Consumer unit replacement / Certification
 

I will soon be replacing an existing consumer unit with a new unit and the
new unit will be located about 1 metre from its present position.

This will require the various circuit cables to be shortened but no other
changes will be made to circuits.

Also the existing tails from the meter to the new unit will need to be
extended (actually replaced with new) by 1 metre to reach the consumer unit
position. Total length of the new tails will be about 2.5 metres.

Bearing in mind that no circuit changes are to be made, can anybody tell me
if I need to provide some form of certification for the electricity board
people (nPower) who will connect the new tails from the meter to the
consumer unit?

Tia,

Cic.

I will soon be replacing an existing consumer unit with a new unit and the
new unit will be located about 1 metre from its present position.

This will require the various circuit cables to be shortened but no other
changes will be made to circuits.

Also the existing tails from the meter to the new unit will need to be
extended (actually replaced with new) by 1 metre to reach the consumer
unit
position. Total length of the new tails will be about 2.5 metres.

Bearing in mind that no circuit changes are to be made, can anybody tell
me
if I need to provide some form of certification for the electricity board
people (nPower) who will connect the new tails from the meter to the
consumer unit?


They could quite reasonable ask for the whole house system to be tested but
I don't know if they would.

Peter Crosland

In article ,
says...
I will soon be replacing an existing consumer unit with a new unit and the
new unit will be located about 1 metre from its present position.

This will require the various circuit cables to be shortened but no other
changes will be made to circuits.

Also the existing tails from the meter to the new unit will need to be
extended (actually replaced with new) by 1 metre to reach the consumer unit
position. Total length of the new tails will be about 2.5 metres.

Bearing in mind that no circuit changes are to be made, can anybody tell me
if I need to provide some form of certification for the electricity board
people (nPower) who will connect the new tails from the meter to the
consumer unit?

So basically you're going to disconnect eveything, modify the wiring and
then reconnect it all again - nothing much to go wrong there then.

"Cicero" wrote in message
. uk...
Bearing in mind that no circuit changes are to be made, can anybody tell
me
if I need to provide some form of certification for the electricity board
people (nPower) who will connect the new tails from the meter to the
consumer unit?

About 18 months ago (maybe longer), I got my supply on a tempory disconnect.
Someone comes out AM to pull the fuse, then someone then comes back PM to
put it back (They take the fuse away, so you can't connect it back up
yourself!)

When I spoke to them on the phone, I explained I was going to be installing
an isolator between the meter and the CU myself, they didn't seem to have a
problem with this.

When it came to it being reconnected, the bloke who came asked to see the
test certificate. I said I didn't have one, as I had done the work myself,
he scratched his head and said he really needs to see a certificate, I
showed him what I had done, and told him there was no mention of this
certificate from the person I booked the disconnect with, he seemed happy
with it, and reconnected the fuse anyway - We didn't receive an electricity
bill for about a year after this, maybe it was co-incidental, or maybe he
had to fiddle something because he didn't have the certificate - who knows -
(We are paying the bills now, after a bloody huge bill hit the doormat (they
gave us a year to pay it though :-) )

This was all pre part P, so I would think this may well be different now!
If I were you, I would call your elec company, and ask them if any
certification is required for the reconnection.

If there is, you could just pull the fuse yourself and install an isolator
to extend the tails (This also has the added benefit of letting you isolate
the supply before the CU without pulling the fuse again)

Or, get a qualified electrician to do this bit if you don't want to pull the
fuse yourself although he would probably just pull the fuse, or maybe work
live (We had our CU replaced about 20 years ago (I was 5, so couldn't quite
manage it then!) he seemed to have done it live, as the fuse seal was not
broken - a braver man than me, especially as the CU back is metal!!)

Sparks...

"Rob Morley" wrote in message
t...
In article ,
says...
snip

So basically you're going to disconnect eveything, modify the wiring and
then reconnect it all again - nothing much to go wrong there then.

==================
Sad! Nothing to contribute except childish sarcasm.

Cic.