Meter move

[mackandmutley]

Having the front half of my garage converted and insulated soon to building regs. Currently have the electric meter high on the outside single skin wall of the half that is being converted and the fuses are just the other side of the stud wall on the side that is remaining as a garage. Electric enters from overhead wires on a pole in the street. I have two options that I would love to hear your thoughts and any idea on cost and who to contact to quote:-

1. Leave the meter where it is, temporarily remove from wall, it's on a little sheet of ply at the moment, insulate and plasterboard as required, remount to wall and build some sort of cupboard round it.

2. Have somebody remount the meter the other side of the wall with the fuse box, distance change is about 2 foot.

3. Fuse box is one of the old type with re-wire able fuses, will this need to be changed during the works to get building control sign off?

4. I will need the circuit changed/ added for the room created by the garage conversion along with lighting switches changedso part P electrician required?

 

[TheKeymeister]

You don't want to be messing about taking meter boards off the wall, temporary or not. Speak to your DNO and get a quote for what you want to do. Don't expect it to be cheap. I recently found a builder who had took three meter boards off the walls and demolished them, we disconnected the supplies there and then on safety grounds.

I would definitely look at changing your fuseboard if it's an old rewireable board as well. Not sure if you need it for your conversion to be signed off but they aren't the most favoured method of circuit protection nowadays...and for good reason

 

[flameport]

1. No, doing so is dangerous and not allowed either, since it's not yours to move.

2. Possible, but the 'somebody' will have to be the DNO or another company that they specify. They may not want to move it to another indoor location, so it may end up outside in a box.

3. Likely that something will need to be added or changed for the new circuits anyway. Might be cost effective to replace the whole thing.

4. No, but the new circuits and any changes to existing ones will need to comply with Building Regulations, the electrical part of which is Part P.
Since you are notifying BC about this anyway, you need to find out from them exactly what they require regarding electrical works.

Why not do the whole garage for virtually no extra money, and end up with a decent sized usable room, rather than a very small one with a useless half garage next to it?

 

[JohnW2]

I would definitely look at changing your fuseboard if it's an old rewireable board as well. Not sure if you need it for your conversion to be signed off but they aren't the most favoured method of circuit protection nowadays...and for good reason

I certainly agree that it's worth considering upgrading the CU, not the least because the existing one won't have the ability to accommodate internal RCDs.

However, if it's what you meant, I'm not so sure about your implication that there is necessarily 'good reason' to feel that MCBs (or RCBOs) are superior to fuses in terms of circuit protection. On the contrary, fuses are all but foolproof, whereas we really don't have a clue as to how reliable MCBs are in service (i.e. how many 'faulty' ones there may be in service, which may not operate as expected {fully, or at all} in the case of a fault) - since, to all intents and purposes, we can't test them.

Kind Regards, John

 

[TheKeymeister]

I would definitely look at changing your fuseboard if it's an old rewireable board as well. Not sure if you need it for your conversion to be signed off but they aren't the most favoured method of circuit protection nowadays...and for good reason

I certainly agree that it's worth considering upgrading the CU, not the least because the existing one won't have the ability to accommodate internal RCDs.

However, if it's what you meant, I'm not so sure about your implication that there is necessarily 'good reason' to feel that MCBs (or RCBOs) are superior to fuses in terms of circuit protection. On the contrary, fuses are all but foolproof, whereas we really don't have a clue as to how reliable MCBs are in service (i.e. how many 'faulty' ones there may be in service, which may not operate as expected {fully, or at all} in the case of a fault) - since, to all intents and purposes, we can't test them.

Kind Regards, John

I'd be happier if he said a BS88 or BS1361 board, but I really do have a problem with old 3036 boards, I've seen too many burnt out when there's been a fault on a circuit...

 

[JohnW2]

Why not do the whole garage for virtually no extra money, and end up with a decent sized usable room, rather than a very small one with a useless half garage next to it?

Obviously not a man who thinks like me - I would probably want to retain the back half of the garage as a workshop - and maybe that's what the OP is doing.

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

I would definitely look at changing your fuseboard if it's an old rewireable board as well. Not sure if you need it for your conversion to be signed off but they aren't the most favoured method of circuit protection nowadays...and for good reason

I certainly agree that it's worth considering upgrading the CU, not the least because the existing one won't have the ability to accommodate internal RCDs.

However, if it's what you meant, I'm not so sure about your implication that there is necessarily 'good reason' to feel that MCBs (or RCBOs) are superior to fuses in terms of circuit protection. On the contrary, fuses are all but foolproof, whereas we really don't have a clue as to how reliable MCBs are in service (i.e. how many 'faulty' ones there may be in service, which may not operate as expected {fully, or at all} in the case of a fault) - since, to all intents and purposes, we can't test them.

Kind Regards, John

I'd be happier if he said a BS88 or BS1361 board, but I really do have a problem with old 3036 boards, I've seen too many burnt out when there's been a fault on a circuit...

Bearing in mind how many of these units are still in service after in many cases 50+ years, I'd say the failure rate is pretty low. I only see maybe two or three a year that have burnt out.


Even when they do fail, it's nearly always down to abuse.

 

[TheKeymeister]

Even when they do fail, it's nearly always down to abuse.

And therein lies the problem - if it keeps blowing but another few wraps of fuse wire stops it, why bother calling a sparky to find out what the problem is? That costs money!

But we're digressing somewhat...

 

[JohnW2]

I'd be happier if he said a BS88 or BS1361 board, but I really do have a problem with old 3036 boards, I've seen too many burnt out when there's been a fault on a circuit...

I'm very doubtful that boards are any more likely to burn out because they have rewirable, rather than cartridge, fuses. When these things 'burn out', I would think it's probably either because of poor connections or else because of excessive currents which were 'correctly' allowed to flow by the OPDs present (in both cases, things which could happen with any board) - not because the fuses were rewirable.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Bearing in mind how many of these units are still in service after in many cases 50+ years, I'd say the failure rate is pretty low. I only see maybe two or three a year that have burnt out.

As a matter of interest, how does that compare with the number of 'modern' CUs with MCBs that yous ee 'burnt out'?

Even when they do fail, it's nearly always down to abuse.

Indeed - and the scope for abuse is undoubtedly greater with fuses (of whatever type) than with MCBs.

Kind Regards, John

 

[mackandmutley]

Just a matter of note, the back part of the garage is being retained for workshop and clutter storage etc, thanks for all the advise so far.
Remounting the meter externally in a box sounds good, any idea what a DNO would charge for this?

 

[westie101]

Remounting the meter externally in a box sounds good, any idea what a DNO would charge for this?

Too many variables to answer that one except from folk answering using urban mythology.
Ring and ask on Monday, as it should be a easy job as long as it is very close to the existing position. Part of the trick is to keep all excavation on your own private land, excavations on the highway add tremendously to the costs

The boxes you can get at builders merchants but go for a surface mounted version rather than try to sink one into an existing cavity wall