Should a consumer unit be fitted 2 inches from a boiler?

[Mtgmmd]

Hi my daughters rented home set on fire. The consumer unit was making a massive popping noise which shook the house. The boiler is in the same cupboard under the stairs and is 2 inches away from consumer. Is that normal practise? Plus a chappie came to fit a smart meter and told my daughter that there was a live wire dangling down so he taped it up.

 

[derek]

I assume the landlord hasn't had an Electrical Installation Condition Report carried out. It will soon be a legal requirement every five years minimum. Information for Landlords & Responsibilities | Electrical Safety First - https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/guidance/advice-for-you/landlords/
It is the landlord's responsibility to ensure the flat is safe to rent out including the safety of the electrical installation.
Should be a minimum 150mm between gas pipes and a fuse board I believe, unless there is a panel of insulating material.

Excerpt from BS6891:2015:

8.4.2 Separation of pipework from electrical services
8.4.2.1 Where installation pipework is not separated from electrical equipment
or cables by an insulating enclosure, dividing barrier, trunking or conduit, it shall
be spaced as follows:
a) at least 150 mm away from electricity supply equipment, such as metering
equipment, main service cut-outs or supplier (main) isolation switches, and
distribution boards or consumer units; or
b) at least 25 mm away from electrical switches, sockets and electricity supply
and distribution cables.
8.4.2.2 The installation pipework shall not be positioned in a manner that
prevents the operation of any electrical accessory, i.e. a switch or socket outlet.
NOTE Where these spacing requirements are impracticable the pipework should
either be sheathed with an electrical insulating material rated at 230 V ac or more,
or a panel of electrical insulating material should be interposed.

How bad is the fire? Have the insurance company been around?

 

[Mtgmmd]

Hi, thank you Derek. Also in February a chappie came to fit a smart meter he found a live wire dangling down so he taped it up. He said if she had touched it she could have died. Could that have had something to do with it?

 

[pc1966]

Hi, thank you Derek. Also in February a chappie came to fit a smart meter he found a live wire dangling down so he taped it up. He said if she had touched it she could have died. Could that have had something to do with it?

I would say they are related as that sort of thing is a C1 fault - immediate danger - the highest risk in an inspection report, and it implies the system was basically unsafe and has not had any recent inspection by anyone competent!

 

[Strima]

I'd be questioning why the meter installer didn't report this as near miss to his company and isolate the supply until it was made safe. A bit of tape is not safe isolation. At least this would have triggered the landlord to make the installation safe.

 

[littlespark]

Goes to show how much of an electrician the meter fitter was.

Any exposed live cable is a serious infringement of health and safety. The meter fitter hasn’t left it any safer, just brought it to the occupants attention.

Get onto the landlord and get him to sort it.
Lockdown or not, this is an urgent, and essential repair.

 

[Mike Johnson]

That begs the question "how much of an electrician was the meter fitter" was the wire live or just a brown cable, how did he isolate it to wrap it in tape? Be interested to know the source of the fire? Consumer unit making a popping noise that shook the whole house? Boiler in the same cupboard, Gas leak? Notwithstanding all the above the landlord needs to sort this prior to your daughter returning to her accommodation. One assumes the insurance company have been informed, if so make sure your daughter claims for any consequential losses, including temporary accommodation even if she was staying with you.

 

[pc1966]

Can you post a photograph of the consumer unit? (remove/obscure any obvious personal identification of course)

As Mike says, any loud noise could be from the boiler but I presume there is good reason to identify the CU as the problem (signs of smoke/melting/etc)?

 

[DPG]

For a consumer unit fault to shake the house, there must have been one hell of a mess. Have you any photos of what happened?

 

[radiohead]

Where there's blame there's a claim.

 

[Mike Johnson]

Not very helpful, but very profound.

 

[Lister1987]

If I were the tenant my --- would be straight on the phone to landlord and if they fobbed it off then I'd get a spark in and have the bill sent to landlord, I'd be inclined to make the metering company aware too, possibly even local authority also

 

[Mike Johnson]

This is always assuming that the fault that shook the house was electrical? The Boiler was in the same cupboard! mind you we have not established if the boiler was gas, oil or electric.

 

[Mtgmmd]

Goes to show how much of an electrician the meter fitter was.

Any exposed live cable is a serious infringement of health and safety. The meter fitter hasn’t left it any safer, just brought it to the occupants attention.

Get onto the landlord and get him to sort it.
Lockdown or not, this is an urgent, and essential repair.

Thank you. The house finished up being on fire. So my now daughter has to be evacuated. New boiler, consumer unit and a full paint job through the whole house

 

[DPG]

Any photos? Do you know what actually caused the fire?

 

[davesparks]

Thank you. The house finished up being on fire. So my now daughter has to be evacuated. New boiler, consumer unit and a full paint job through the whole house

What have the fire brigade identified the cause of the fire to be?

 

[westward10]

Fuel, oxygen and a sufficient heat source
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As someone who does fire risk assessments I find fire fascinating probably a childhood arson thing, not an extreme childhood issue but understanding it is rudimentary. Just look up fire and the candle effect, explains nearly all fire origins.

 

[davesparks]

As someone who does fire risk assessments I find fire fascinating probably a childhood arson thing, not an extreme childhood issue but understanding it is rudimentary. Just look up fire and the candle effect, explains nearly all fire origins.

I find fire fascinating too, and fun, and one of my many jobs is all about starting fires (in the right places)

It always amazes me how many people don't understand such a rudimentary thing, the number of times we end up stepping in to help light the bonfire at the events we do in November is ridiculous.

 

[pc1966]

Thank you. The house finished up being on fire. So my now daughter has to be evacuated. New boiler, consumer unit and a full paint job through the whole house

Good to hear the outcome has been satisfactory as the single most important thing is your daughter is fine!

Folk here always want to find out what depend so we, as far as humanly possible, can make sure it does not happen again on any setup we have dealings with.

 

[westward10]

I never tire of telling people that wood does not burn it is the indirect action of heat and gas separation creating combustion, I am the life and soul of any party

 

[littlespark]

He’s a fire starter.... twisted fire starter....

 

[FatAlan]

If I were the tenant my --- would be straight on the phone to landlord and if they fobbed it off then I'd get a spark in and have the bill sent to landlord, I'd be inclined to make the metering company aware too, possibly even local authority also

...and if I was the spark being called out I’d like some prior confirmation as to who is paying the bill!

 

[Mtgmmd]

This is always assuming that the fault that shook the house was electrical? The Boiler was in the same cupboard! mind you we have not established if the boiler was gas, oil or electric.

The boiler is gas
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Can you post a photograph of the consumer unit? (remove/obscure any obvious personal identification of course)

As Mike says, any loud noise could be from the boiler but I presume there is good reason to identify the CU as the problem (signs of smoke/melting/etc)?

The fire brigade were called as the cupboard was on fire. The boiler and consumer unit were taken out. The boiler is now going to be fitted in on the kitchen wall. My worry is this house is a house of sockets. I've never seen so many sockets. There must be 6 just in the. Box room. Also some make a crackle noise when you plug something f in
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The boiler is gas
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The fire brigade were called as the cupboard was on fire. The boiler and consumer unit were taken out. The boiler is now going to be fitted in on the kitchen wall. My worry is this house is a house of sockets. I've never seen so many sockets. There must be 6 just in the. Box room. Also some make a crackle noise when you plug something f in

We have been told it was a power surge

 

[freddo]

We have been told it was a power surge

what was?

Sounds like it needs a rewire.

 

[derek]

The landlord needs to be made aware of your concerns about the poor condition of the sockets and any other concerns, this should be done in writing, email is fine as long as you have a copy in case of court action. Make sure you ask in writing when the last electrical inspection was carried out and ask for a copy of the EICR.
If the property is a HMO then there is a legal requirement for an EICR every 5 years, this is to be extended to all domestic rental properties in June.

Is there a copy of gas safety certificates? These have to be done every year, if the landlord isn't carrying this out then you definitely have a case for legal action. Landlords must provide their tenant with a copy of the gas safety certificate within 28 days of the check being completed, and new tenants should receive a copy before they move in.

Who told you it was down to a power surge, were they in a position to know for sure?
I believe if the property is really dangerous you can report it to the Health and Safety Executive.
Citizens Advice is another option and is probably where I'd go to first, they are used to dealing with dodgy landlords, I'm not sure how easy it will be to contact them in the current situation.

 

[pc1966]

Considering the report of an exposed live wire by the meter change "engineer" then it seems very unlikely it had a current EICR (or if it did, not one done by a competent person).

I would start by giving the landlord the benefit of the doubt and asking, in a civil but very insistent manner, that a EICR is now conducted by an registered electrician for the whole house and that you are given a copy of it (and full details of who does it) for peace of mind.

Having a lot of sockets is not a bad thing in itself, it is better than having dodgy extension leads everywhere, but as an ECIR typically does not check every socket (usually a sample of them) you should draw attention to your concerns. In particular, if there are any that don't look or feel right (cracked, evidence of overheating, imprecise switch action, unreliable connection, etc) then you should identify them (e.g. put on a sticky label) and ask the inspection specifically looks at those and they are replaced if there is any doubt.

If the landlord is not cooperative then take it further with legal advice, but it might be they have had a nasty surprise as well and are now willing to sort it out properly by getting a professional in to do what is needed.
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While there should be an EICR now due to the accident, if you wanted to do independent 100% testing of the sockets you can buy basic socket testers for around £10 and they will pick out the most serious of faults, but they do not show a poor earth connection, only a complete loss of it. For around £50 you get better ones that are able to analyse the earth impedance, such has:

https://www.NoLinkingToThis/p/kewtech-loopcheck-107-advanced-plug-in-socket-tester/4670j

But remember testing is secondary to inspection: if a socket looks or feels bad it should be replaced, otherwise it should then be tested and if it measures bad its an electrician's job to investigate further (replace and check wiring, etc).

 

[Mtgmmd]

what was?

Sounds like it needs a rewire.

What caused the fire