Consumer Units? Is there any difference between manufacturers

[Khuz360]

Hi All

So I am going to be looking at upgrading to a new a consumer unit in the next few months and I would like to know whether there is such a thing as premium units and budget units because the prices I've looked certainly indicate this to be the case. If so are there actually any differences performance wise. Is there such a thing as a good consumer unit and a bad consumer unit. Surely they are manufactured to the same standard and comparable quality.

Surely the stuff that can go wrong with a consumer unit is more down to installer error than the actual fault of the unit.

Is it something I should even bother researching and then finding myself or would it be a wiser choice to opt for one the electrician I use recommends.

Thanks

 

[telectrix]

if your sparks recommends a particular brand, go with it as he most likely has a selection of spare MCBs/RCDs for that particular brand.also he/she will be more familiar with certain brands and that can be a cost saving in installation time.

 

[Andy78]

All cars are deemed roadworthy when sold but some will last longer than others.

 

[buzzlightyear]

All cars are deemed roadworthy until the wheels fall off but some will last longer than others.

 

[mydigitalhome]

Yes you get what you pay for. Ideally all RCBO’s with surge protection rather than a split board with two RCD’s

 

[Harry_P]

Hi All

So I am going to be looking at upgrading to a new a consumer unit in the next few months and I would like to know whether there is such a thing as premium units and budget units because the prices I've looked certainly indicate this to be the case. If so are there actually any differences performance wise. Is there such a thing as a good consumer unit and a bad consumer unit. Surely they are manufactured to the same standard and comparable quality.

Surely the stuff that can go wrong with a consumer unit is more down to installer error than the actual fault of the unit.

Is it something I should even bother researching and then finding myself or would it be a wiser choice to opt for one the electrician I use recommends.

Thanks

As with most other scenario's I can think of,the cheapest is not usually actually the cheapest if you get my drift. To answer your question yes you are better off letting the electrician recommend the consumer unit,aside from everything else I would say there is very little possibility of you buying the right consumer unit and necessary mcb's etc

 

[buzzlightyear]

me my self always go for the brand that will not give you a headache.
the band I will not touch is BG from screwed fix ,

 

[Pete999]

Yes you get what you pay for. Ideally all RCBO’s with surge protection rather than a split board with two RCD’s

What type of SPD are you thinking of?

 

[buzzlightyear]

What type of SPD are you thinking of

and will the op will be looking for a lighting post .

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I avoid BG unless its specified as the covers are a pain to get one and off, the main switch is one or two mm different to the MCB's or RCBOS, so makes alignment awkward. you often have to pry the components with a screwdriver to get the cover back on!

Hager, never had a problem, if budget allows its my go to, Schneider make good stuff, not too pricey and nice to work with.
MK and Wylex are pretty run of the mill and reliable but tend to be over priced and trade on the name.
if you want cheap but half decent then steeple and the rexel own brands are a good starting point.

 

[Pete999]

and will the op will be looking for a lighting post .

Or the type of property requiring protection!

 

[buzzlightyear]

I always use axiom units.

 

[Pete999]

I always use axiom units.

Going to change mine before I get to infirm, or I get Vertigo.

 

[buzzlightyear]

Or the type of property requiring protection!

the IET has gone mad on spuds ,will you be put in king Eddie potato's in that or not .

 

[Pete999]

the IET has gone mad on spuds ,will you be put in king Eddie potato's in that or not .

Nah Buzz Maris Pipers are the best according to the Spud Mistress (Mrs Pete999) knows more about Spuds than most people I have come across, mind you She is part Irish, they have a thing about Spuds, don't they?

 

[buzzlightyear]

She is part Irish

snap ,never fight with a Irish person in the kitchen ,cause you will come off worse with frying pan has a helmet.

 

[Pete999]

snap ,never fight with a Irish person in the kitchen ,cause you will come off worse with frying pan has a helmet.

My Mrs don't need any frying Pan Buzz, a sauce pan, bag of Spuds 7th heaven, brilliant chips mind you, best I've tasted.

 

[telectrix]

How she do chips in a saucepan?

 

[mydigitalhome]

Type 1 & 2 surge protection ideally

 

[telectrix]

Type 1 & 2 surge protection ideally

what's that got to do with chips? .

 

[Pete999]

How she do chips in a saucepan?

Chip basket with chipped spuds in, simples

 

[telectrix]

My Mrs don't need any frying Pan Buzz, a sauce pan, bag of Spuds 7th heaven, brilliant chips mind you, best I've tasted.

i do mine with the skins on. why peel away good food? I boil in a saucepan for 6 - 10 mins, then into the deep fat fryer

 

[telectrix]

Chip basket with chipped spuds in, simples

i see. a saucepan with fat in it instead of the usual water.

 

[ferg]

Hager for me but whatever you spark recommends will suit them best.

Just not Proteus...

 

[ipf]

How she do chips in saucepan?

You Chinese scouse, yes?

 

[telectrix]

Niet.

 

[Barnaby Stedman]

Spuds apart - I would usually go for MK - especially if you get a good deal. Also - are you looking at a plastic or metal cu?

 

[Andy78]

Spuds apart - I would usually go for MK - especially if you get a good deal. Also - are you looking at a plastic or metal cu?

You'll have a job on finding a plastic one these days.

 

[Toneyz]

[QUOTE="buzzlightyear, post: 1495866, member: 52419
the band I will not touch is BG from screwed fix ,[/QUOTE]
Is the one sold by Screwfix any different to one purchased elsewhere?

 

[buzzlightyear]

QUOTE="buzzlightyear, post: 1495866, member: 52419
the band I will not touch is BG from screwed fix ,

Is the one sold by Screwfix any different to one purchased elsewhere[/QUOTE]if say it in swear words they give me another holiday .

 

[Andy78]

[QUOTE="buzzlightyear, post: 1495866, member: 52419
the band I will not touch is BG from screwed fix ,

Is the one sold by Screwfix any different to one purchased elsewhere?[/QUOTE]

Yes, it's already been fitted, brought back as faulty, then put back on the shelf

 

[Rpa07]

I tried 8 RCBO circuits on a 10 way Designa curve today and I liked it - the enclosure was sturdy and I fed from the back - it’s fun using a angle grinder in someone’s front room!
I’ll try a Hager next. I’ve stuck with Wylex and Crabtree for a while but ‘times is a changin’ !

 

[ferg]

[/QUOTE]
Is the one sold by Screwfix any different to one purchased elsewhere?[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately not.

It is equally as shyte.

 

[Khuz360]

Wow I did not expect this kind of response. I'll do my best to respond to the points raised.

I did suspect that there were different qualities however was not sure hence the post. My initial thoughts were looking at Schneider or MK Electric. In terms of filling it, the plan was to use RCBO's because it seemed to make the most sense. Everything seems so easy to buy online once you know what the right things are.

I will be doing a fresh post detailing my plans for evaluation from you knowledgeable lot and obtain some answers to questions I have about electrics not potatoes though (where that tangent came from I don't know lol)

Briefly there are going to be two consumer units installed, one will be to replace the existing fuse box from circa 1950 if not earlier and the second unit will be for the garage.

 

[Andy78]

Everything seems so easy to buy online once you know what the right things are.

My best advice would be to let the electrician buy the parts, it just cuts down on the hassle on both sides.
For example I carry parts and spares for the brands I install so I'm rarely caught out on a job. You can need RCBOs you didn't think you did, parts and sundries you didn't expect to use, all of which can stall a job if you're not working with a familiar brand.
Supplied and fitted parts will be subject to the installer's warranty too which won't be the case if you supply the parts.

 

[Khuz360]

My best advice would be to let the electrician buy the parts, it just cuts down on the hassle on both sides.
For example I carry parts and spares for the brands I install so I'm rarely caught out on a job. You can need RCBOs you didn't think you did, parts and sundries you didn't expect to use, all of which can stall a job if you're not working with a familiar brand.
Supplied and fitted parts will be subject to the installer's warranty too which won't be the case if you supply the parts.

This is a really valid point and I'm more than likely going for this option. Particularly given the point on spares and familiarity which is not something I had really considered when thinking about the items.

 

[Jjc]

Hi All

So I am going to be looking at upgrading to a new a consumer unit in the next few months and I would like to know whether there is such a thing as premium units and budget units because the prices I've looked certainly indicate this to be the case. If so are there actually any differences performance wise. Is there such a thing as a good consumer unit and a bad consumer unit. Surely they are manufactured to the same standard and comparable quality.

Surely the stuff that can go wrong with a consumer unit is more down to installer error than the actual fault of the

Hi All

So I am going to be looking at upgrading to a new a consumer unit in the next few months and I would like to know whether there is such a thing as premium units and budget units because the prices I've looked certainly indicate this to be the case. If so are there actually any differences performance wise. Is there such a thing as a good consumer unit and a bad consumer unit. Surely they are manufactured to the same standard and comparable quality.

Surely the stuff that can go wrong with a consumer unit is more down to installer error than the actual fault of the unit.

Is it something I should even bother researching and then finding myself or would it be a wiser choice to opt for one the electrician I use recommends.

Thanks

MK used to be the dogs b....... but personally I have found their products to be pretty shitty probably due to their stuff being made abroad nowadays.

 

[Nebu1a]

I am thinking of switching to Hager as I believe that their RCBOs are Type A and they seem good quality.
What other manufacturers are currently doing type A RCBOs or RCDs?
Never fitted Doepka but they do a dual RCD board with a Type A and type F RCCB but no price online.

 

[Toneyz]

A lot of the major housing developers seem to spec Hager. When I used to fit them they seemed a good brand the previous electrical contractor used to use Europa they seemed ok.

 

[Blissof89]

I have been given those BG boards to fit on a few occasions now, always kick up a fuss about it.

The dual RCD 3 + 3 ways are not so bad but the full size 5 + 5's struggle to hold the weight when they are loaded up and the din rail sags, then you spend 5 mins wrestling the lid on and it never feels like it fits right. Their garage DB's are die cast and would probably shatter if you dropped it, drilling you cut outs is certainly effortless .


We usually fit Schneider easy9's. The new ones look absolutely hideous imo and are far bigger than needed but I can't really fault the quality of them.

 

[richy3333]

Hager for me. Go for Design 50 if you want ‘premium’ and load it with RCBO’s

 

[Wilko]

I am thinking of switching to Hager as I believe that their RCBOs are Type A and they seem good quality. What other manufacturers are currently doing type A RCBOs or RCDs? ...

Hi - Wylex RCBO are A and the reduced height one is DP. Their RCDs are only AC as far as I know.

 

[coolsparx]

I tried 8 RCBO circuits on a 10 way Designa curve today and I liked it - the enclosure was sturdy and I fed from the back - it’s fun using a angle grinder in someone’s front room!
I’ll try a Hager next. I’ve stuck with Wylex and Crabtree for a while but ‘times is a changin’ !

I’ve been fitting the Lewden RCBO boards for ages, they are a decent price for RCBO option with virtually zero chance of nuciance tripping. If the regs stipulated only RCBOs then all the other manufactures would have to reduce the price of their RCBOs.

 

[Deuce]

I would totally let a spark install and choose the CU. Whoever does the work will choose a CU that they know is reliable enough to not have problems as they don't want to get called back, and they will also almost certainly choose one they're familiar with because it will make the install quicker and easier for them, and most likely slightly cheaper for you as a result.

It's an almost universal rule, that if you save a little money by buying components yourself, the person fitting them will price the hob on the wary side as it might take take them longer than expected, and it's also far less likely that the components you choose will be as ideal for the job.

 

[l4urence]

Some of vendors are trying to get rid of old stock, I still see 'bargain' plastic CU's available. I would ask the Electrician for options, some installers have preferences and this can save on installation time, parts and spares etc. Don't buy a cheap one and expect it to be fitted.