Skeleton board help please

Welshsparky · May 3, 2012

Hey all

Picked up a job in an ex council flat changing an old skeleton board for an updated dual rcd version, 90% of the house is wired in pyro with cpc's taken from the sheath, Now I've never changed a skeleton board nor came across one, What are my options here? I'm struggling to find a like for like replacement in terms of dimensions, and with the pyros glanded to the original skeleton board i am struggling to find a way to do this correctly, somebody , anybody please help!

BlueToBits · May 3, 2012

If you really can't retrofit the skeleton board, and it has to be replaced, one option is to take out the original 'shelf' that forms the base of the consumer unit. The easiest way is to drill out the spot welds with a 10mm steel drill (pilot hole first). You don't need to drill all the way through the back panel, just enough to break the spot weld when bending the shelf up and down. There is now enough room to fit a twin rail consumer unit inside the cupboard by drilling and tapping fixing holes in the back panel. Check sizes between different manufacturers to give enough ways.

david john cook · May 3, 2012

wylex or crabtree both do split load ,skeleton boards .

johnboy6083 · May 3, 2012

get some top hat din rail. drill into the wall in the recess where the skeleton board sits. Use the female threaded fixings, and suspend the rail on short lengths of stud. You then have to improvise a neutral rail, and an earth rail. As long as they are safe, and comply with the IP requirements, then there is no problem.

infinity · May 3, 2012

i fit a crabtree dual board on top of skeleton board, take an earth 16mm through and lug it onto onto the recessed board and mount new board on top, metal clad i use. extendcircuits in the old unit and bring new cabling through into new one, looks neat and complies

adamh · May 3, 2012

when you say skeleton board are you talking about the board built into the top of a recessed cupboard in council properties for instance? if so why is it called a skeleton board worked on plenty just never heard this term are they wylex?

Engineer54 · May 4, 2012

If you really can't retrofit the skeleton board, and it has to be replaced, one option is to take out the original 'shelf' that forms the base of the consumer unit. The easiest way is to drill out the spot welds with a 10mm steel drill (pilot hole first). You don't need to drill all the way through the back panel, just enough to break the spot weld when bending the shelf up and down. There is now enough room to fit a twin rail consumer unit inside the cupboard by drilling and tapping fixing holes in the back panel. Check sizes between different manufacturers to give enough ways.

There should be no need to drill into the back of these older council house Mantral boards, (think that's what they were called) as the skeleton unit should fit the existing fixing locations. Some will need the bottom plate removing but others won't it depends on the manufacture. The Crabtree 16th Ed twin RCD unit that i have installed at both my parents and sisters houses, didn't need the bottom plate removing but i think (not sure) the Wylex Skeletons did....

lamb · May 6, 2012

The unit itself is called a Mantel Unit (they were made by mantel metalworkers ltd who no longer exist) and the boards to go inside the unit are called skeleton boards. Hager and Wylex make them.
Usually mantel board installations only had 4-6 circuits so a main switch c/u with RCBO's would make sense to me.