relocating a plastic 17th edition fuseboard

[Evans Electric]

Hate to confuse the issue but If it's just moving it  4 ft  , speaking only for myself , I'd just move it .  Two years ago  it was the best board you could  fit...17 the edition etc ...now its a piece of junk  thats about to burst into flames ..I don't think so .

However if the customer had concerns and was willing to pay  , then throw it away and cough up for a metal one .  Lets face it , customer may not be that well off and can ill afford  spending £100  for no reason .  He would be just one of the 50,000,000  other people with plastic boards. 

Let us know what you decide  Dean Mac. 

 

[Doc Hudson]

Actually if the inners of the board are all pretty much up to date, could you just buy an equivalent empty metal enclosure and swap the inners over?

Doc H.  

 

[Evans Electric]

Doc, the innards are exactly the same  MCBs  , RCDs , B/Bar , Main Switch .   

BUT........ that would mean you are now  building your own board so you have to have it pressure tested , flash tested ,  submit it for BS approval , submit it for CE approval , take out  insurance for £ 500 million  to cover your bottle & glarse.  

 

[Andy™]

not if its the same manufacturer. you always build your own board really, you fit the MCB's to suit etc

 

[Doc Hudson]

As Andy said, Not uncommon for an off-the-shelf "equipped" CU to be re-configuring to match the particular installation. Even the likes of Screwfix sell a range of unpopulated MK CU enclosures.

Doc H.

 

[ProDave]

As you are not replaceing the board, I would say it is compliant, however if you are adding circuits then these have to comply with todays regs, which may or may not mean a metal board depending on location.

But that implies if you add a new circuit to say a 16th eddition board then you MUST do a CU change to a new amd3 version even if you are not moving the board.

 

[Evans Electric]

This metal board thing affects some  like a lot of Regs changes .

I've seen & heard many sparks over the years  getting all official & pedantic  when they come across  something that  has been superseded by new editions of the Regs .  

Now some guys see  a plastic board and reach for their jobsworth hat .

My own board is a Starbreaker , metal enclosure with a plastic front ...so I don't know what to do :C   Am I in the Co-op  or the Home & Colonial?      

 

[ProDave]

My own board is a Starbreaker , metal enclosure with a plastic front ...so I don't know what to do :C   Am I in the Co-op  or the Home & Colonial?      

Same here except I have a metal Hager board with a plastic front. I prefer the older ones as they have nice round 20mm knock outs that a grommet fits in nicely.  As soon as they went to the all metal amd3 version those changed to rectangular knock outs that don't fit a standard grommet and they give you a ridiculous bit of grommet strip that will only stay in place if you glue i there.

Only half the circuits are connected so far but I won't be changing the board when I connect the rest.

 

[dean mac]

Hate to confuse the issue but If it's just moving it  4 ft  , speaking only for myself , I'd just move it .  Two years ago  it was the best board you could  fit...17 the edition etc ...now its a piece of junk  thats about to burst into flames ..I don't think so .

However if the customer had concerns and was willing to pay  , then throw it away and cough up for a metal one .  Lets face it , customer may not be that well off and can ill afford  spending £100  for no reason .  He would be just one of the 50,000,000  other people with plastic boards. 

Let us know what you decide  Dean Mac. 

will tell the customer it is better to fit a metal board for future proof although if they do not want to pay any extra we can refit the plastic one legally 

 

[Murdoch]

will tell the customer it is better to fit a metal board for future proof although if they do not want to pay any extra we can refit the plastic one legally 

I would give the customer the choice between a straight move and an upgrade to an AMD3 unit.

Are you extending all the cables in the move?

 

[dean mac]

I would give the customer the choice between a straight move and an upgrade to an AMD3 unit.

Are you extending all the cables in the move?

no the cables will be long enough,we will give them a choice 

 

[Murdoch]

no the cables will be long enough,we will give them a choice 

I would give them the price to move the board and the "extra" cost to replace the CU ............... for me that would be a RCBO board...... but that's just me!

 

[dean mac]

I would give them the price to move the board and the "extra" cost to replace the CU ............... for me that would be a RCBO board...... but that's just me!

yes we will although if they insist on the plastic one being refitted we can and be covered 

 

[Evans Electric]

although if they do not want to pay any extra we can refit the plastic one legally 

I sometimes see things differently to the mainstream  but  lets look at it :-

Problem arises ...17th edition.board needs to be moved .

Solution ............. electrician comes and moves it .   Nothing has changed , all is well . 

The customer who is funding the project is happy. 

Or :-  Introduce  the scenario that all NEW boards now need to be flame retardant .

           Customer doesn't have an extra £120  so what do we do ?    

            Perhaps the electrician will supply it for free .?

           Perhaps the IEE/ NICEIC/ NAPPITT/ ECA / JIB/  The  Police / Local Building Control / Gas Safe/  Fed. of Master                  Builders./ The Government  or Alfred E Newman  will pay for it ?

            Perhaps the  original board could be  enclosed within a big ugly  asbestos  box  ?  But who will  supply that!! 

Or shall we just move it , 4 ft  and pretend it  has always been there .  

 

[dean mac]

I sometimes see things differently to the mainstream  but  lets look at it :-

Problem arises ...17th edition.board needs to be moved .

Solution ............. electrician comes and moves it .   Nothing has changed , all is well . 

The customer who is funding the project is happy. 

Or :-  Introduce  the scenario that all NEW boards now need to be flame retardant .

           Customer doesn't have an extra £120  so what do we do ?    

            Perhaps the electrician will supply it for free .?

           Perhaps the IEE/ NICEIC/ NAPPITT/ ECA / JIB/  The  Police / Local Building Control / Gas Safe/  Fed. of Master                  Builders./ The Government  or Alfred E Newman  will pay for it ?

            Perhaps the  original board could be  enclosed within a big ugly  asbestos  box  ?  But who will  supply that!! 

Or shall we just move it , 4 ft  and pretend it  has always been there .  

we move it with the knowledge we have not contravened the regs 

 

[Evans Electric]

You hav'nt contravened anything that I can see  ....you've just moved a fuseboard  from A to B .   

 

[binky]

But that implies if you add a new circuit to say a 16th eddition board then you MUST do a CU change to a new amd3 version even if you are not moving the board.

depends where the board is located, but what I'm getting at is that it needs to be considered (before you ignore it and do something sensible  :^O ). I think if I was adding 3 or 4 ccts, then a new board would probably be needed anyway, 1 new cct, I wouldn't bother, 2 new ccts - maybe? (probably not in reality).

 

[Murdoch]

At the end of the day, its not being replaced its being moved and on the basis that BS7671 says ABSOLUTELY nothing in such a circumstance .................... 

 

[Doc Hudson]

we move it with the knowledge we have not contravened the regs 

At the end of the day, its not being replaced its being moved and on the basis that BS7671 says ABSOLUTELY nothing in such a circumstance .................... 

To summaries and add one more thought. You can confidently give the customer the option of staying with what they have or replacing with a "non combustible" unit if they so wish. But additionally dependent upon how many spare ways there are in the board, it could be useful to double check if the customer has any other plans over the coming years that may need additional circuits. As if they do and you are near full already, then that could be another point toward swapping the board over during the move. If however they are confident that the electrical requirements are all covered for their foreseeable future, then that could be another nod toward keep what you have or as the saying goes, "If it isn't broke don't fix it".

Doc H.   

 

[dean mac]

To summaries and add one more thought. You can confidently give the customer the option of staying with what they have or replacing with a "non combustible" unit if they so wish. But additionally dependent upon how many spare ways there are in the board, it could be useful to double check if the customer has any other plans over the coming years that may need additional circuits. As if they do and you are near full already, then that could be another point toward swapping the board over during the move. If however they are confident that the electrical requirements are all covered for their foreseeable future, then that could be another nod toward keep what you have or as the saying goes, "If it isn't broke don't fix it".

Doc H.   

thank you all