new main board for electrics

silvercar

Moved house and apparently our electrics in a state.

Luckily the kitchen and bathrooms were rewired two years ago. To rewire the remainder of the house would be a moajor job that we can't afford at the moment, wiring looks to be about 30 years old + some DIY add-ons of variable quality. Have parquet flooring throughout the dowstairs so would involve major expense do put right.

Anyway electrician came today and suggested replacing main board (which is wood mounted, though does have flippy style circuit breakers) with new style board that is of a size to take 21 circuits. He will tidy up wires in cupboard which are in a mess, remove unused circuits. He reckons the electric will be off for 4 hours minimum.

He has quoted £450. Bear in mind I am near London so prices are higher than elsewhere.

mum1964

silvercar wrote:

Moved house and apparently our electrics in a state.

Luckily the kitchen and bathrooms were rewired two years ago. To rewire the remainder of the house would be a moajor job that we can't afford at the moment, wiring looks to be about 30 years old + some DIY add-ons of variable quality. Have parquet flooring throughout the dowstairs so would involve major expense do put right.

Anyway electrician came today and suggested replacing main board (which is wood mounted, though does have flippy style circuit breakers) with new style board that is of a size to take 21 circuits. He will tidy up wires in cupboard which are in a mess, remove unused circuits. He reckons the electric will be off for 4 hours minimum.

He has quoted £450. Bear in mind I am near London so prices are higher than elsewhere.

DONT DO IT
Look at the niceic website and make sure he is registered.
Changing a board is probably one of the if not the most skilled job a sparky can do. He will be able to pick up a decent board and breakers for about £100so £350 for four hours work its for you to decide. However I have known Electricians charge £900 (not me) and get away with it. Get at least 3 quotes and make sure they are all registered.
AS for it being dearer near London, one might argure that there are more electricians in London so they are not so rare as they would be in other parts of the country.
regards to all

Wickedkitten

Ask him how much it would be if you got your own board and he just installed it. You can get a decent one at a pretty good price from Screwfix.

24_hour_sparks

dont forget, your not only paying for the fusebaord but meter tails and henley conecters etc which the above poster doesnt know,if req which add up to the cost. i agree the cost is slightly high, but not much only by £50 quid at most.

remember he/she will need to issue a full completion certificate beacuase he/she has changed the protective device for every circuit which then needs to be re-tested, which again takes time. approx 20-30 minuites for each circuit.

check earthing within property and make sure it is compliant to TOADYS standard, if not then this WILL have to be done before the instaltion is re-energised.

re-energise instalation and test last point in each circuit for corect zs (earth readings) etc.

he then needs to assemble these results and complile the certificate, approx 45 minuites.

then again once complete, apply within 28days for part P approval from local council with costs and time taken, passed on to customer via original quote.

ps also just re-reading your post, a 21 way domestic board?

if this is right then i would have quoted in the region of £550 to £600, as materials would cost approx £190, and will take approx 1 days labour @ £40per hr to complete and re-test, assuming no further works are required.

silvercar

Now I'm more confused. Tried the NICEIC website but I only know his first name. I know he's in business with his father but I don't know the company name.

As to issueing certificates etc. I know the work won't be upto current standards completely because I'm only having the board done and not rewiring the rooms.

He likened it to replacing a dodgy heart, at least the core is right even if limbs need attention in the future.

I know some might say I should do it all or none, but it seems safer to get this done now rather than do nothing.

baldelectrician

You need more info, find out if this chap is registered.

As for a 21 way board, I would worry - sounds as if the house is wired in 15A radial circuits and they went out of fasion in the 1960s, when ring circuits came in.

It may bew better to bite the bullit and go the whole hog- what's the point of your nice wood flooring if it goes up in smoke if the worst were to happen.

Safety first, flooring second.

BarmyBubba

My biggest concern for you is that once they change the board and start using MCB's and RCBO's/RCD's if the state of the wiring is pretty bad you could end up with circuits triping the sensative protection devices.

Either go the whole hog or save until you can afford to. You dont want to be left with circuits not working.

silvercar

BarmyBubba wrote:

My biggest concern for you is that once they change the board and start using MCB's and RCBO's/RCD's if the state of the wiring is pretty bad you could end up with circuits triping the sensative protection devices.

Either go the whole hog or save until you can afford to. You dont want to be left with circuits not working.

But at least if there are areas of bad wiring I will know????

Couldn't afford to do the whole lot for a year and that's without considering the floor repairs. This way seemed to be the safest option for the moment?????

BarmyBubba

The bad wiring would mean you could be without certain circuits working. What if the ring main to the living room was so bad that it wouldnt keep switched on?

silvercar

BarmyBubba wrote:

The bad wiring would mean you could be without certain circuits working. What if the ring main to the living room was so bad that it wouldnt keep switched on?

But then I would know that there was a BIG problem with that ring and I would have to get the ring sorted! At least I would know.

Anyway the work has been done and everything switched back on OK. Although the electrican can issue certificates he was not happy to do so because he knows the circuits/ rings coming off the board are not up to standard.

Apparently my light circuits are not earthed! That will be the next job on my list. I can do things in stages apparently.

chirpy007

We have just had our board replaced and the electrician charged £100 for the board, so the rest is labour which seems a bit extreme to me. Definalty rec you get a few quotes and written ones at that.