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Recommended checks before CU change

Former Community Member
Former Community Member
As most of you know I’ve only been qualified for just over a year and I’ve got a quote to do for a cu upgrade.


I know I’m nowhere experienced enough to do EICR’s yet, but what would you guys recommend I check/test before doing the cu upgrade and should I do these checks/tests at the quote stage?
  • Best practice guide 1 by electrical safety 1st is well worth a read.


    F
  • Pre Quote checks as these could have an impact on your price
    • Earthing Arrangements incl
      • Earthing Conductor

    • ZeDB

    • Bonding conductors


    • Meter tails and equipment

    • Polarity at DB


    You don't have to do a full ECIR, but you should be able to do the tests required for initial verification to ensure that the new CU is going to do the job. Whether you do this before are after the CU is changed is a matter of personal preference, I prefer to do it before.


    This would include 
    • Continuity of protective conductors

    • Ring final circuit conductors continuity

    • Insulation Resistance

    • SELV, PELV or by electrical protection

    • Polarity

    • Earth electrode resistance

    • Impedence, (Zs & Ze) & Pfc

    • Functional testing & RCDs

  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    I would check the tails and earthing conductor, zs on a couple of existing circuits etc. 

    i would also include a disclaimer should the cu change bring other faults to light. 


  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    sparkiemike:

    Pre Quote checks as these could have an impact on your price



    • Earthing Arrangements incl
      • Earthing Conductor

    • ZeDB

    • Bonding conductors


    • Meter tails and equipment

    • Polarity at DB


    You don't have to do a full ECIR, but you should be able to do the tests required for initial verification to ensure that the new CU is going to do the job. Whether you do this before are after the CU is changed is a matter of personal preference, I prefer to do it before.


    This would include 
    • Continuity of protective conductors

    • Ring final circuit conductors continuity

    • Insulation Resistance

    • SELV, PELV or by electrical protection

    • Polarity

    • Earth electrode resistance

    • Impedence, (Zs & Ze) & Pfc

    • Functional testing & RCDs

     




    Thanks SparkieMike


    The first part above makes sense, but the second part regards initial tests, are these done before I quote or do I factor in an hour on the quote to do them on the day when I turn up to do the cu change? 


    This is my first ever cu change quote, so want to get it right.

  • As you are fairly new to the job, I assume you haven't done much work for your customer before so you will need to explain that changing the CU will require access to the electrical installation elsewhere in the property for testing and you may have to  do work elsewhere too. You can either do the tests and sort any problems before you change the CU, as SparkieMike prefers or you can explain to your customer that once the CU is changed, testing may bring faults to light which will cost extra to sort out as Timeserved has said.

    You must avoid is quoting a price to change the CU, then doing  the job and when you test finding  faults which you have to put right but didn't allow for in your quote.

    I prefer to fit the CU and sort the problems after that but I only do so if my customer understands that the extra work has to be done and is chargeable.

    Dave
  • Basically the customer pays for your time and materials supplied,  your quote should include the time to the testing, installing the consumer unit and the time to write up the installation certificates and other associated documents. Depending on the size of the house I expect a upgrade to take between 1 and 2 days.


    You should make clear that your quote is based on the assumption that the existing wiring is in a satisfactory condition so that the new work will comply with BS7671. Clearly state that should extra work become apparent upon working or testing due to the condition of the wiring  or through poor condition of the building fabrication/structure, then the quoted price will become subject to review in order to enable work carried out to be of a satisfactory standard to comply with wiring regulations BS7671 and/or relevant building regulations.


    The first few times it is most likely that it will take longer than expected, as time progresses you will become more efficient doing the work and better at estimating the time it takes
    .
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    Hi Fitzy, 

    I've only been qualified sparks for two years and tbh not my main line of work, but one off my 1st jobs was a re-wire ?. I've recently just done a CU change the two example require work that needs to be notifiable so I am expecting that you have that but covered? Prior to starting any works ??. 

    Regards TS.
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    If I get the job, I’ll be using it for my NICEIC reassessment.  


    Do I still need to notify the start of the job to the LBC before I start or is that the clients job?

  • I think that you (or the householder) get 30 days to notify, so when's the next assessment?


    The thing with CU replacements is that I wonder why they are required. If the CU needs to be replaced, what does it say about the rest of the installation?

  • Fitzy71:



    If I get the job, I’ll be using it for my NICEIC reassessment.  


    Do I still need to notify the start of the job to the LBC before I start or is that the clients job?


     




    The last time I checked it was the homeowner's responsibility, but there will be fees incurred which will make you uncompetitive. What should happen is that you will need to make the client aware that you are not registered and can't notify. At you last unsuccessful assessment your assessor made some suggestions for notification, why don't you follow his advice?