What make of Consumer Unit/RCBO's?

[ScottishGasMan]

Hey all,

Just pricing up a new consumer unit and RCBO's for it, and wondering what ones are decent makes and which ones to avoid?

Had priced up for Wylex, then came across British general which were about £15 cheaper PER RCBO than Wylex.

Dont want to just go and buy the cheapest rubbish I see, but I'm well aware sometimes your paying over the odds just for a name printed on the product.

 

[Iggifer]

I personally think BG are pretty rubbish, there's others that don't.

My vote goes to Eaton.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I don't mind BG stuff, easy enough to fit.
Regarding the Wylex RCBOs not sure who your suppliers are, but normally only about £5 or £6 more per unit.
Try Screwfix on multi buy (more than 5) they also may have a price match policy, that not a lot know about. So if you have seen the item cheaper than what they are offering, they match it. (well where I go they do)
So if you go in with evidence of cheaper price than the one they offer, they should at least match it.
But multi buy do brings down it quite a lot.

 

[RF Lighting]

I've fitted a few BG boards and they seem ok for a budget board. They are on a par for quality with wylex, but without the wylex price tag.

OP, I think this is for your own house, if so have a look at hager. They are a much better quality unit than either the wylex or BG stuff, and shouldn't cost much different to the wylex kit you've priced up.

 

[sparkwright]

Hager boards are very good. Good quality.

They even look nice.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

Thanks guys,

yea it is for my place, I thought I wrote that at the beginning but turns out ive not lol.

Aye, screwfix was where I was looking, thats where I seen the noticable difference between BG/Wylex, even with the multi discount.

Will get a look at Hager then also.

Know sits a bit pricey, but the whole house is gonna get decorated soon, and given the state of the electrics and heating thats in there, i want to renew the lot, and have CU with just RCBO's so its up to the regs fully, and shouldnt really get nuisance tripping then.

Never had bother with it but worked in many many houses with probs with RCD's tripping (when theres one doing full CU) and its a pain in the Ar**


Consumer Unit at the moment is up high in the entrance porch, looks to be fed with T+E, still deciding whether it would be better to put it in bedroom cabinet with meter, or in big cupboard in hall.

In hall Id need to run 25mm armoured under floor, which is the only PITA, much more space to fit it tidy and more central In house for cable runs. But so much easier in bedroom me thinks

 

[RF Lighting]

Is it really going to be that much more work to pull an armoured in whilst you've got the house in bits doing the rewire and plumbing? Don't forget to weigh up the extra time and cable required for the CU in the bedroom Vs a CU in the hallway.

You'd normally be ok with a 16.0mm² SWA on an 80A supply unless the loading in the house is particularly heavy, or the run of SWA excessively long.

If you do go with a hager CU, you'll be able to get a metal clad board and gland the armoured straight in to it.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

If you do go with a hager CU, you'll be able to get a metal clad board and gland the armoured straight in to it

then am sold!

No heavy loading, its a two bedroom semi-bungalow, No immersion heat/No elec Shower, and CU position in hall would only be 4meters maby 5 from meter.

Just 1 Ring For House sockets/One Ring For Kitchen Sockets/1 Radial for Kitch+Bath+Security light/1 radial for rest of lights/one for alarms/one for combi boiler/one for cooker

Just need to get a metal Switch Fuse the for SWA and make sure its an 80A fuse,

Would the Hager take 2 lots of SWA in glands? Just I was thinking of getting a run out to garage as well (would have to be buried) for a few sockets (not for high load or tools) and some lights (with breaker box splitting the two in garage)


Thanks for the info again,

Would prefer to do it this way and that means I can build a bit of a board stood off the wall to mount consumer unit on and run cables up and down behind it, keep them neat and out the way, nice and easy to cahnge or work on anything later.

 

[RF Lighting]

Yeah you'll be fine with 2 armoured cables into it.

Standing it off on a board is a good idea. It helps keep everything neat and tidy, and also it's much easier to comply with IP requirements that way.

If you can't / struggle to find an 80A switch fuse, just buy a 100A one and swap the fuse to 80A, although from the sounds of it, I think you'd have plenty with a 60A supply.

 

[streetlighter]

Hager is top quality stuff and installs like a dream compared to some other brands ive fitted lately.

 

[martinxxxxxx]

They're all rubbish really. Probably all come from the same factory in the new economic zone in china somewhere. Even the good makes aint that good. Folk have their favorite just like people sill like Levi jeans but its all BS all the jeans come from the same town in China and all the breakers come from another town in china.

None of the information above has been checked it is just a feeling I have after 3 glasses of wine on a Sunday night.

 

[Click4]

lol, maybe I will be slated for this?

but I quite like MK stuff

 

[Iggifer]

lol, maybe I will be slated for this?

but I quite like MK stuff

In my experience, half of the MK range is good, half is utter tripe.

Unfortunately, their CU's/MCB's/RCBO's fall into the latter category

 

[ban-all-sheds]

None of the information above has been checked it is just a feeling I have after 3 glasses of wine on a Sunday night.

Even if it were true it would not stop different companies in the same town, or even a single company, making products of different quality.