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Electrical

1950's built-in steel meter enclosure has no room for 17th ed CU

Anonymous user 09/03/2024 - 3.19 PM

The incoming supply, company fuses, meter and distribution are located in a steel cabinet which is fully inset into a common-brick cavity party wall. The cabinet is steel, 750hx350wx150d with a hinged door. All house wiring enters at the top from the cavity. The house was rewired around 1990 when the present Crabtree RCCD and 6 MCBs were installed on a rail in a partition at the top. The enclosure contains many steel separators welded in place which restrict the space so much that even the smallest modern CU in the Toolstation catalog will not fit. I only need one extra way. What are the options, other than putting the CU on the wall above?

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4 Answers

Anonymous user

What do you require the extra way for? You could double up on one of the existing mcbs. The style of fuse board you have encountered is a Clifton or skeleton and it has already been adapted. You can take the whole lot out and put a new recessed metal CU in its place but you may have to chop the opening about to get the right size.

Answered24 February 2021

Willow Electrical Services Limited

Rating: 5 out of 5

Shoreham By Sea

Peggy_67 are you asking as an electrician or a customer? Just that I can only assume your not qualified if you’ve never come across this issue ever before and also how you have stated about looking in toolstation for your new DB. Please just hire a qualified sparks for this job!

Answered27 February 2021

Pj Electrical

Rating: 5 out of 5

Peacehaven

Just put the CU Above cut out Wall and pull cables though. Easy

Answered23 March 2021

GF PAT Services

Rating: 5 out of 5

Dunfermline

You would likely fit a main switched board with individual rcbos and that would save you some space, or failing that the cables I'm assuming come through the wall so you could pull them back through and put a new mains board inside the house, a more practical place anyway and less likely to seize up with the cold

Answered23 March 2021