You DO NOT need Two Consumer Units - what you require is a Dual Tariff/Supply CU. MK Sentry range can be used for it. One supply comes in at the left and supplies the various circuits. A second supply (E7) goes to a second incomer halfway along and that provides connection to the heaters. You will be best upgrading to give additional protection with an RCD or RCBOs and as you may only have four circuits, I would suggest using RCBOs to minimise disruption of it trips. Is your meter close by?
Can you link me to such a Dual Tariff/Supply CU? If it has RCD protection,lets say it has dual,then is MCB'S ok to use or RCBO'S? The meter is in my hallway of my flat right next to the front door,so is that close enough?
Several around - your electrician would be able to make a suitable choice or will build one from standard components. Sentry no longer supply as standard so MK may be ruled out. Reason I asked about proximity of meter, is that it may be necessary to run new feeds.
If you buy a Wylex high integrity NMII unit then you can just build it how you want. You split it with two main switches, one for the first incomer and the second for the other. You just arrange whatever you want on the DIN rail and wire it neatly as per the circuit design. I use the Wylex NM range, picture is of the NM2 or NMII range. If you need 3 main switches you just add it in. My point is exactly what Pollowick said, you can do it all in one consumer unit. You do NOT need two separate units.
Any choices of which consumer unit and how and if new supply cables need to be run are questions for your electrician. I am curious though, what response or choices are your neighbours making. They must be in the same boat?
Not always the case Peter,he could end up with a 50 year old 5 day or 5 week wonder who thinks microbore pipe is going into the consumer unit. He needs a time served tradesman with a good bit of pyro experience. They have even taken pyro off the AM2 for Apprentices nowadays,it is becoming a dying art.
I'd have said it is a dead art already. It was on the way out back in the 90's when i was doing my C&G
Find out if several neighbours want to do an upgrade - you cannot be the only one. Then, work together to find one electrician who will have to repeat the same job several times and you may be able to negotiate a discount.
Can you still get a potting tool for the pyro ? Most sparks wont have one, i would serously consider just getting eicr done if it has no C1 orC2 faults the leaseholder cant argue
I've still got all the tools in my shed somewhere, I think the compound might be past its sell by date though by now. If I was doing that I'd try and leave the coupler attached to the pyro gland and undo the bush from inside the old fuse box and reattach the same way. Would'nt surprise me if it was 2 core with the sheath as the earth. either way being very careful not to disturb the pyro cores more than neccesary. I seem to remember some pyro was imperial as well and the pots you can get now wont screw on to it.
Yes,you can still get them but you can screw a pot on with a decent pair of pliers or pipe grips. https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/categories/mineral-insulated-cable-accessories-micc-tools
Coldcut, could you possibly post a photo of the incoming mains where the meter is located? Those pyros don't look big enough to be main feeds in to the board they are more likely to be circuits out. But I would need to see where the main feed is coming in to be sure.
Looking at a 1982 Lease: 1: It requires the Lessee to "Keep the ... Flat ... electrical ... apparatus ... in good substantial and tenentable repair and condition ... and protect the ... other ... parts of the Building". It doesn't specfically say IMPROVE or UPDATE but it could possibly be interpretated that way. 2: The Lessee has to compy with national and local laws, regulations, and authorities. 3: The Lessee can't do anything to affect getting insurance, but isn't required to actively do anything to enable getting insurance. Obviously your Lease may differ.
Shall i get my dusty pyro tools out and show you youngsters how its done ? The other problem is...are the ccts from the board also pyro.....if that are and feeding storage heaters....when the time switch comes on...the 30ma RCD might drop out ! All further advice will be charged at premium rate plus VAT....lol RS
Sparkielev asked if you can still get the potting tool,not the crimping tool.That is why I mentioned about screwing the pots on.
Given teh age of teh tools and potential user, I would suggest a premium rate that was applicable at the time of original use - shall we saw £1 3s 2d per half day - no VAT, just Purchase Tax!