me off. If I gave the choice of a dual RCD hagar or dual RCD BG board to a customer I'm pretty sure the customer would go for the BG as it would be far cheaper. It would also be just as safe as a Hagar board. The price difference would be even more evident with a BG RCBO consumer unit compared to a Hagar RCBO CU.

Could I ask why so many of you prefer to quote the higher priced hagar to a customer? What are it's advantages over a BG board?

I have used Hager for years and years and find them to be completely reliable in terms of switchgear build quality and lifespan. I used to work for a commercial installation firm and we installed lots of it due to it being a council specced brand and having lots of council work.
I have used BG several times before and found issues every time I have used them. Broken terminal threads, RCDS not meeting trip times, main switches splitting when tightened, general poor quality, so decided long ago that they were a brand not worth bothering with to me.

Back when I was installing dual RCD insulated units the price difference between Hager and BG was less than £20 so wasn't even worth considering penny pinching. From personal experience it's a McDonalds or steak and chips scenario.

When I moved to installing RCBO as my only option, I found Hager far too pricey so looked around for other brands. Not from wanting to not use Hager, but from the understanding that most others would be undercutting me using BG/MK/Cudis/etc.

I'm currently getting prices for Hager from local sources as the prices have come down a little and I'd like to start offering them as an option to customers again. Still coming out pricey though.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

I have used Hager for years and years and find them to be completely reliable in terms of switchgear build quality and lifespan. I used to work for a commercial installation firm and we installed lots of it due to it being a council specced brand and having lots of council work.
I have used BG several times before and found issues every time I have used them. Broken terminal threads, RCDS not meeting trip times, main switches splitting when tightened, general poor quality, so decided long ago that they were a brand not worth bothering with to me.

Back when I was installing dual RCD insulated units the price difference between Hager and BG was less than £20 so wasn't even worth considering penny pinching. From personal experience it's a McDonalds or steak and chips scenario.

When I moved to installing RCBO as my only option, I found Hager far too pricey so looked around for other brands. Not from wanting to not use Hager, but from the understanding that most others would be undercutting me using BG/MK/Cudis/etc.

I'm currently getting prices for Hager from local sources as the prices have come down a little and I'd like to start offering them as an option to customers again. Still coming out pricey though.

That's interesting Andy as I have not come across any of those issues with BG. No broken terminals and no faulty RCD's. As for the main switch, that is one of the reasons I stopped using wylex and moved to BG as the Wylex main switch starts splitting when tightening the tails whereas I find the BG doesn't.

I may quote for a Hagar board soon just so that I can have a see for myself. Thanks for the input.

 

[Andy78]

That's interesting Andy as I have not come across any of those issues with BG. No broken terminals and no faulty RCD's. As for the main switch, that is one of the reasons I stopped using wylex and moved to BG as the Wylex main switch starts splitting when tightening the tails whereas I find the BG doesn't.

I may quote for a Hagar board soon just so that I can have a see for myself. Thanks for the input.

Yes I realise that many people use BG regularly and don't have problems. Maybe I was unlucky, but I think that I gave them a fair shot. Probably about 5 consumer units over the course of 18 months. This was before metal clad boards though so I realise things could have changed.

I have literally never had a faulty Hager anything that i can recall. That goes for their Sollysta accessories too.

If you PM me I'd be happy to share my recent Hager prices.

 

[Risteard]

Yes I realise that many people use BG regularly and don't have problems. Maybe I was unlucky, but I think that I gave them a fair shot. Probably about 5 consumer units over the course of 18 months. This was before metal clad boards though so I realise things could have changed.

I have literally never had a faulty Hager anything that i can recall. That goes for their Sollysta accessories too.

If you PM me I'd be happy to share my recent Hager prices.

I've had one faulty B10 RCBO (double module SP+N) once, but that's about it. I always spec Hager.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Where do you guys buy your Dual Pole RCBO's from?

 

[Andy78]

Where do you guys buy your Dual Pole RCBO's from?

I think only SBS and Wylex currently offer DP rcbo in single module. Not completely sure though.