I like that you ask James's opinion on things, it shows that he's not just doing as he's told but he's actually thinking about the job and the best way of doing something 👍
Chris I'd recommend getting the floor access kit. I've used it few times now and its a life saver, I think its a cavity master. you get steel plates with it and you can get mesh for plasterboard.
Great Video. The cable shot at 8:35 really shows difference in countries. Where I live code is one wire/cable per hole in joists and one wire per breaker.
In Italy we have breaker on the meter that can be tripped digitally, either for overload after a certain amount of time, or remotely (meters are networked trough the power cables with a powerline like protocol) for not paying your electricity bill, or in cases to prevent blackouts in case of grid overload (trip some meters to avoid possible the transformer to overload, in theory possible, never seen it done tough).
And thats the problem - done remotely. It would probably not be classed as sufficient control of the isolation as not fully under your control. Sometimes things are just over complicated. Just put an isolator in....
Thanks for the shoutout! Sorry about the BG recommendation it’s the only bit of BG kit I ever use! Only because there no other option for 24v din mountable transformers...
The Google Nest website has a list of chimes and bell transformers you can use to get 24V, BG isn't one of them. I've stopped using BG ones now, too unreliable.
Hi Chris another good show! just one thing mate the earth on SWA from rod for garage! If there was a fault on the SWA ,damaged etc, on route to garage the RCD in garage would not operate as the SWA is up stream of RCD & earthing on SWA is down stream .I always isolate before the Garage board keeping the supply cable earth covered by the house board mcb &RCD, thanks for showing us the Fusebox range good kit.
@@Cjrelectrical The MCB in the house protecting the SWA pressumably won't trip, unless the loop on the TT is unusually low - so it would need RCD protection to meet disconnection time. The SWA should be on the earth from the house until its insulated at garage and changed to TT
As a general rule I do install my sub mains as you’ve described. But in this instance the swa feeding the garage is buried within the fabric of the building and doesn’t pop out until it appears at the plastic consumer in the garage. I made an assessment and came to the conclusion that fairly low risk anyone will ever damage the cable ( been installed like this for 25 years). I am however going to be returning to the property to sort out the car charger. In an ideal world I’d love to sort out every problem I come across on a job but as this was an urgent consumer unit replacement I had no choice to carry out the swap before a real site survey could be carried out.
Loving yours and cory artisans (sorry jordan) videos as of late mate. Giving me a good smile. Nick keeps messing about in his wearhouse with a welder 🤣🤣🤣
Why oh why can't they put the isolation switches like that on the replacement meters now? Oh, I know, its so they can make more money by charing you to come and put in an isolator that used to be there beforehand..
Exsemiplery work as always , well done to the both of you . The fact you made good the holes afterwards was yet another mark of a true professional . 😃👍👍👍
I love how you’re always laughing Chris. Just listening to you makes me smile. Working with you must be such a laugh. James is a lucky apprentice. Great video as usual. Keep up the good work 👍
When you cut that hole, did I see some thermal damage on a few of those cables? Love your no worries approach to every job dude. Although I probably wouldn't have filled the hole in the floor if it was noted on the test sheet for future access. :) Thanks for keeping at it Chris.
Good video Chris & James, I thought my latest video was tight enough(coming tomorrow), you done well there! @5:42 Doctor Electric socks would look better haha @19:29 wow, I have never seen those big connectors, look like Ideal? I could do with some of them. @19:40 glad to see that I'm not the only one that writes on floorboards if there's a JB in there.
If Fusebox made their boards ‘non-handed’, So you can mount the main switch on either side and label the neutral/CPC rail accordingly, they would capture the market and sell more boards.
so the accessible joint box is in effect extending both legs of a 32A ring CCT with push connectors. would any suitably rated push connectors be suitable that are rated correctly - i.e. spliceline or wago221?
@@BMW-Tourer Pablo is the fictional individual who pulls the fuse so the main tails can be removed from the old consumer unit and connected to the new consumer unit.
How did you repair the hole you cut in the chipboard floor? Piece of batten screwed either side or something else? Very nice job on that board - I used your code to buy and fit one the other day so thanks for that :D
For the wago boxes, why do they have to be screwed? if they're in the box and its cable tied, they can't tug out... *Asking for a friend*, who didn't screw the box to the joists when extending a ring for a few more sockets.
Why are UK fuse box/consumer units generaly hidden away in a nasty cupboard or corner. All modern (say post 1970) european installs I've seen (From Uk but live in France, next to Italy and Switzerland) are within an arms lenght (ok maybe 2 m) of the main entrance door? and at face/chest height!
'cos UK fuseboxes were usually installed by cowboys in such an ugly way, you wanted to hide them. Nowadays it's frowned upon to make it look like a pigs ear, so they generally *are* installed now in the main entrance hall just behind the door, at 'wheelchair user' height :)
The UK stayed "fuse box + isolation switches" even after resetable breakers were invented. All other countries combined those functions, which involved accessibility rules for consumer units.
I thought it wasn't an issue as its not using the busbar. Only say as I was told I could install an old Merlin Gerin inside the new board as it's not ising the busbar?
The Wago connectors are only maintenance-free when they've been installed in a maintenance-free junction box, essentially the connectors need to be secured in the box so that they do move and work their way free or loose. Very unlikely I know but this is how Wago test their connectors and what makes them maintenance-free.
Did you allow for 2 days, or did it just turn into more of a job than what you first thought? Is this why people give estimates and not quotes to cover you if more time is needed. I only ask as I’m just starting out on my own and had a couple jobs of late that I quoted a fixed price and turned out to be more work. Cheers
Yes you can never judge what you come across when you look at the job for a estimate, especially when you change a board that did not have a RCD,and you put one of the new boards in with rcd,bound to find faults when you do the testing after you fitted the board which will make it trip,good luck 👍
Are there cases where A) a flat B) a detached house gets a three phase supply? Or is it the norm in the UK to have single phase supplies to living quarters? Appears to be quite a cramped place to put the fuse box... is there a rule of how much clearance there must be in front of a box, does that nook fulfill it?
Flats often have 3P coming into the building with single phase run to the individual flats. Houses are single phase but it is possible to upgrade, just very expensive to do so with little benefit in a domestic setting.
@@lmarkey1748 Quite interesting. In Finland it is also common that blocks of flats get 3P that is split into single phase for the flats... for detached houses it is mostly 3P straight off, with 25 or 35A main fuses, and now there are rowhouses as well as newer blocks where 3P is wired all the way to the apartments. Especially when some of the fancier flats have their own saunas and large kitchen stoves. Of course in the detached houses especially we have water heaters etc that are designed for 3x400V and therefore the 3P wiring allows running high power devices with lower current.
Hi Chris, Brilliant installation! Love your videos. I feel I’m on site with you. Keep them coming. You must ask Gary from EFFIX for the Batman socks! He must have some giveaways! Best wishes. Garry
Yikes - what a palaver… And all because you can’t find a replacement board the same size and shape as the old one. What a shame manufacturers keep changing their dimensions ... makes life so much harder.
That one really needed a larger board anyway since by the looks of it, the original burned board was full and had no room for future expansion... You really should ALWAYS leave space for more circuits to be added in a board since you have no idea what's going to be needed/wanted in the future... Good example is when that board was first installed, likely there was no such thing as an Electric Car Charger and yet there's a circuit for one installed in the board...
@@lansdorf personally I have never found twisting to be an issue with MK consumer units. I only ever use them if the main switch needs to be on the left, Saves a lot of grief and hassle in my experience of being a qualified electrician for over 35years, Only trying to help
Either the builder didn't want to spent the money for the extra wire needed to reach a lower placed panel, they didn't properly plan the cable runs and ended up with not enough cable to reach and/or shear unadulterated laziness... The other alternative is based on the battens on the wall, there are usually shelves in that cupboard and a lower panel would interfere with them...
The electrician was probably from Cavan in Ireland.... They would hang out of the cable to cut them as short as possible to save as much as 1 or 2p a go so it all adds up the tight backstards
Hey Chris, your channel and videos are great but I'd leave out the face-palm expressions on the thumbnails for a bit. You've almost used them to death.
I like that you ask James's opinion on things, it shows that he's not just doing as he's told but he's actually thinking about the job and the best way of doing something 👍
Chris I'd recommend getting the floor access kit. I've used it few times now and its a life saver, I think its a cavity master. you get steel plates with it and you can get mesh for plasterboard.
Great Video. The cable shot at 8:35 really shows difference in countries. Where I live code is one wire/cable per hole in joists and one wire per breaker.
That breaker on the meter should really be a standard feature, as well as access to the consumer side tails without cutting the seal.
It used to be on the Siemens meters like that....
In Italy we have breaker on the meter that can be tripped digitally, either for overload after a certain amount of time, or remotely (meters are networked trough the power cables with a powerline like protocol) for not paying your electricity bill, or in cases to prevent blackouts in case of grid overload (trip some meters to avoid possible the transformer to overload, in theory possible, never seen it done tough).
And thats the problem - done remotely. It would probably not be classed as sufficient control of the isolation as not fully under your control. Sometimes things are just over complicated. Just put an isolator in....
Chris is so much happier with James. Good to have a chum to work with. Keep chuckling Chris. 👍🏼
Oh what a tidy fuse box ......nice job as always boys!
I like how you can think on your feet.. quickly coming up with solutions to problems
Well done that man
Thanks for the shoutout! Sorry about the BG recommendation it’s the only bit of BG kit I ever use! Only because there no other option for 24v din mountable transformers...
I am no electrician but what is wrong with BG?
Edit: Ah ok.
@@benh1216 Nothing really... just one of those brands that are cheap so you get what you pay for.
@@benh1216A cheap brand that on there own aren't that bad really but every time I've seen one installed it's been a shower of shite.
The Google Nest website has a list of chimes and bell transformers you can use to get 24V, BG isn't one of them. I've stopped using BG ones now, too unreliable.
Hi Chris another good show! just one thing mate the earth on SWA from rod for garage! If there was a fault on the SWA ,damaged etc, on route to garage the RCD in garage would not operate as the SWA is up stream of RCD & earthing on SWA is down stream .I always isolate before the Garage board keeping the supply cable earth covered by the house board mcb &RCD, thanks for showing us the Fusebox range good kit.
An earthed swa sub main doesn’t require rcd protection.
@@Cjrelectrical The MCB in the house protecting the SWA pressumably won't trip, unless the loop on the TT is unusually low - so it would need RCD protection to meet disconnection time. The SWA should be on the earth from the house until its insulated at garage and changed to TT
As a general rule I do install my sub mains as you’ve described. But in this instance the swa feeding the garage is buried within the fabric of the building and doesn’t pop out until it appears at the plastic consumer in the garage. I made an assessment and came to the conclusion that fairly low risk anyone will ever damage the cable ( been installed like this for 25 years). I am however going to be returning to the property to sort out the car charger. In an ideal world I’d love to sort out every problem I come across on a job but as this was an urgent consumer unit replacement I had no choice to carry out the swap before a real site survey could be carried out.
Loving yours and cory artisans (sorry jordan) videos as of late mate. Giving me a good smile. Nick keeps messing about in his wearhouse with a welder 🤣🤣🤣
Nick is a right nutter he is. 🤣
@@metrotechguru5863 "warehouse" unless you were referring to his wardrobe
@@itsmyview2024 never been able to spell it right 🤣🤣
Why oh why can't they put the isolation switches like that on the replacement meters now? Oh, I know, its so they can make more money by charing you to come and put in an isolator that used to be there beforehand..
Love the way you’ve done the board and not just slapped it in 👍
Exsemiplery work as always , well done to the both of you . The fact you made good the holes afterwards was yet another mark of a true professional . 😃👍👍👍
I love how you’re always laughing Chris. Just listening to you makes me smile. Working with you must be such a laugh. James is a lucky apprentice. Great video as usual. Keep up the good work 👍
Excellent work and thanks for sharing this with us take care
When you cut that hole, did I see some thermal damage on a few of those cables? Love your no worries approach to every job dude. Although I probably wouldn't have filled the hole in the floor if it was noted on the test sheet for future access. :) Thanks for keeping at it Chris.
Nice job as always Chris & James. #StaySafe
It’s great having employees that you can get to do the awkward jobs! 🤣
Jordan, you was meant to write "FIRST!!!!!!" as per you tube protocol nowadays 😬😂
I'll have to train mine up for that!
@@andysmith6633 😂
@@DoctorElectricTH-cam good luck 😂
Loving your work Chris, a proper job every time 👍🏼
Great job well worked out,the days have gone when you tested a board to see if it's live with a test lamp 😂👍
Have they 😁
good work Chris and young James
Great job, very neat fuse box, a great team.
Well done, regards, Chris.
Good video Chris & James, I thought my latest video was tight enough(coming tomorrow), you done well there!
@5:42 Doctor Electric socks would look better haha
@19:29 wow, I have never seen those big connectors, look like Ideal? I could do with some of them.
@19:40 glad to see that I'm not the only one that writes on floorboards if there's a JB in there.
The fat connectors are the push fit Wago 773-173
@@havoctrousers cheers mate
That was a sod of a task! Well navigated.
I remember those meters for the electrical contractor to self connect, originally this was how the smart meters were going to be.
Top job as usual Chris.
Nice clean job hi from Malta
If Fusebox made their boards ‘non-handed’, So you can mount the main switch on either side and label the neutral/CPC rail accordingly, they would capture the market and sell more boards.
That ring joint, could’ve been made into a double socket. Somewhere to plug in the dyson charger or similar?
Absolutely but with the shelves back in and full of Tins not much room for old Henry.
Hello Chris I fix my door bell transformers into a double pole box looks much better
Keep up the good videos
Hi Chris, what make was the old fuse board? Great videos by the way, great to see your attitude towards the work you do and how you look after James 👍
so the accessible joint box is in effect extending both legs of a 32A ring CCT with push connectors. would any suitably rated push connectors be suitable that are rated correctly - i.e. spliceline or wago221?
Well that's done Pablo out of his wage for the day.
Poor Pablo.
@@metrotechguru5863 Whose Pablo ?
@@BMW-Tourer Pablo is the fictional individual who pulls the fuse so the main tails can be removed from the old consumer unit and connected to the new consumer unit.
How did you repair the hole you cut in the chipboard floor? Piece of batten screwed either side or something else? Very nice job on that board - I used your code to buy and fit one the other day so thanks for that :D
Most likely, cut piece back down and some wood filler ....
Yes, you could see the screws to the side of the hole supporting a batten for the cut piece
Another good one Chris 👌👌
Stupid question, I have seen sparks put an SPD before and after the main switch as well as at the end of the DB, where should it be?
For the wago boxes, why do they have to be screwed? if they're in the box and its cable tied, they can't tug out... *Asking for a friend*, who didn't screw the box to the joists when extending a ring for a few more sockets.
Dude dude explained to me you're fedish with socks
Why are UK fuse box/consumer units generaly hidden away in a nasty cupboard or corner. All modern (say post 1970) european installs I've seen (From Uk but live in France, next to Italy and Switzerland) are within an arms lenght (ok maybe 2 m) of the main entrance door? and at face/chest height!
'cos UK fuseboxes were usually installed by cowboys in such an ugly way, you wanted to hide them. Nowadays it's frowned upon to make it look like a pigs ear, so they generally *are* installed now in the main entrance hall just behind the door, at 'wheelchair user' height :)
The UK stayed "fuse box + isolation switches" even after resetable breakers were invented. All other countries combined those functions, which involved accessibility rules for consumer units.
First 60 seconds... He's been on the sauce!
Nice job, great video
Tidy board as always
Sparky trades so underpaid.
You work hard
Why not put the transformer in the CU with all that space?
Mixing of manufacturers equipment is not permitted in the consumer unit.
I thought it wasn't an issue as its not using the busbar. Only say as I was told I could install an old Merlin Gerin inside the new board as it's not ising the busbar?
I thought it was only switch gear off the busbar.
I put the transformer in the CU , after all it’s on a din-rail mount
No, the transformer may get hot, and a potential risk, a ignition source fire hazard.😳
Defiantly would have cut the coving then the ceiling above it to relocate the tails, lot of effort that
What happened to proving not only L-N but L-E & N-E also 🙈
Hi Chris
What's the tool with the mirror called for checking the busbar is in the mcb and where did you get it
Thanks
Just put in your search bar something like 'extendable inspection mirror' and you'll find loads of them. Screwfix do some CK telescopic ones.
What’s that size trunking you are using Chris? Good job 👍🏻
8:59 Flexicon all the way!
The Wago connectors are only maintenance-free when they've been installed in a maintenance-free junction box, essentially the connectors need to be secured in the box so that they do move and work their way free or loose. Very unlikely I know but this is how Wago test their connectors and what makes them maintenance-free.
Anyone else find it funny the two holes and the trunk
how much did the job cost the customer/victim?
Victim?! Being an electrician is a highly skilled professional job so you pay what the electrician deserves fool.
@@adamsharp201 Highly skilled? isnt a plumber or plasterer highly skilled? What they charge is disgraceful in my view... And dont call me a fool
18:36 absolute beaut.
Long be the day, you stick your hand to a cable to see if its live 😂
Did you allow for 2 days, or did it just turn into more of a job than what you first thought?
Is this why people give estimates and not quotes to cover you if more time is needed.
I only ask as I’m just starting out on my own and had a couple jobs of late that I quoted a fixed price and turned out to be more work.
Cheers
Yeah estimate for the initial work then an agreed hourly rate for anything else.
Cheers 👍🏻
Yes you can never judge what you come across when you look at the job for a estimate, especially when you change a board that did not have a RCD,and you put one of the new boards in with rcd,bound to find faults when you do the testing after you fitted the board which will make it trip,good luck 👍
Are there cases where A) a flat B) a detached house gets a three phase supply? Or is it the norm in the UK to have single phase supplies to living quarters?
Appears to be quite a cramped place to put the fuse box... is there a rule of how much clearance there must be in front of a box, does that nook fulfill it?
Flats often have 3P coming into the building with single phase run to the individual flats. Houses are single phase but it is possible to upgrade, just very expensive to do so with little benefit in a domestic setting.
@@lmarkey1748 three phase 16A in domestic is very common here in Sweden, both house and flats.
@@lmarkey1748 Quite interesting. In Finland it is also common that blocks of flats get 3P that is split into single phase for the flats... for detached houses it is mostly 3P straight off, with 25 or 35A main fuses, and now there are rowhouses as well as newer blocks where 3P is wired all the way to the apartments. Especially when some of the fancier flats have their own saunas and large kitchen stoves.
Of course in the detached houses especially we have water heaters etc that are designed for 3x400V and therefore the 3P wiring allows running high power devices with lower current.
22:30 hahahaha Also known as a Hager man
what did you cut the trunking with to get the neat slots ?
Hole saw either end and an angle grinder with a fine cut wheel.
Could you not of got left side main switch DB?
Why not put the fuseboard above the meter, most times its a lost ugly space anyway. Its the dutchway.
Hi James, Great video as always. Just wondered where you got your 'next inspection' labels made up with your logo, they look great! Thanks
Cheers Bob
18:39 nice neat job 😎
Mate that looks horrendous
Bet you regret moving that!
It’s JorDAN by the way 🤣
Il go with Andrew 👍
@@Cjrelectrical 🤣 even better
Vicars Son
What a nightmare job 🤦♂️ what the customers never see!
Hi Chris,
Brilliant installation!
Love your videos. I feel I’m on site with you. Keep them coming. You must ask Gary from EFFIX for the Batman socks! He must have some giveaways!
Best wishes.
Garry
That’s is Nick I am Superman.
Yikes - what a palaver… And all because you can’t find a replacement board the same size and shape as the old one. What a shame manufacturers keep changing their dimensions ... makes life so much harder.
That one really needed a larger board anyway since by the looks of it, the original burned board was full and had no room for future expansion...
You really should ALWAYS leave space for more circuits to be added in a board since you have no idea what's going to be needed/wanted in the future...
Good example is when that board was first installed, likely there was no such thing as an Electric Car Charger and yet there's a circuit for one installed in the board...
Ohh man, Why not fit a MK consumer unit, the main switch is on the left
MK 🤣
@@Cjrelectrical Niglon do one on the left hand side too 👍
Mk fuse boards are garbage, poor main switch and breakers twist on din rail
@@lansdorf personally I have never found twisting to be an issue with MK consumer units. I only ever use them if the main switch needs to be on the left, Saves a lot of grief and hassle in my experience of being a qualified electrician for over 35years, Only trying to help
Thinking more about this, I'm not into consumer unit snobbery, just what at an affordable price to the client
Im confused one minute a earth wire is called a earth wire the next minute it’s called a CPC
Why are the fuses so high in such a narrow space?
Either the builder didn't want to spent the money for the extra wire needed to reach a lower placed panel, they didn't properly plan the cable runs and ended up with not enough cable to reach and/or shear unadulterated laziness...
The other alternative is based on the battens on the wall, there are usually shelves in that cupboard and a lower panel would interfere with them...
Was standard practice 10-20 years ago to put them up high but now we go by nhbc regs for c.c.u height which is 1350mm-1450mm to the breaker
The electrician was probably from Cavan in Ireland.... They would hang out of the cable to cut them as short as possible to save as much as 1 or 2p a go so it all adds up the tight backstards
Simple answer, clients see consumer units as ugly things that need to be hidden out the way and not take up convenient storage space.
Pensioners usually fall of chairs trying to reset a breaker.
All that extra work because you bought the wrong board. Lesson learnt I guess.
where is his drill
There is no fuse board in this video it is a circuit breaker panel. There are no fuses involved .
cheers don't work to hard
Those meter tails were routed though seperate holes in the ceiling timbers above which will course Eddie currents and over heating!!
🤣
What an awkward spot
Thay are no longer fuse boxes there are NO fuses there anymore consumer units with circuit BREAKERS
Just what is your obsession about socks.
Hey Chris, your channel and videos are great but I'd leave out the face-palm expressions on the thumbnails for a bit. You've almost used them to death.
BG= broken garbage 🗑
22:56 wtf is that Chris I thought you were better than that mate
The door fitters have ripped the door push and cut the cable super short unfortunately. What would be your fix in a fully refurbished house?
@@Cjrelectrical im not on about how you fixed it I'm talking about what you filled it with 🤣
A darker shade of sand and cement.
@@Cjrelectrical 🤣
its brown
These fucking adds