CU upgrade rented property

[Alexphd1]

Speaking to a sparkie about letting out a house and he says I need to upgrade the CU to a metal one (he hasn't seen the CU it was just over the phone)

@ProDave

 

[Alexphd1]

[ProDave]

I would personally code that C3 which if everything else is okay would be satisfactory.

 

Official guidance seems lacking and a lot of electricians think a CU like that would be a C2 and hence unsatisfactory.

[TonyT]

Lack of RCD on circuits

looks like red and black singles feeding the transformer?

is there an earth Conductor to the main water pipe and main gas pipe if applicable?

[Alexphd1]

Gas pipe being upgraded at the moment so earth will be run in.

[andyscotland]

Electrical Safety First publish a set of official Best Practice Guides in partnership with the IET, the main certification schemes (NICEIC etc) and others.

 

Best Practice Guide 4 covers periodic inspection https://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/media/fpton1au/bpg4-a5-2022.pdf

 

That specifies a C3 - Improvement Recommended (which means it is not an immediate or potential danger but the installation would be safer if addressed) as @ProDave says for:

 

> Presence of a consumer unit or similar switchgear made from combustible material (e.g. plastic) that is not inside a non-combustible enclosure and which is located under a wooden staircase or within a sole route of escape from the premise.

 

If you only have C3s then the overall report is satisfactory.

 

But note that they also say if it is not in a sole escape route or under a wooden staircase then it shouldn't even be C3, it's not compliant with current BS7671 but does not need to be recorded on the report.

 

Obviously if there are loose connections inside or evidence of arcing/overheating then that would need to be addressed.

 

The absence of RCD protection on the lighting circuits is listed in BPG4 as a C3.

 

However the unsheathed cables @TonyT spotted would be a C2 Potential Danger as they are accessible to touch so that would give you an "Unsatisfactory" report until addressed.

[ProDave]

Like I say, these non conformances with current regs are only supposed to be a C3.  Any electrician that tries to say otherwise is simply wrong.  Thanks to @andyscotland for the link confirming it.  I have that guidance note but could not remember where I downloaded it from.

 

Agreed on the singles to the bell transformer but that is such a trivial matter I would just replace it with a bit of t&e without even mentioning it.

 

If the electrician you spoke to says it will need a new CU even before he has looked at it, try a different electrician.

 

Going forward, the issues you might face with that CU is it is long since obsolete, so if there were a problem, say that RCD does not work, your only hope of a replacement that would fit that board would be second hand.  You can get rcbo's for those boards, but again hard to find and expensive  I have one in my spares box.