Fuse box replacement

[pawkaldn]

Hi all, I'm after a bit of an advice. We are buying an older property (1930s maisonette) and we had building survey done which pointed out old rewireable fuse board as in the Photo. It's seems only one fuse has been changed to a circuit breaker. The seller says they will have an electrician to do a report but does that look like something that can be changed to a modern consumer unit without rewiring the house? I don't know a lot about electrical installations but would appreciate any help. This also might be a stupid question but if it is possibleb to change it would there be only 3 switches meaning one switch would turn off electricity in 1/3 of the house?

 

[James]

they are circuit breakers, not rewirable fuses.

i expect it is 1 for sockets
1 for lights
1 for cooker or immersion

organise your own electrical report if possible, it is more likely to be independent.

 

[telectrix]

get that CU replaced with a RCBO unit. no need to rewire if wiring is in good condition and safe for continued use. sparks would check all this when fitting new CU.

 

[Wilko]

Yes it is possible to put in a new consumer unit. Its possible the cabling in the house is ok, but it’s also quite possible that some will need replacing. And after you’ve moved in you might like some more sockets or lighting upgrades perhaps. Many Electricians here will attend and do inspections or quotes for upgrades if you need help.

 

[Rockingit]

I'm often in London these days doing 'drop in' kind of things - if you get stuck by all means DM me on here.

 

[SJD]

Is this actually a 4-way board, where the first way is still a fuse (cooker?) but hidden, then there are 3 ways with plug-in MCBs (sockets, lights, immersion/whatever)? Hard to tell from the photo.

As mentioned, have it changed to an all-RCBO unit, with a few spare ways. Perhaps split the lighting to two circuits if easily possible.

 

[James]

I did think after I posted that it might be a 4way with 1 unused way

 

[freddo]

The MCB on the left is green - 45amp, those boards were only rated 30a max per way.

 

[pc1966]

Hi all, I'm after a bit of an advice. We are buying an older property (1930s maisonette) and we had building survey done which pointed out old rewireable fuse board as in the Photo. It's seems only one fuse has been changed to a circuit breaker. The seller says they will have an electrician to do a report but does that look like something that can be changed to a modern consumer unit without rewiring the house?

If the actual wiring is in good condition (which means PVC instead of the old rubber insulation, but not the short period in the late 60s that lead to green goo) then you can just get the board changed and have a much safer system at moderate cost.

PVC wire is typically rated for 25 years at maximum operating temperature. But that is hardly ever encountered so the reality is that PVC not subject to thermal stress, UV light outdoors, or rodent damage, etc, can easily last for 50 years or more without trouble.

A proper ECIR should cover that and anyone quoting for the job could take a quick look as well.

I don't know a lot about electrical installations but would appreciate any help. This also might be a stupid question but if it is possibleb to change it would there be only 3 switches meaning one switch would turn off electricity in 1/3 of the house?

Yes, it is a bit of a trade off as usually you want a little more in terms of separation of circuits to reduce the impact of a fault. But if the flat is only a couple of rooms then it is not going to be worth trying to rewire to separate things.

Traditionally you would have circuits for:

Lights (5A fuse usually), maybe 2 of them
Sockets (30A fuse usually) on a ring-final arrangement, can do 100m^2 of floor area typically
Cooker (varies, but usually 30A or 45A)
Immersion heater (typically 15A fuse)

Bigger houses would generally split the lights as upstairs/downstairs, and sockets per floor as well.

These days you would normally look at separate circuits for things like an electric shower (may take more power than the cooker), possibly separate sockets for the kitchen if gadget-laden, outdoor lights, outdoor power (e.g. garage/shed), and any special cases like electric car charger. Some folk also like to put fridge/freezers on a separate circuit to reduce the risk of food loss in the event of a trip when on holiday, etc.

Having said that, faults should be rare so you have to decide if the cost of an upgrade is worth it for a property that is otherwise in good enough condition and only in need of a new board (with RCD protection for safety and compliance with new regs, and available spare parts just in case).

 

[Taylortwocities]

As above. Only your own independent assessment can determine if the wiring is ok. Whatever you do, make sorting out electrics, water and other big stuff the priority before you start painting snd putting down all that lovely laminate flooring, etc.

I see so many times all that lovely new decoration has to be ripped out because it’s only just been realised that some new wiring etc has to be done.

 

[telectrix]

The MCB on the left is green - 45amp, those boards were only rated 30a max per way.

green base but a 15A MCB?

 

[telectrix]

As above. Only your own independent assessment can determine if the wiring is ok. Whatever you do, make sorting out electrics, water and other big stuff the priority before you start painting snd putting down all that lovely laminate flooring, etc.

I see so many times all that lovely new decoration has to be ripped out because it’s only just been realised that some new wiring etc has to be done.

what's lovely about laminate flooring when fot a bit extra cash you can have solid real wood?. and yes, it does grow on trees.

 

[Dustydazzler]

3 circuits , nice Saturday morning job

 

[Mike Johnson]

Just to pick up on one point, if your survey said they where re-wirable fuse's they where wrong in their description, what you have is an old re-wirable fuse box that has been converted to plug in MCB's, gives me a bit of concern, what else have they inaccurately described.