Should I replace fusebox?

Ectophile

Silent_Dancer wrote: »

I'm surprised that it wasn't upgraded when the kitchen was done. Any work to the ring main would normally trigger an upgrade.
Not true the consumer unit will have to meet the relevant British and European standards.

That doesn't stop them being cheap and flimsy, with the thinnest plastic allowed, and the least possible brass in the terminals.

r2015

We have RCD protection on our ring main and find that steam irons generally last a year before they start tripping the RCD.

That is caused by a build up of fluff at the ends of the element which then start to get damp from the steam and cause the RCD to trip.

figrat

A couple of weeks ago, I was pottering around in the evening getting ready for work, dishwasher burbling away, and I heard a funny noise - I looked up and the transformer controlling tension wired halogen lights in my kitchen was in flames, about 6" below the timber ceiling in my kitchen.
Turned same off at light switch and dialled 999. By the time they turned up (about 5 minutes) the flames had stopped, but one of the crew was also an electrician.
He looked at my ancient wired fuse box and said that it needed replacing, now I don't know for sure if a newer fusebox would have stopped the fire, but I have had it replaced, all the electrical circuits checked and have installed smoke alarms.
I did ask the electrician if I could claim for what I must admit was minimal smoke damage on the house insurance, but as he pointed out, I've been living here for 20 years and haven't had the electrics checked so that's another thing to take into consideration.

coffeehound

^Lucky that you were around at the right moment! The RCDs probably wouldn't have helped there because they only detect a leak to earth, which might not have happened with your transformer.

figrat

Well thank you for that! I do feel a bit more secure with whizzy fuse box and smoke alarms, but will discuss possibility of somehow earthing transformer!

Ben84

coffeehound wrote: »

^Lucky that you were around at the right moment! The RCDs probably wouldn't have helped there because they only detect a leak to earth, which might not have happened with your transformer.

That's not true, an antiquated ELCB would only detect a connection to earth, but modern RCDs can detect current leaking from the live to anything. But I don't know what happened to the transformer, so can't say for sure if it would have helped. Transformers in my experience tend to burn up when the insulation on the coils of wire they contain breaks down. Your best way to avoid that, or any problem really, is to buy a good quality transformer.

Overall, RCDs biggest selling point that I know of is that they cut out very quickly if someone gets an electric shock. But they do also detect a number of possible faults that fuses and ELCBs don't.

LJ._2

Indeed an RCD cuts out very quickly as they are designed to save life! Earlier in the thread there is mention of "4 seconds to cut the current" well, in that time you could be dead.

I am not an electrician but many times in the past I thought I was. Messing about with electricity is not cool get it sorted by a certified competent person, you only have one life.