Consumer units · Bournemouth
Consumer unit replacement in Bournemouth
Consumer unit and fuse board replacement in Bournemouth — starting with whether yours actually needs it.
- An honest answer on whether it needs replacing
- Room planned for work you have coming
- Free, no-obligation quotes
- NAPIT registeredRegistered competent electrician
- Fully insuredInsured on every job
- 15+ years' experiencePeter has been doing this a while
- Bournemouth & surrounding townsLocal to you
Old is not the same as failing
Plenty of people get in touch because their board looks dated next to a friend’s, or because someone has told them plastic boards are no longer allowed. Neither is, on its own, a reason to replace it.
Boards fitted in homes today have metal enclosures, but that applies to new work. An existing plastic board in good condition that is protecting its circuits properly is not a defect. What decides it is how the board is performing and what protection it actually gives — not what it is made of or how old it looks.
What I need to see before I can tell you
The board itself, what is protecting each circuit, where the supply comes in and how the property is earthed. I test a few circuits as well, because the condition of the wiring behind the board decides as much as the board does. That is why I will not give you a firm price from a description on its own — it would be a guess, and guesses tend to be wrong in the direction that costs you.
In a flat
Changing a board means isolating the supply, and in a block the isolator or the meter is often in a shared cupboard you do not hold a key for. Sorting out access with the managing agent or the freeholder before the day saves a wasted morning. In most flats nobody else in the building is affected, but it is worth knowing where your supply actually comes from before we book — the Bournemouth page has more on what belongs to you and what belongs to the building.
If other work is coming
If you are planning a new kitchen, an electric shower, an extension or a charge point, tell me now, even if it is a year off. A board chosen with that in mind will have the space and the capacity for it; one chosen without it may need adding to awkwardly, or changing again. It costs little to plan for and a lot to redo.
What happens before a price
I come and look, test what needs testing, and then give you a written price that says what is being replaced, what is staying and anything that has to be put right first. If the honest answer is that your board is fine, that is what I will tell you.
Questions
Consumer unit questions from Bournemouth
My board is plastic. Does it have to be replaced?
Not because it is plastic. New boards in homes have to have metal enclosures, but an existing plastic one in good condition is not a fault. If it is replaced for other reasons, the new one will be metal.
The meter is in a cupboard I do not have a key for. Is that a problem?
Only if nobody sorts it out before the day. The supply has to be isolated to change a board, so ask your managing agent or freeholder for access in advance, and tell me who to contact if that helps.
Can the new board have room for things I might add later?
Yes, and it is worth asking for. Tell me what you have in mind — a shower, an extension, a charge point — and I will choose a board with the space and capacity for it.
Will the other flats in the building lose power?
Normally not. Your board feeds your flat. The exception is where the supply or the earthing is shared in a way that means isolating yours affects others — and if that is the case, I will find out before we book, not on the day.
Related
Where to next
Wondering whether your board needs changing?
Tell me what it is doing and I will tell you honestly whether it is worth replacing.