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Fitting MCB's in old fusebox
Posted: Fri Sep 09, 2011 12:11 pm
by the2ems
Hi,
My daughter has just bought a property which still has an old fuse box. Not so old as to require fuse wire, but needing fuses. I want fit the replacement plug in MCB's but don't really know what to get. I can't even decipher the name on the box. Does anyone recognise this please?
Google "i54.tinypic.com/335gw38.jpg"
Re: Fitting MCB's in old fusebox
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 12:49 am
by ericmark
Although Wylex do a converter for their boxes these are really odd ones out an in most cases one would need to change the whole box. With the Wylex one had to carefully remove the knock out window in the cover and clearly this would not be practical with metal boxes.
Today we have moved on to RCD protection and with a few exceptions like with my own house with two old Wylex boxes feed from two RCD's it would not be practical to convert old consumer units to allow RCD protection.
I don't remember when rewireable fuses were limited to properties where there are instructed, skilled or competent person to change them. My house built 1980 had fuse wire but by 1991 when the 16th Edition came out a house would need to have cartridge fuse link so the wrong size wire could not be used. However many builders changed before they were forced to into using cartridge fuse link consumer units.
Re: Fitting MCB's in old fusebox
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 10:05 am
by BLAKEY1963
[quote="the2ems"]Hi,
My daughter has just bought a property which still has an old fuse box. Not so old as to require fuse wire, but needing fuses. I want fit the replacement plug in MCB's but don't really know what to get. I can't even decipher the name on the box. Does anyone recognise this please?
Google "i54.tinypic.com/335gw38.jpg"[/quote]
THE2EMS
There are many makes of fuseboard.
In my area i come across wylex as the most popular. Isolate main power on the board
and take one of fuse holders to your local electrical wholesaler and see if you can upgrade to mcbs. wylex boards for eg allow an upgraded retrofit mcb to be used,
BLAKEY1963