Most fuse boards we replace were working the morning we arrived. That is the point: a board does not fail politely, and the time to change it is before it has to be.
Five signs it is time
- Fuses you can pull out. Rewirable fuses with a strand of wire in them belong to the 1970s. They protect the cable, not you.
- No safety switches. A modern board cuts the power in a fraction of a second if current leaks to earth, through a person for example. Older boards cannot.
- A wooden back or a cast-iron case. Both are signs of a board older than most of the people living with it.
- Lights that dim when the kettle goes on. A loose connection or an overloaded circuit, and both get warm.
- Extension leads everywhere. Not the board's fault, but a sign the house has outgrown its circuits.
The one that means call today
A smell of hot plastic, a crackle, or a board that is warm to the touch. Switch off at the main switch if it is safe to do so, and ring us.
A board that trips is doing its job. A board that never trips, whatever happens, is the one to worry about.
What an upgrade involves
A new consumer unit takes about half a day. The power is off for most of it, and we test every circuit before we switch it back on. You get a certificate, and building control is told for you.
