How to Make Sure You Have A Safe Electrical Consumer Unit
Many households in the UK still haven’t received professional fuse box replacement and repair, and you may find that you’re relying on old wiring.
For safety reasons, it is vital to consider calling in a professional, so here we’ll explore whether you need to get in touch and arrange a visit from our recommended electrician in your area or not.
So, let’s explore this topic further so you can determine if you need your consumer unit replaced or repaired.
Upgrading Your Fuse Box
Even if your consumer unit appears to be working as it should, if it has a plastic enclosure, it is critical to get it replaced.
According to London Fire Brigade statistics, fuse boxes or consumer units with a plastic enclosure put properties at a greater risk of a fire.
The London Fire Brigade recorded an increase in home fires between 2011 and 2014, and this was attributed to poor wiring practices that led to overheating of plastic fuse boxes, which then caught fire.
Fortunately, all our recommended electricians can easily install a metal clad consumer unit or fuse box adhering to the recommendations in the recent BS 7671 British Standard wiring regulations.
A new metal clad box will not only be able to handle your increasing electricity demands, but also pass the strict UK Building Regulations.
What’s Involved in a Fuse Box Replacement?
Before a fuse box is replaced, an electrician will inspect your system to ensure that everything is properly bonded and earthed. This will include all of the electric power distribution equipment currently in use in your home.
If there are any faults in the electrical installation, the fuse box replacement will need to be postponed until all of these issues are safely resolved.
A qualified electrician will also inspect your fuse box for any defects. This will allow the electrician to assess what work will be required for your replacement.
It may be necessary to replace any faulty circuit breakers at this stage to ensure that everything is operating safely and complies with all of the latest British Standard wiring requirements.
By choosing a certified electrician, you can also avoid some bureaucracy. Electricians registered with the relevant schemes can self certify the replacement of your fuse box and negate the need to visit your local council to notify them of the change.
This not only saves you time and stress, but you could avoid paying a hefty fee.
Fuse Box Repair
Even if your fuse box does comply with the industry regulations, it is still vital to ensure that it has not developed any repair issues.
Your fuse box is at the heart of the electrical distribution system of your home, so any repair issues should be diagnosed and corrected as soon as possible.
If you’re experiencing any electrical issues such as breakers tripping, flickering lights or unreliable performance from sockets, it is worth having it checked.
All our recommended electricians can inspect your fuse box to determine if there are any issues and perform any necessary repairs to reduce the risk of injury or fire and ensure that you and your home is protected.
If you believe your fuse board is not up to regulation or have a tripping issue and would like to speak to our recommend electrician in your area. You can find them here.
Need Your Fuse Box Replaced?
Popular Local Electricians
Need Your Fuse Box Replaced?
Recent Reviews About The Electricians
Efficient, friendly service.Would reccomend to anyone wanting Phil and his NextLevel Install company.
Julie Debnam
Jordan & Luke came to resolve a fault with our downstairs sockets that left us without power. Both were very knowledgeable, polite & efficient. Had my power back on within 30 mins. Would recommend & use again.
Steve Green
We feel really pleased to have found David - a really reliable electrician, able to find his way through electrical problems. He gives one great confidence!
C & A GILL
David and his staff were friendly, efficient and on point with my Ring installation. Fair pricing as well. I would highly recommend his services.
Christopher LoPinto
Chris arrived at the agreed time. He quickly took in the situation and traced the fault in our rambling wiring. I was delighted by his manner, approach, and efficiency. The cost was reasonable and he tidied up afterwards! I think we were very lucky to have found such an unpretentious genuine professional electrician.
John M
Lovely chap, would use Daniel again if needed but no plans to move plugs myself anytime soon!
Sharon
Asa quoted to take over some unfinished electrical work on a major house rebuild. His quotation was clear and covered all our requirements. He arrived on time with a colleague and was very good at problem solving and trying out different things to get to the bottom of issues. At times, this was quite tricky as he hadn't been involved in the initial electrical work. He even returned at 7pm on a Friday to check out why some lights were tripping. Very friendly and expertise combined. Stuck to his quotation and we will now be using him for all our future electrical requirements as well as recommending him to others.
Sarah
I found Martin a very pleasant and friendly young man. Thanks
Craig
Good customer service and reliable. Great and neat electrical work done in my garage. Good price. I will highly recommend David Farrar and his team. Thanks , Kwame.
Eric Kwame G
Okay first review so lets make this thorough: Leon had come over today to assess my flat and run an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) I as a consumer was really happy with: - His ability to quickly identify and flag some minor issues which needed adjusting. - His level of transparency and communication as he ran me through any changes that would occur (power cycling, what task he was moving onto as he progressed through his EICR) - Willingness to see a job through, he had gone to collect some parts to complete the task and had gone the extra mile to get it all resolved quickly. Brilliant level of customer service and overall great expertise in his role. Would highly recommend.
Sami Rashid
Very honest and efficient!
Richard
Turned up at the time we agreed and sorted the fault. Very professional. Thank you.
Eleanor
Very good service when I had a emergency. Gave very good advice. Would use again.
Susan
Fantastic service. Immediate response and arrived within the time given. Excellent knowledge and quickly found the fault.
Larraine
Excellent service, very professional and I can strongly recommend this company. The standard of work carried out was exceptional.
Twigs
Fantastic help and to the point both on the phone and in person. Arrived in the time we were given and explained the problem and solution simply but without being patronising. 10/10 for Paul the gent who came out to us.
Jo
Wow! responded immediately, electrician was here in no time, he explained the faults and fixed them right away, can actually say, "he saved our lives " as one switch was very very old and was heating up, potentially causing a fire. so big a thank you for making us safe, excellent service, excellent work carried out, would definitely recommend. THANK YOU
Rach
I was looking for a company to do an electrical survey of a property I am buying. I have nothing but praise for Paul and the work he has done. His estimation was clear. He was timely. He was very thorough in his survey of the property highlighting a number of things which need addressing which there is no way would have been identified otherwise. There are lots of companies out there on comparison sites but I would thoroughly recommend Paul from Electricians On Call.
Keith
I would recommended this company. Paul came to fit my new oven that needed to have a safety socket and new wires put behind it to make safe , spot on for time very quick and he knew his stuff and very polite, even got a free pen which was a nice touch ! many thanks for all your help
Jenny
Very professional, engineer arrived at time stated. Problem fixed in less than half an hour, therefore charged half hour rate, would have paid hourly rate with most other emergency call outs. Many thanks, would not hesitate to recommend!
Louis
My Trusted Expert Guarantee
Experts Have Been Vetted & Certified