what is your preferred brand of consumer unit?

[SPARTYKUS]

You've got to wonder how anyone is justifying charging £25-35 for an RCBO. Granted they need to go through more rigorous testing than an MCB, but they've been around for years, and don't exactly contain any technologies younger than 50 years.

They justify it by looking through the new range rover catalogue first.

 

[richy3333]

the front was so floppy I had to use 3 hands to get it to line up!

OO-er. I have the same problem

 

[t-s]

hager 6+6, if customer will pay for it :/

 

[Rauer]

It ain't exactly expensive!!

 

[SparkySupplier]

You've got to wonder how anyone is justifying charging £25-35 for an RCBO. Granted they need to go through more rigorous testing than an MCB, but they've been around for years, and don't exactly contain any technologies younger than 50 years.

When you really think about it, these guys save lives. £25-£35 is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of human life. The customer pays for it anyway. 9 times out of 10 if you explain what an RCBO's role actually is against an MCB, they will want RCBO's and be grateful you pointed this out to them. I always, always, always install RCBO's, unless the customer is adamant they want MCB's.

 

[MDJ]

When you really think about it, these guys save lives. £25-£35 is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of human life. The customer pays for it anyway. 9 times out of 10 if you explain what an RCBO's role actually is against an MCB, they will want RCBO's and be grateful you pointed this out to them. I always, always, always install RCBO's, unless the customer is adamant they want MCB's.

Customers have blinkers on when it comes to safety, the amount of times I have been called to a house to wire up a new cooker and I get there and a 25kw range is waiting for me to connect up, the existing cable is a 6mm2 and it is connected to a 3036 board on a tns system where the earth clamp around the incomming cable has disintergrated and the ze 2 ohms or something to that effect and the range cost 1500 quid. When you tell them you cannot connect it and why then the cost they suddenly have kittens, they are happy to fork out 1500 quid for an appliance but alarmed to spend half again on safety lol.

 

[hillbillie]

RCBOs are getting cheaper and cheaper now. One of my wholesalers gets me them for £13.50 + VAT, with the main switch CU at £24; pretty good when you compare it to 3 or 4 years back. I'm finding it easier and easier to convince the customers to get RCBO boards rather than a dual RCD.

 

[sparc]

When you really think about it, these guys save lives. £25-£35 is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of human life. The customer pays for it anyway. 9 times out of 10 if you explain what an RCBO's role actually is against an MCB, they will want RCBO's and be grateful you pointed this out to them. I always, always, always install RCBO's, unless the customer is adamant they want MCB's.

Not arguing with safety value of the RCBO - just the price point. Wilts is still doing a 15 way board with 8 RCBO and a MS for £99, or less than £15 per. The same board with standard priced RCBOs would cost over twice that. I get some customers that want a 'Rolls-Royce' solution. Most don't want to pay over £100 for a board - bit will happily pay £500 for a new TV. I can sort of understand that - you may never see the advantage of having RCBOs in a box in a cupboard, but you can enjoy a new TV every day!

 

[Resu]

Thread is over a year old...

 

[sparc]

Thread is over a year old...

And your point, Resu, is ... ?

 

[Aindowsimon]

Schneider by choice if I must Crabtree . And BG is good quality .

17th edition board is good enough in domestic situations as long as property is in good nick everything seems to have been installed to a good standard .
Rcbo set up is better compliance but as it can be considerably dearer ( in my experience ) I think rcbo set up will become the norm as prices will come down further witch they have considerably

 

[imago]

To be honest, I think that the whole nuisance tripping 'issue' is blown way out of proportion. Three or four years ago I fitted a new CU (Hager BTW) at home. In the time since there has not been one instance of an RCD tripping. An MCB tripped once for the kitchen lights when a GU10 popped.

Of the dozen or so people with whom I have regular contact and have 17th CUs fitted no one of them has mentioned or complained about nuisance tripping.

A board full of RCBOs is a more expensive alternative nothing more. There is a single supply, through a single fuse, feeding a single meter in most domestic properties. Any one of those fails and the lot goes down.

 

[spark 68]

Another thing with RCBOs (I have already mentioned it on here before, as have others) is that most are SP (the N is not switched) , so if you have a N-E fault on a circuit although that RCBO will trip you still have a N-E fault connected.

 

[trev]

Preferred brand of CU? It depends on what Davey the shoplifter at me local can get his hands on.

- - - Updated - - -

Seriously though, Eaton.

 

[Rothko9]

Crabtree Starbreaker every time, stock all mcb's/rcbo's never been called back. Stick to one make so if I ever go back to do more work I already have the Mcb's. I also stock over 100 other mcb's!!
I cant fault these boards.
In the past I have tried all boards and have had various probs, one brand I havent been able to bring myself to try is Chint, my clients wouldn't entertain it!

This seems to be good advice. I always liked MK, bur as they seem to be forever changing their designs which are not retro compatible I think I might switch to the Schneider Easy 9s or the Starbreakers. Anybody used the Easy 9s?

 

[Silly Sausage]

Metal ones.

 

[Geordie Spark]

Thread is over a year old...

>>>>>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBHONx9vTtI <<<<<<<<<<

Look for Wor Tony's cameo role in there!!

 

[LankyWill]

My favourite is hager fuseboards, easy to setup and mount. There's plenty of space to work with. The materials seems of good quality and they just work! They also looks very pretty[emoji1]

Just stay away from Wylex and MK load of rubbish!

If three phase board I like Schneider especially with the isobar system very intuitive.

 

[shanky887614]

This seems to be good advice. I always liked MK, bur as they seem to be forever changing their designs which are not retro compatible I think I might switch to the Schneider Easy 9s or the Starbreakers. Anybody used the Easy 9s?

go for acti 9.

there really nice boards

 

[Leesparkykent]

Proteus,GET,chint,LAP are the bee's knees haha