Quick help needed! - New Fuse Box???

nuttymummy

ok, so we moved into our first owned home just over a month ago.
House was built in 1975

The fuse box under the stairs is an old black type box with 2x pinned fuses (You have to replace fuse wire when they blow)
There are only around 3-4 fuses in it. One for Sockets, one for lights etc.

So we wanted to get this changed as in our previous rented house it was a large box full of switches for allsorts (upstairs sockets, downstairs sockets, upstairs lights, downstairs lights, cooker etc etc)
And it was just a case of flicking the switch back up if anything tripped - and easy to pinpoint the room of the culprit electrical item!

We have had 2 electricians up. Both very different.

One never mentioned anything about the new fuse box, just said would be £500 for new fuse box with switches, and to run thick wire into the kitchen to fit my new double electric oven (currently gas) and electric to the shed.

2nd older electrician said pointless changing the box as no matter how many switches it has, I would still only be able to use 3-4 of them. One for sockets and one for lights etc. To be able to split them into other categories like the previous house it would need a whole new re-wire. He said to keep old box and just replace old wired fuses with breakers (Fuses with switches on?) but if something trips...it could be anything in the whole house.
Said there should already be wire into the kitchen for hob ignition so could just wire oven in there.
Awaiting his quote...

So.....why didn't the first electrician mention that I couldn't use all the extra switches on a new fuse box? Is there any benefit to having a new one - is it safer, or not due to still having the same 3-4 fuses? I don't know what to believe, or what to choose!

please help!

Risteard

It is of course true that the wiring will need to be altered to subdivide the circuits into more circuits. However given the age of the installation it would be advisable to have a periodic inspection carried out and an Electrical Installation Condition Report produced.

From here you would have a good idea of what work needed to be done. For example, if the cables are in poor condition then a complete rewire may be necessary. Main protective bonding conductors may well be undersized. A number of different issues may exist. Some of these things will require correction before ANY work can be carried out on the installation.

Ectophile

Just replacing the fuse box with a new consumer unit (that's the proper name for them) won't magically add new circuits to your house. So if you've only got one ring covering all the sockets in the house, then you'll only have one breaker replacing the one fuse. Same for lights, etc.

But it sounds like you want two new circuits added. So that's two more breakers needed.

New boards are safer because they are fitted with RCDs as well as circuit breakers. If you accidentally touch a live wire, then the current running through you will never be enough to blow a fuse. An RCD is intended to spot even very small currents flowing to earth (whether through you or something else) and will shut off the power in a fraction of a second.

nuttymummy

New boards are safer because they are fitted with RCDs as well as circuit breakers. If you accidentally touch a live wire, then the current running through you will never be enough to blow a fuse

Yes, but I read the RCD's are very sensitive, and you HAVE to have it split at LEAST to an upstairs/downstairs circuit instead of all in one otherwise it would constantly trip? The first electrician was putting a new box in.....but never said a dickybird about needing to make extra circuits...so don't know if he was planning to shove them all in one box with the potential of tripping them all.

He never said it would need new circuits which is why I'm confused!
I don't know what he was planning to do as the second electrician said new box is useless due to only needing the 3 switches on it (The smallest boxes come with 8 he said)

Its one of those times you just wish you had enough knowledge to make a decision LOL

Ainsley1

I would not go with the second exactly as explained by Risteard regarding superior protection of new box with rcd.

It could be that there are already multiple circuits on the ring main etc. just fed from one fuse.

Try getting sparky one back, check what he includes in his quote (seems a good price!) and make sure he has all the testing (also mentioned above) included and what rectification might be included in his quote (probably nothing at that price) and beware a full rewire costs a lot more!!!

Check he is a member of a recognised trade body and qualified too.
It is possible technically to do what number two says but is far from the best idea and would not conform to current wiring regs.

Splitting supplies into several circuits controlled by combined RCD and over current trips (mcbo) is best approach gives best protection combined with reduced nuisance tripping. Some supplies ought not to be on RCDs such as fire alarm circuits.

southcoastrgi

You can't put MCBO's into an old fuse box because they won't fit, it sounds to me that you need a sparkie that knows what he's doing because neither of them sound to me that they do

-=rizla=-_2

nuttymummy wrote: »

I don't know what he was planning to do as the second electrician said new box is useless due to only needing the 3 switches on it (The smallest boxes come with 8 he said)

Add your new cooker circuit, a double for a RCD (no idea if they do single size ones, I've only seen doubles), we've got a main on/off switch to save you going outside to switch it all off (double) and you're up to eight, personally I'd think about future proofing and save space for a shower, maybe smoke alarms, an outside socket etc, I live in a relatively new house with a 20 socket consumer unit, we have 11 used and 9 spare.

As has been mentioned speak to quote #1 and ask what he's going to do, and speak to somebody new, telling them what #1 and #2 have advised you.

A new consumer unit with circuit breakers will be marginally safer than the current fuses you have as they are slightly more sensitive to current than fuses so slightly quicker acting.

Depending on the distance from the consumer unit to the cooker, and to the shed and the rework that involves £500 does seem fairly cheap.

brightontraveller

southcoastrgi wrote: »

You can't put MCBO's into an old fuse box because they won't fit, it sounds to me that you need a sparkie that knows what he's doing because neither of them sound to me that they do

If you mean RCBO there was one for wylex 3036 boards called WRF retro fit not sure if they still make them it was silly expensive ( cheaper to buy fully loaded new board ) But chances of either of the electricians knowing about the kit I'd say slim to none and tend too agree wouldn't use either of them....

nuttymummy

Thanks guys!

I tried another electrician for another opinion....but he's on holiday!

The first has his own company and a few employees.
The second was semi-retired.

The quote which i'm waiting for from number 2 I can tell will be dirt cheap. But seems all round that a new box would be better. I'm just worried we pay 1st electrician for a new box but hes not able to split the wires...LOL and then charges us lots more and causes more damage by doing so.
It now does make sense to get a new box with spare switches for future use i.e the shower is currently on the taps but USED to have an electric one in. And we also have an outside socket.
As for the electric to the shed I don't think he was running it from the box under the stairs, just tapping in to the double plug socket that is already in the conservatory?

All this came about as there is no room for a dryer in the house, so having to put it in the shed! But heard horror stories of them being on extension leads and it getting hot etc. Yet tapping in, is just really like extending it anyway? Im sure he said he was putting in another outside socket on the conservatory....so would still be an extension? LOL

Might sign up for a course on electrics haha

Le_Kirk

I would also worry about the comment that you could use the cable that fed the spark igniter for the new cooker/oven. I would need to check the size of cable, it might not be big enough - depending of course on the power requirement of your new cooker/oven.

-=rizla=-_2

nuttymummy wrote: »

All this came about as there is no room for a dryer in the house, so having to put it in the shed! But heard horror stories of them being on extension leads and it getting hot etc. Yet tapping in, is just really like extending it anyway? Im sure he said he was putting in another outside socket on the conservatory....so would still be an extension? LOL

Dryers are relatively high current users, add to that they're on for an hour or so then if you use a cheaper extension cable it will get hot. If you used a more industrial/heavy duty cable that is thicker and designed for higher current usage for longer periods of time it'll be fine. So yes taping in is just like extending it, but will be with thicker cable than a standard extension cable and should be weather proofed etc (as its going outside) so wont get hot.