I purchased a flat that was last renovated in 2008 and that's the date on the fuse board too. I wanted an EICR to see if all electrics are safe and also to have an option to rent the flat if I can't move in straight away. The fuse board is plastic and has one RCD as you can see in the photo. One of the electricians I asked to quote for EICR said that circuits 1-5 do not have RCD protection and that he would have to fit five RCBO in fuse board (at £25 each) plus £75 fitting otherwise he would fail the electrics in the report. So the first question is does the fuse board for a small flat really need that many RCDs? (If it does, I have no problems paying for the work). However what made me suspicious (I admit I might be wrong) is that he suggests it would be better to replace the fuse board with a new metal one at a cost of £250. I know that it does not have to be metal unless it is a new installation (the board is high on the wall, not under the stairs) so I am worried about changing it unnecessarily as the electric meter is outside on the ground floor whilst the board is inside on the first floor. Would there be damage to the walls or complications with connecting to the meter because of its location? The electrician did not ask about the location of the meter so am I worrying unnecessarily and is there really a need for a new board?
The door bell and smoke detectors don’t need to be on separate circuits, I cannot see what circuit one the B16 supplies, is it the immersion heater? I would move circuit one onto the RCD protected side of the consumer unit along with circuit five the door bell, then fit two RCBOs for the lighting circuits. If the bar is short on the RCD side the door bell can go onto a lighting circuit as well. The smoke alarms are better on a lighting circuit anyway. £50 for two RCBOs plus labour at the rates you have been quoted. But that seems too cheap, check the quote is for genuine Wylex RCBOs. https://www.screwfix.com/p/wylex-6a-30ma-sp-type-b-rcbo/35586
If I were really penny pinching I could probably get all of those circuits onto the RCD protected side of the existing consumer unit
An EICR is just that - an inspection. It is not an invitation or permission to carry out any remedial works. The wiring regulations do not call for a metal board, although a lot of electricians and suppliers have taken that meaning. The requirement is “non-combustible”. 5 RCBOs for £500 is nice work if you can get it, although at £25 each, they are unlikely to by Wylex RCBOs, which is a problem. I suspect he /she is trying it on!
If your planning on renting the property out the fuse board would need to be in a non combustible enclosure or swapped for a metal fuse board to bring it up to 18th edition standard.
Thank you all for replying so quickly. It says in pen underneath that circuit 1 supplies the hob. From everything you said it seems that five extra RCBO is a bit over the top and that two extra ones would do the job but I have a feeling that if I mention this to him, he would not take on the job so I probably need to look for another quote.
I checked the regs and the electrician also confirmed it, the board does not have to be metal unless it is a new installation in which case it must be metal. The rule is not applied retrospectively and the report would not be a fail on that account. It would be noted on the report that the board is plastic but no action would have to be taken unless there was a fault with the board itself.
wrong. The 18thedition of the Wiring Regulations states: “existing installations that have been installed in accordance with earlier editions of the regulations may not comply with this edition in every respect. This does not necessarily mean that they are unsafe for continued use or require upgrading”.
still wrong! https://www.nrla.org.uk/resources/looking-after-your-property/electrical-safety-inspections
Seems to be some conflicting views BLA says must comply with 18th edition. https://thebla.co.uk/electrical-saf...e_new_electrical_standards_I_must_comply_with
There is something VERY wrong with the system if every rented home in the country has to have a board change just because a new book has come out! A lot of dodgy "sparks" have tried to claim that in the past but, unless there's been a major change to things, you can't condem an installation that complied with a previous version of the regs!
It is simply not true that every rental property MUST have a metal CU. WRONG! If anyone disagrees, then show us the LAW that says it must, because the regulations (which are not law) say it doesn't have to be.
C3 ... definitely NOT C2 or C1 ... which means that it has been pointed out as an area for optional future improvement.
The BLA document itself says the position is unclear. NAPIT - who, if anything would have an interest in creating work for electricians, say that full 18th compliance is not necessary. And going back to teh original question, why can a single RCD not be inserted? A little shuffling might be needed, however a single RCD will be way cheaper than 5xRCBOs
Last time I purchased Wylex RCBOs, they were about £25 each. For some reason the Legislation does refer to the 18th edition, though lots of people do say that it doesn’t mean what it says: electrical safety standards” means the standards for electrical installations in the eighteenth edition of the Wiring Regulations, published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Standards Institution as BS 7671: 2018(3);