Double Storey Side Extension Electricals advice?

bery_451

Hi,

Currently we have a old Wylex Fuse box Board/Consumer Unit that uses the wylex fuses as seen below:

http://imgur.com/a/f8jBy

Which is the best route to take to accommodate the new side extension if I want a good reliable wired network in any room of the house using PowerLine adapters instead of WiFi.





Thanks,

System

Why not just have a proper wired network, much better than WiFi or power lines and looks like you'll be needing some electrical upgrades anyway....

bery_451

Ok what electrical upgrades do I need?

Yeah the reason why I say wired network via powerline adapters because this is like a set benchmark on how good the electrical circuits/wiring is in the house.

For example if there is dodgy electrical work/wiring/circuits or cheap made in china components then more likely you will have non reliable internet connection with regular internet dropouts/slow transfer speeds etc. As well as safety issues on top.

beaker141

If your new extension is having ANY electrics in it then I'd suggest it very likely that the electrician doing it would not touch what you have and either :-

a - suggest you replace the existing fusebox with a new consumer unit with sufficient space to add the additional circuits

b - leave your existing completely untouched and add a seperate consumer unit next to your fusebox wired direct to the incoming.

It seems an odd way to test your electrics to create a network in it using powerline stuff - just run cat 5e or cat 6 everywhere and use a network switch and additional wireless access points if needed.

FreeBear

beaker141 wrote: »

b - leave your existing completely untouched and add a seperate consumer unit next to your fusebox wired direct to the incoming.

NO, NO. The op should (must ?) have a single master switch to kill the power. The cost of fitting a second consumer unit and additional master switch will probably end up being more than replacing the old unit.

A new consumer unit will provide capacity to add additional circuits at a later stage and will improve the safety of the existing circuits. Having MCBs instead of rewireable fuses is one immediate advantage.

If the OP is set on a hard wired network, take the opportunity to run trunking to each room, fit wall boxes, and use CAT5/6 cable.

bery_451

Also forgot to mention does the whole house need rewiring as well or just replace old fuse board box with a new consumer unit to handle the extra rooms in the extension.

If I decide to get solar panels in future then will solar panels be compatible or what shall I look for to make it compatible?

Finally can you recommend a consumer unit backed up by overall good customer reviews.

Ectophile

Powerline adapters generally work faster if they are plugged into the same ring. So if the new extension is on a separate circuit then you are likely to get a lower speed, whatever components are used. the only way to keep the same speed would be to get the electrician to extend the ring you are currently using.

You can assume that the components used will be cheaply made in China, because most are these days - even when they have the name of a reputable company on them. That may be why there seem to be so many safety recalls of circuit breakers these days.

I believe the bit about having a single main switch is a bit of a technicality. Many homes, mine included, have two consumer units. It would be better to have a single isolator switch installed in the meter tails, but it's not exactly the end of the World if you don't. Some rules lawyers will even argue that if you have two consumer units, then you must have two "installations". So each "installation" still has its own main switch.

But if you can afford a new extension, couldn't you also afford a new, larger, consumer unit covering all the circuits in the house? You'd also get the safety advantage of RCDs on all the circuits and not just the new ones.

bery_451

Ok which is the best larger consumer unit to buy to cover all the circuits including the side extension circuits?

Also do i have to rewire the whole house or just wire the extension?

Anything else that we missed out on that needs mentioning in this thread?

Cheers,

FreeBear

A 16 way CU would give you plenty of room to expand without being excessively expensive. Fitting one will require building control notification, but you should be able to slide this in with notice for the extension - Coupled with having an electrician on site, it makes sense to do it now rather than later.

As for a complete rewire, that really depends on the state of the existing cabling - Judging by the photos provided, I'd take a guess that the old wiring was done in the 70s. Probably a good idea to rewire, but if your electrician is happy to sign off on the old stuff, not essential.

One last thing - You might find the earthing arrangements need to be improved/upgraded - Again, your electrician will be able to advise, and it shouldn't add much to the overall cost.

bery_451

FreeBear wrote: »

A 16 way CU would give you plenty of room to expand without being excessively expensive. Fitting one will require building control notification, but you should be able to slide this in with notice for the extension - Coupled with having an electrician on site, it makes sense to do it now rather than later.

As for a complete rewire, that really depends on the state of the existing cabling - Judging by the photos provided, I'd take a guess that the old wiring was done in the 70s. Probably a good idea to rewire, but if your electrician is happy to sign off on the old stuff, not essential.

One last thing - You might find the earthing arrangements need to be improved/upgraded - Again, your electrician will be able to advise, and it shouldn't add much to the overall cost.

Ok understood, many thanks for the clarification.

Just need to look for the components. I come back to this thread if I need further help.

bery_451

For the new rooms we thinking of putting downlights into the ceilings.

How many downlights is recommended and what formation array for?:

- small room
- medium room
- big room

Also downlights must be LED and they must be dimmable in bedrooms. Are LED downlights dimmable?