A fuse board replacement, the old board out and a new consumer unit in.
What is a fuse board replacement?
A fuse board replacement takes out the old fuse box, with its rewirable fuses or early breakers, and fits a modern consumer unit in its place: a main switch, RCD protection and a breaker for each circuit, each one labelled. London City Plumbers does this as part of its electrical work, alongside the plumbing, on the same number.
The first photograph is the new board in its cupboard, fixed under a timber batten with the lid lifted. There is a row of black-switched breakers, a pink surge protection device and a red main switch, with printed labels below for lights, shed, water heater, cooker, sockets and garage.
The second photograph is a strip of the old grey board, its row of breakers behind a clear cover, with a yellow danger sticker at the top left.
Three names, one box
Fuse board, fuse box and consumer unit are three names for the same box. It is where the supply comes into the house and splits into its circuits.
Search for any of them and it is the same job.
Old boards and new
An old board has rewirable or cartridge fuses, or early breakers, and often no RCD, so a fault on a cable or an appliance is not switched off quickly. A modern consumer unit has a main switch, RCD protection and a breaker for each circuit, and it can carry a surge protection device, which takes a voltage spike off the mains before it reaches what is plugged in. Replacing an old fuse box with a consumer unit starts with the supply isolated and the old board off the wall. Then each circuit is identified, so it is clear what feeds what. The new unit is mounted, each circuit is landed on its own breaker and labelled, and each circuit is checked before the power goes back on. A clear label says which circuit has tripped, and that is where finding a fault begins. A breaker for each circuit means a fault on the cooker does not have to take the lights off with it.
The labels in the first photograph are that work finished.
The usual signs
The signs people search for are a board with screw-in fuses, a board that trips and will not reset, and a burning smell at the board.
A house being rewired or extended is another, and so is an electric shower or a car charger going in when the old board has no spare way.
Same firm, same number
Our electrical page says fault finding is most of the job, and that a breaker taped on is a hazard with a deadline.
We are the same firm for the plumbing, and a water heater on a board is one place the two meet, as in our post on an immersion heater element not working.
Ring 07546 185778 and say what the board is doing, and send us a photograph of it if you can.
