Is my fuse box safe to work on?

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Hi All,

I need to have some work done on my fuse box due to a bathroom renovation.

Is my fuse box (from the early 60s) safe to work on - I wondered if any of the pictured items could be asbestos?

Thanks in advance.
 

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The "fusebox" is a Wylex Standard Consumer Unit. I don't believe there is any asbestos in it, except that if it has rewireable fuses, there may be a pad of knitted material under each fusewire to absorb sparks. Later ones it was just hard plastic.

Since yours still has the cover on, I deduce it has not been fitted with MCBs.

Yours has the facility for several ordinary fuses, and one high-power one, which is deliberately designed bigger.

That design is not as safe as more modern ones. If you take off the casing (not just the fuse cover) there are live parts exposed on the main switch, even when it is turned off.

What sort of work do you have in mind? It is not suitable for new circuits, especially a new electric shower.

It would be an advantage to replace with new.

Please also show us all the cables.
 
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My old house had the one my father-in-law removed from his house and original both houses built within a month of each other, one plastic base other wood base, both populated with MCB's not fuses, and each supplied from its own RCD, so until the CU became metal it was the same protection as modern twin RCD consumer units.

When I added RCD's there were no RCD consumer units, but today it would not be worth the effort adding RCD's easier and likely cheaper to renew the fuse box with a consumer unit.

But as to question bathroom work, it would require RCD protection and having the fuse box replaced would seem the way forward, however first the existing installation needs testing, some one tried to replace the old fuse box at my mothers house, and could not get the RCD to hold in, there were clearly other faults which were not apparent until changed.

I would say if wiring latter than 1966 then likely there will not be problems, if before 1966 then get it all checked first, as it could easy snowball into a big job, rules changed in 1966 which is why I give that date.
 
The "ivory" ones with a wooden base were I think popular in the 1970's, but the doorbell parts are obviously older, and I think there is some older cabling, if so, it is pretty sure to be due for replacement.

PVC T&E cable will be OK, but very likely unsheathed earthwires, maybe no earth on lighting, poor main bonds, lack of grommets and other work now considered unacceptable. It is impractical to add RCDs to that installation.
 
I fitted a GREY Wylex with a beige plastic back box in school so that was 69/70 school year but I think the wooden version was available for a long time after as I fitted one of each in ivory in my house about 84.
 
did the plastic back cost half a crown extra?
 
did the plastic back cost half a crown extra?
I didn't get involved with the money in the school days.
But the 2 for home I simply asked for a 4w and 8w, when I got home I found they were different, which was a shame as they were mounted side by side and didn't match.
 
Last edited:
Hi All,

I need to have some work done on my fuse box due to a bathroom renovation.

Is my fuse box (from the early 60s) safe to work on - I wondered if any of the pictured items could be asbestos?

Thanks in advance.
In my experience this style of Wylex fusebox never had any absestos in them.
The bakelite rewireable fuse holder contains a ceramic insert to pretend to act as a flashguard.
As others have said this is likely to be around 50 years old now and chances are it's safe, I still have them in my workshops. However it's non compliant for new work by todays standards due to several versions of regs and amendments and I suspect you could really do with a new consumer unit just to cater for the alterations that have occured and are about to and while 'something is being done' it probably makes sense[both finacnial and electrical] to make the change.
 
someone has worked on it in the last 15 years, as it has a new cable colours label + RCD for 1 circuit
 

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