Fusebox Burnt/Melted - Insurance Help!

MickMun

Hi all,

This morning whilst having a shower (electric) I heard the smoke alarm going off and went downstairs to discover a large amount of smoke and plastic burning smell coming from the cupboard which houses the fusebox.
We have an old style fusebox with re-wireable fuses which has never caused any problems in the year we have lived here, however the fuse that is linked to the shower was emanating heat and smoking so i immediately turned off the power.

Had the electrician round who updated the fusebox to modern standards, and he mentioned that it looks like the previous fuse had a bad connection which started to cause arc'ing but did not blow the fuse and ultimately lead to the fusebox burning.

Is this likely to be covered my house insurance, or will they likely try to blow me off and say that it is my own fault for not checking the connections all over the house every week or have some other excuse that this was due to a failure on my behalf and they are not liable?

Thanks

vaio

sounds like maintenance so not covered and even if it was then lost NCB, future premium loadings and your excess are pretty much certain to add up to more than the cost of the new CU

mikey72

I'd have said maintenance as well, it would have been picked up at an inspection if you had them, and it's also an old style fusebox that doesn't conform to current standards, so you would probably be offered only a small contribution to the cost of improving the consumer unit to current standards.

And as vaio said, the amount you're claiming won't be worth the cost you'll pay in the future.

Sally_A

A FIRE in the fusebox may well be covered though, as it is one of the basic insured perils.

Your electrician would need to do a report stating if it was just heat or an actual fire. I'd then play on their better nature about what could have been if you hadn't switched the power off in time etc etc.

Worth an ask!

dtaylor84

Insurance doesn't pay out based on what could have been...

mikey72

Sally_A wrote: »

A FIRE in the fusebox may well be covered though, as it is one of the basic insured perils.

Your electrician would need to do a report stating if it was just heat or an actual fire. I'd then play on their better nature about what could have been if you hadn't switched the power off in time etc etc.

Worth an ask!

It's not.
If the op asks, they'll record it as an incident, I still belive they'll say no, and as they incident is not recorded, it'll have to be declared, and premiums will still rise.

Sally_A

Maybe you're correct Mikey72; I still live in fluffy wuffy broker land, where these things could be asked without giving client names, and hence no penalties.

Unfortunately those that now deal online in search of cheapness, don't have a broker to suss out the "What if?" scenario.

If my premium rose by 10% every time I set the smoke alarm off, I'd be better off eating at the Ritz every night.

olly300

Sally_A wrote: »

A FIRE in the fusebox may well be covered though, as it is one of the basic insured perils.

It would be if the fuse box was not an old one.

Old fuseboxes have to be changed for exactly the reason the OP first posted. One reason why new owners get their properties rewired.

Dangermac

Sally_A wrote: »

A FIRE in the fusebox may well be covered though, as it is one of the basic insured perils.

Your electrician would need to do a report stating if it was just heat or an actual fire. I'd then play on their better nature about what could have been if you hadn't switched the power off in time etc etc.

Worth an ask!

This is pretty dangerous advice. A fire claim/notification will almost certainly shift premiums upwards for the foreseeable future. Also, the OP made no mention of a fire - simply that there had been an electrical malfunction (my words).

What type of broker do you work for? Presumably, not an insurance broker?

DM

Sally_A

Only dangerous if you go for the cheapest policy out there, directly with an insurance office that has drones on the phones; unsure why you're getting sniffy Dangermac.

No smoke without fire and all that

Electrical checks are not compulsory on domestic properties, just recommendations, commercial properties have to have a 3 or 5 year cert as per the EAW (Electricity at Work Act - in case you are not familiar), with a regular daily visual inspection of equipment in between that.

Yes, I've been a broker for 30 years. But would also recommend that if you were with a company for price rather than quality, you phone up with a "What if" question....then work out cost of damage versus cost of next renewal.

Don't really know why you are digging at me Dangermac.