Discuss Relocating a Consumer Unit in the Electrical Wiring, Theories and Regulations area at ElectriciansForums.net

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So the scheme providers can write their own regs now!!!


With regard to the OP if the consumer unit has been installed for a few years with no fires then it is tried and tested as non combustible
Don't give a monkeys what the scheme providers say never have done, my ask was it would be interesting their take.
This really falls into no mans land, it probably isn't even notifiable under Part P and does it warrant an EIC or several Minor Works.
 
Not an expert but certainly is a grey area with no definitive answer in the reg's.
If the basement room is to remain just a basement and not everyday accommodation the why not sell the idea to your client that as the cu will now be out of sight out of mind then it is prudent that you install the amd3 metal clad cu as additional safety precaution even though there is nothing definitive in the reg's. That gives you the ammunition for your offer which carries some extra cost verses the other quote of just relocate the existing.
Just a suggestion anyway
Martin
 
I tend to look at things from the dock before the judge most of the time and what they might be asking me. When that conversation is finished I act accordingly. So Mr. x you thought that the house burning down as you did not follow regs was a reasonable risk? Could you enlighten the court as to the particular abberation in your thinking that led you to this conclusion?
Reply err..... well they said on the forum. Yeah it was that wotsisname hes always banging on about things like that.
SO... you chose to listen to an avatar on the web instead of following recommendations from some of the greatest engineers and luminaries in the electrotechnical world who compile regs for you to follow?
Errr.. well yeh seemed like a good idea at the time. End of conversation.
Ok I am putting in a metal CU end of. Or I aint doing the work. If I intervene in an existing situation I am required to leave it no less safe than it was. By current regs a plastic box is not safe according to the firemen and regs so I leave it safer with a fireproof CU or fireproof cupboard.
 
The first bit was a joke as you would be lucky to be able to stretch cables that length, the year thing is about the third amendment which I think came in January 2016, okay got that bit wrong it's February now so should have said within the last 13 months
Sorry
 
Intresting thread.. if you are removing installing cables out of mcbs then that circuit must be tested to be safe to renergise, when filling in eic on consumer unit change only we put 'consumer unit change only' in extent, so why not do the same here and write 'consumer unit move only' in the extent. What is the old board out of intrest? If it was pre 16th id refuse to do it.
 
Looking at reg 421.1.201, it states 'Within domestic (household) premises, consumer units and similar switchgear assemblies shall comply with BS EN 61439-3 and shall; ........you know the rest.

Then at the beginning of (not quoting from Genesis, another well know publication) BS7671: 2008 inc A3, reg 110.1.1 'The regulations apply to the design, erection and verification of electrical installations.

No definition of erection in BS7671, The Oxford Dictionary; 1 erecting, being erected. 2 something erected, such as a building. 3 (then something described, which we shouldn't talk about in a family forum, with young kids about!) # Verb erect, set up, build.

So I would suggest, disconnecting cabling, dismantling CU, moving to new location, re-fixing, reconnecting cabling is an erection :oops: and therefore needs to apply to the current regs, which includes 421.1.201 (et al).

:)
 
I do find it a bit weird that suddenly plastic CU's are "unsafe", when for donkeys years they were "safe".

Better change all those plastic-clad-cables to metal-clad too.

But seriously - Are they suddenly "unsafe"? Or is it just that they could maybe be safer in certain situations.
 
I do find it a bit weird that suddenly plastic CU's are "unsafe", when for donkeys years they were "safe".
But seriously - Are they suddenly "unsafe"? Or is it just that they could maybe be safer in certain situations.

Just guaranteed a whole lot more replies :)
IMHO they were not unsafe then and not unsafe now, but they did see fit to change the regs to exclude them going forward. Hi ho. Now the internal cabling in the CU at risk, but any fire that results will be contained :rolleyes: .
 
Just guaranteed a whole lot more replies :)
IMHO they were not unsafe then and not unsafe now, but they did see fit to change the regs to exclude them going forward. Hi ho. Now the internal cabling in the CU at risk, but any fire that results will be contained :rolleyes: .

You could argue that a lot of the cheap units are simply rubbish and even now, encasing them in metal isn't much help either!
 
Just over a year in I'm waiting for the fire stats since the introduction of metalclad boards or are they going to fudge something
Blaming the product for causing fires is pretty poor when you are not properly assessing the complete product which has to include the installation of it
 
no mate. bit quiet at the mo. just chilling.
 

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