BA5 · NAPIT approved · Part P notified

Consumer unit replacement in Wells

Wells has almost every age of house in a small space, from medieval stone around the Cathedral to estates built in the last few years, and the fuse boards vary just as much. We replace old consumer units with metal RCBO boards, test every circuit, and leave you with a certificate and a board you can read at a glance.

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Open consumer unit with a main switch, a row of RCBOs and a surge protection device

Wells houses

What tends to sit in the cupboard, street by street

The board we open up usually tells us how the house has been treated over the years. A rough guide to what turns up across the city:

Medieval and Georgian stone in the centre. Boards that have been moved more than once, tails clipped along thick stone walls, and sometimes a wooden-backed fuse box still feeding part of the house.
Victorian terraces. The supply usually comes in by the front door or under the stairs. We often find a plastic board from a partial upgrade decades ago, with older wiring still on some circuits.
Edwardian villas on the edges. Bigger houses, more circuits, and often a second small board added when a kitchen or extension went in.
Post-war and modern estates. Plastic boards where one or two shared RCDs cover groups of circuits, so a single fault can put half the house in the dark.
Farmhouses on the Mendip fringe. Supplies run out to barns, workshops and garages, sometimes through cable that was never meant to be buried.

None of these is automatically unsafe. What matters is whether the board protects every circuit properly today and has room for what you want to add.

Henley blocks and meter tails beside the sealed supply cut-out — Henley blocks and meter tails next to the sealed supply cut-out.

Warning signs

When a fuse board is due for replacement

Rewireable fuses with fuse wire, or cartridge fuses with no RCD protection at all.
A trip in the kitchen also takes out the lights upstairs, because circuits share one RCD.
The case is cracked, scorched, warm to the touch or buzzing. Ring us about that one now rather than waiting.
An electrical report has coded the board, or the lack of RCD protection, as C2.
There is no spare way for a car charger, an electric shower or a supply to a garden building.
The board is plastic and sits under timber stairs or in a cupboard by the front door.

If you are not sure which applies, a photo of the board with the cover on and one with the meter in view is a good start.

Pricing

How we price board work in Wells

Every board in Wells is priced individually, by the job, not the hour. For a straightforward swap we can often start from photos and a phone call; most board changes get a short survey first. At the survey we count the circuits, look at the meter position and the tails, check the earthing and bonding, and do some quick tests to see whether any existing circuit is likely to cause trouble once it has its own RCBO.

You then get a fixed written quote, with VAT shown separately, before any work starts. Extra circuits, awkward access, or remedial work we find on the existing wiring are listed as separate lines, so you can see exactly what you are paying for.

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Thinking ahead

Size the new board for the next ten years, not the last ten

A lot of people in and around Wells change their board because they are about to add something: a charge point on the drive, a bigger shower, a studio at the bottom of the garden. Each of those wants its own circuit and its own protective device. When we survey, we ask what is likely to come next and leave spare ways in the enclosure for it, so you are not paying for a second board in two years' time.

Car charging is the big one. A charger runs on a dedicated circuit with a Type A RCBO, and the supply to the house has to cope with it. If you are planning one, see our EV charger page for Wells and mention it when you book the board change, because the two jobs are easier to plan together.

Megger tester screen showing earth fault loop impedance 0.08 ohms and prospective fault current 2.76 kA — Loop impedance and fault current readings taken during testing.

Recent work

Recent work near Wells

A few jobs from this year close to the city, each showing a part of what a board change or supply upgrade involves.

WookeyA Hypervolt 7.4kW charge point on a new dedicated 32A circuit. An outdoor IP65 enclosure holds a 40A Type A RCBO and a Type 2 surge protection device, with 48 metres of armoured EV cable run through a duct and across the garden. We confirmed the connection with the DNO, issued an EIC and notified the work under Part P.
CroscombeDuring a house sale we continuity-tested the main protective bonding to the gas service, measured at 0.05 ohms, and gave a written bonding confirmation for the buyer's surveyors.
Shepton MalletA five-year landlord EICR on a three-storey house with nine circuits and a garage supply came back unsatisfactory: one C2 for having no RCD protection, plus four C3s. Missing RCD protection is one of the most common reasons a board ends up being replaced.

The day itself

What happens when we change the board

We test the existing circuits before anything is disconnected, so we know their condition going in.
The supply is isolated. Expect to be without power for most of the day.
The old board comes off and a metal enclosure goes up with new 25mm² flexible meter tails.
Each circuit is connected to its own Type A RCBO behind a main switch. Bedroom socket circuits get arc fault detection (AFDD), and a Type 2 surge protection device is fitted.
Main earthing and bonding are checked and brought up to standard where needed.
Every circuit is tested, the readings are recorded, and each way is labelled in plain words.
You receive an Electrical Installation Certificate, and we notify the work under Part P through NAPIT.

FAQ

Questions we get asked in Wells

Will my old wiring cope with a new RCBO board?

Usually, yes. RCBOs are more sensitive than old fuses, so they will trip on faults that a fuse never noticed, such as damp in an outside socket or a neutral shared between two circuits. That is why we test before we disconnect anything. If a circuit fails, we tell you what we found and what it costs to put right before carrying on. Most circuits in a reasonably kept house pass without trouble.

Can you move the board out of the cupboard under the stairs?

Often we can, but it depends on where the meter and the incoming supply are, because the tails between the meter and the board need a short, protected route. Moving a board also means extending every circuit to reach the new position. We look at it during the survey and price both options, so you can decide whether the move is worth it.

Do I need an EICR before you change the board?

Not necessarily. We test every circuit as part of the board change anyway. An EICR is worth doing first if the house is old, the wiring has an unknown history, or you are weighing up a board change against a partial or full rewire. It gives a full picture of every circuit, and the report helps decide which job makes sense.

Is a plastic board from the early 2000s worth replacing?

Not always straight away. If it has RCD protection on every circuit and nothing is coded against it, it can carry on. People usually replace one of these when they need spare ways, when a shared RCD keeps tripping and taking several circuits with it, or when an inspection codes it. We will tell you honestly if yours can stay.

How long will we be without power?

Plan for most of the day. The board itself goes in during the morning, and the afternoon is testing, labelling and any small fixes the tests show up. Fridges and freezers are fine if you keep the doors shut. If you work from home, it is worth planning that day around being away from your desk.