Old fuse board or a new consumer unit

A consumer unit is the board that protects the circuits. Replacing it does not replace the cable in the walls. That distinction is the whole conversation. If the cable is sound and the board is not, an upgrade is the job. If the cable is finished, a new board on top of it is not.

Boards we still find

Wooden boards with rewireable fuses, and metal units with no RCD protection, are still common in older homes around Leeds. A fuse wire melts when a circuit overloads. It does not notice a fault to earth the way an RCD does. That is the protection a modern consumer unit is there to add.

• The board still uses fuse wire
• There is no test button for an RCD
• The case is cracked, rusted, or warm
• A survey has said the unit should be replaced

When the cable has to go first

We will not reconnect rubber or perished cable onto a new unit so the house looks finished. Those circuits are either rewired or left disconnected, and you hear which one it is before we treat the visit as a straight swap. The power is off while the board is changed. We say that when we book the day.

If the board is already smelling of burning, or a breaker will not stay on, call 07383 846751 and treat it as a fault. Leave the circuit off. Do not keep resetting it.