Consumer Unit Install Manchester & Salford
All new fitted consumer units are required to be to 18th Edition Wiring Regulations BS7671. This essentially means that they have to be steel rather than plastic as the older plastic consumer units have a history of catching fire particularly when the main switch tripped, the main switch is usually rated at 100amp or 60amp for small dwellings or outbuildings etc.
Typical cause for a new consumer unit would be to accommodate a rewire or if the existing equipment is unsuitable for the demand within the home.
Consumer units now have to provide adequate protection from electric shock by means of RCD (Residual Current Device) or RCBO (Residual Current with Breaking Overload). Ideally you should have RCBO’s as this ensures all circuits have their own RCD protection rather than sharing the RCD with other circuits. This eradicates problems such as a faulty light switch tripping out the entire downstairs power. This issue could happen whilst you are away on holiday and you come back to a disaster because your fridge and freezer have defrosted or worse. Once we fit a consumer unit we carry out an intensive inspection of each circuit measuring the adequacy of the earth in each instance. We test for the correct resistance within each conductor to ensure the integrity of each circuit. RCD’s and RCBO’s are each individually tested so as they trip out at the adequate amount of current and time. All work is certified and guaranteed.