Reasonable price for installing a C.U.?

[scorpioguy]

Hi folks,
Newbie here. Many thanks in advance for an suggestions or help given.

I am wondering about getting a new consumer unit fitted in my 3 bed terrace.
Would I be best off getting a spark to do it and at what sort of price?

I have never had any electrical problems with the old style fuse box but as I am planning to rent the house out, I have been told that I need to update the fusebox to a new fandangled all singing, all dancing one that trips out and all:drool5:

I read loads of posts on the net about this and still none the wiser about whether I should get someone by law to do it as the local council has to be informed and all that stuff:santa_cheesy:


The electrics were rewired about 30 years ago and over the years some extra work has been done like a new cooker mains run, the old electric shower feed changed to a power shower feed and a extractor fan wired into downstairs lighting circuit.


Now, heres the rub folks. I am dubious about getting a spark in that will probably charge me at least 300 quid plus. I do appreciate that the spark will do all sorts of checks first to check my circuits are o.k. which goes a long way to justifying the installation costs. However, I have not had any problems since a forementioned rewire and all the extra circuits installed since have not cause a problem and been done properly.
Also, one a new fandangled c.u. is installed, it would show up any potential faults or dodgy appliances anyway.?
Thus, all the sparky's pre test stuff seems to be a little over the top if a house has had a proper rewire like mine and has not blown a fuse for any good reason


So, it seems like a lot of cash to lay out ona job I could do myself, then try to find a decent spark and the only thing extra for 300 quid plus (if I am lucky) is a certification at the local council building control that the job has been done safely.

I'll probably get burned for saying all this by a sparky on here but I recon I could do the job pretty well and get a good result for just the price of a new c.u. and won't get ripped off in the process. I got c and g 224 and 236 certificates and all and been playing with this sort of stuff all my life.
If it wasn't for the fact I plan on renting the place out, I would have done this job by now! and saved a lotta dosh..plus not got ripped off ...

Can anyone throw some suggestions my way that don't include too much doom and gloom..lol



Many thanks again for any replies given

A Newbie

 

[Dan]

Hello scorpioguy, welcome aboard. Enjoy the forum.

 

[telectrix]

if you are competent to carry out the work, to be legal you have to notify LABC who will then be responsible for test/inspection. trouble is, they will charge you up to £200 for the privilege.

 

[RISElectrical]

As said above. LABC will want between £150 and £300 depending where you are, plus a decent CU will prob be around the £100 mark (MK or hager, not the B&Q special £50 cu). Paying a spark £400 gives you peace of mind, a good job done, all checks and testing done and notification to LABC. Plus should anything be faulty on the CU the spark supplied this will usually be cover by a guarantee.

As for the new consumer unit showing up faults etc. there is no substitution for proper testing.

 

[DurhamSparky]

firstly your property was rewired 30 years ago!! how do you know its safe? do you have regular inspection reports to clarify this?

do you own any test equipment that in date and calibrated..?

the pretets are carried out for a reason... you might not have ever blown a fuse but then again you might never have noticed you have a N-E fault on the system that will instantly trip a RCD
you might also have a LOW IR reading on a circuit that needs rewiring... Again never blown a fuse!

and as Tel has mentioned LABC will insist on a full set of test results that you wont be able to provide so they will instruct a spark at YOUR cost to obtain them before certification of work... !

is it worth it??? and seen as your renting the place out i would not bother..! as if there was any problems in the future your competence would be called in to question regardless of LABC issuing compliance paperwork!

 

[Top Cat]

Your pet phrase seems to be "being ripped off". Do you think a days work, a new consumer unit, the test equipment we have to buy,the calibration of said equipment, the cost of annual inspections from a governing body and the costs of getting to your property for £300.00 is a "rip off"?

A new consumer unit with all the "fandangled bits" would not pick up reversed polarity and that is potentially fatal!

 

[Des 56]

I have just one comment to make,given the attitude of the post
I feel sorry for the electrician who has the misfortune to end up doing this job

 

[DurhamSparky]

i walked away from a similar job....! landlord wanted teh far end of a fart for pennys...! told him to phone some one else!

 

[sedgy34]

Hi folks,
Newbie here. Many thanks in advance for an suggestions or help given.

I am wondering about getting a new consumer unit fitted in my 3 bed terrace.
Would I be best off getting a spark to do it and at what sort of price?

I have never had any electrical problems with the old style fuse box but as I am planning to rent the house out, I have been told that I need to update the fusebox to a new fandangled all singing, all dancing one that trips out and all:drool5:

I read loads of posts on the net about this and still none the wiser about whether I should get someone by law to do it as the local council has to be informed and all that stuff:santa_cheesy:


The electrics were rewired about 30 years ago and over the years some extra work has been done like a new cooker mains run, the old electric shower feed changed to a power shower feed and a extractor fan wired into downstairs lighting circuit.


Now, heres the rub folks. I am dubious about getting a spark in that will probably charge me at least 300 quid plus. I do appreciate that the spark will do all sorts of checks first to check my circuits are o.k. which goes a long way to justifying the installation costs. However, I have not had any problems since a forementioned rewire and all the extra circuits installed since have not cause a problem and been done properly.
Also, one a new fandangled c.u. is installed, it would show up any potential faults or dodgy appliances anyway.?
Thus, all the sparky's pre test stuff seems to be a little over the top if a house has had a proper rewire like mine and has not blown a fuse for any good reason


So, it seems like a lot of cash to lay out ona job I could do myself, then try to find a decent spark and the only thing extra for 300 quid plus (if I am lucky) is a certification at the local council building control that the job has been done safely.

I'll probably get burned for saying all this by a sparky on here but I recon I could do the job pretty well and get a good result for just the price of a new c.u. and won't get ripped off in the process. I got c and g 224 and 236 certificates and all and been playing with this sort of stuff all my life.
If it wasn't for the fact I plan on renting the place out, I would have done this job by now! and saved a lotta dosh..plus not got ripped off ...

Can anyone throw some suggestions my way that don't include too much doom and gloom..lol



Many thanks again for any replies given

A Newbie

welcome scorpioguy
if you have a new distribution board your looking around the £400 price it is worth mentioning when you become a landlord its a whole new ball game

 

[Amp David]

If you're as good as you reckon, can test the circuits and find/sort any probs then do it yourself.

You're renting it out, so what, I have 2 rentals and never have been asked for any electrical certs. End of the day you're renting, so do you be a responsible landlord and get it done by the book, or be a cash in hand landlord, who thinks ball cocks about it all, but then every year get a Gas safety check?

 

[Dcf]

I had the pleasure of sorting out a fuse board installed by somebody who thought he could tackle a db change.ring mains mixed up across 6A? Mcbs shower and cooker wired of an live side of a dp isolator and on it went .messing with a fundamental part of your installation with no clue and your gonna end up in the cack specially if you are letting out to tenants.get somebody in.

 

[Guitarist]

The use of the term "ripped off" when talking about a professional's charges makes me assume this must be a wind-up. Nobody with any qualifications, who understands what is involved with being self-employed, having public liability, scheme membership, van expenses, tool replacement, tester calibration, etc etc would think that they were being ripped off.

 

[Jdsparky]

Most of the time we are the ones being ripped off!.....people doing there own db changes is scary stuff from what I've seen before....all I have to say is 2.5 bogged in with tails on incoming side amongst many other things

 

[a12jpm]

Someones left the cage door open on the Screwfix forum and one of them has got out.

Wind up.....???

 

[PC Electrics]

This has to be a wind up.

And some of you have been caught hook, line and sinker.