Dangerous electrics

geordiepaul2001

Ive added those now, unfortunately the sockets are behind a tumble dryer. I believe you can see at the bottom where the wires are going through the wall.

AndyPK

white wires are for the sockets going thru the wall ?

From what I can see its not great but I wouldn't say it was unsafe.

But I would put the fusecover on if you have it.
And knock £500 off for a new CU with RCD protection.

Myser

Although the existing consumer unit is quite old with rewireable fuses, it isn't unsafe. However, if you are considering upgrading to a newer consumer unit compliant with the current 17th Edition, it would be safer.

This may a good time to decide whether you will need extra sockets/lights in the house and have everything done together.

ValHaller

Myser wrote: »

This may a good time to decide whether you will need extra sockets/lights in the house and have everything done together.

From the other thread OP is part exchanging this house. So best to do the minimum.

I am struggling to see which cables are the ones going to the sockets - but I am concerned about the cable from the splitter box to the MEM fuse switch (?) to the right of the meter. Theses cable appear totally inadequate for their fusing.

Myser

ValHaller wrote: »

From the other thread OP is part exchanging this house. So best to do the minimum.

Ah sorry, I missed that bit! Thought they were purchasing the house.

Ectophile

It looks a bit if a lash-up. The old Wylex fuse boards aren't unsafe as such, but I can't see anything that looks like an RCD, so it's nowhere near modern standards.

That said, I'm a bit worried about the missing fuse from the red holder. In one of the photos, you can see the brass terminals that the fuse plugs into. One of those terminals is probably live, and there's nothing to stop somebody (such as a child) pushing something into it.

Rockingit

OP - are you saying that there are two socket outlets which are each wired directly back into the same fuse on the fuseboard, which also is the same fuse which feeds the main house ring?

If so, then whilst not that great for various other reasons, it's NOT unsafe and IS compliant with BS7671 (electrical regs).

Whilst, as others have said, the new owners would do well to fit RCD protection (which doesn't automatically mean changing a whole new board, there's nothing inherently wrong with BS3036 rewireable fuses) based SOLELY ON WHAT YOU'VE SAID HERE, I really cant think that you should be setting out to knock money off straight away. And I also think you've got a sparks on a self work generation scheme!

Owain_Moneysaver

The twin-and-earth from the splitter blocks to the consumer unit and the switchfuse are unsuitable for that application as the cores going into the splitter blocks are single insulated and unsheathed. The earth core also appears to have been cut off.

The consumer unit appears to be an old wood-based Wylex.

The wooden frame is flammable, and since fuseboxes are often mounted on wooden boards, the backless types are dry kindling waiting to be set on fire. This is not an exaggeration either - consider that a short circuit will cause a rewireable fuse to vaporise, spraying molten copper from the fuseholder.

(Flameport)

Changing a consumer unit to a modern one can often show up faults in the existing wiring, eg borrowed neutrals and poor earth leakage, which were tolerated by the old fuses. A fixed price to do all works necessary of £600-700 is probably fair as until he starts, the electrician doesn't know what he'll uncover or how long the job will take.

Other aspects of an installation of that age are likely to be inadequate too, including the number of power sockets.

ValHaller

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

The twin-and-earth from the splitter blocks to the consumer unit and the switchfuse are unsuitable for that application as the cores going into the splitter blocks are single insulated and unsheathed. The earth core also appears to have been cut off.

The consumer unit appears to be an old wood-based Wylex.

The wooden frame is flammable, and since fuseboxes are often mounted on wooden boards, the backless types are dry kindling waiting to be set on fire. This is not an exaggeration either - consider that a short circuit will cause a rewireable fuse to vaporise, spraying molten copper from the fuseholder.

(Flameport)

Changing a consumer unit to a modern one can often show up faults in the existing wiring, eg borrowed neutrals and poor earth leakage, which were tolerated by the old fuses. A fixed price to do all works necessary of £600-700 is probably fair as until he starts, the electrician doesn't know what he'll uncover or how long the job will take.

Other aspects of an installation of that age are likely to be inadequate too, including the number of power sockets.

I think that the page you quote is unnecessarily alarmist and rather contradictory.

In my opinion it exaggerates the dangers of the wooden components - and then it goes on to pooh-pooh the simplest mitigation measures

There are a lot of deficiencies with rewireable fuses, but the fuseholders do contain the arc products. The danger of the arc products setting the fuseboard alight are really in the realms of fantasy. The route from the blowing fuse wire to the wood is so tortuous and there is so much cooling on the way that there is no realistic prospect of igniting the wood. There seems to be no experience of such incidents ever occurring.

I do advocate changing the rewireables for MCBs or cartridge fuses immediately - an idea which the site pooh poohs. Although I would agree that changing the fuses is no substitute for dealing with other deficiencies in the installation where these exist.
I have never been aware of a fuse blowing and setting one of these boards on fire. If it was a real problem surely we would know about it.

AndyPK

It's a false economy fitting Mcbs to that.
Or spending any real money on it.

It does at some point need a new cu, but at a sensible price.