Looking for a consumer unit Electrician?

1) Consumer Unit Electrician in Liverpool

The consumer unit is ‘the brains’ of the electrical system and is responsible for protecting the wiring around your home. It also performs several other key functions:

• Protection against surges
• Protection against electric shock
• Overload monitoring and protection
• Arc Fault Protection
• Dividing up the mains supply

There are many functions involved in the modern consumer unit and as a result, it is a very important part of any electrical system. These mysterious boxes that live in our homes have a great deal of responsibility and ensure that we are protected from fire, shock, and other electrical danger. 

Its important that they are checked regularly by a professional electrician and any necessary repairs or replacement parts are installed promptly.

2) Replacement Consumer Unit

If your consumer unit is over 10 years old then an electrical safety check is recommended to ensure:

• All connections are tight
• No visible heat or other damage has occurred
• To check that electric shock protection is working
• Switches are operating correctly
• Earthing is in place and suitable

If your consumer unit is over 20 years old then it is probably time to consider a replacement consumer unit. If you still have an old-fashioned fuse box then it is likely that your electrical installation is not as protected as it should be under newer wiring regulations. 

An old fuse box is not ‘illegal’  but may mean that there are hidden electrical dangers that are not being detected. For this reason, it is important to have a safety electrical check carried out regularly to check that there are no hidden faults or hazards.

Electrical circuits should be checked every ten years in private domestic dwellings to maintain the electrical system and ensure that everything is operating as it should be. Any electrical issues highlighted by the safety check should be tackled as soon as possible. 

We have many years of experience in carrying out electrical checks, identifying electrical problems and carrying out repairs to the electrical system. If you need a CONSUMER UNIT ELECTRICIAN IN LIVERPOOL then give us a call on 0151 351 4011 today and let us see how we can help. 

3) What is a Consumer Unit?

The consumer unit is a large metal or plastic box that contains switches and wiring. In some cases, fuse boxes are still installed in Liverpool homes and where the fuse box is very old, it may be constructed out of a mixture of wood and plastic or ALL WOODEN. 

All wooden boxes are now completely obsolete and will not offer much protection for your wiring or against electric shock. If this style of box is still in place, then it is likely that your Liverpool Property may need rewiring as well. 

The consumer unit receives the incoming mains electricity supply cable from your electric meter and divides it up into smaller electrical supplies called ‘circuits’. These circuits are protected by a switch, often called a Circuit Breaker or MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker). 

The overall control of the electricity supply inside a consumer unit is done by a ‘Main Switch’ which cuts off the power to allow safe working inside the consumer unit or on the electrical installation. 

4) Why do I need to upgrade?

Upgrading your old consumer unit is one of the best ways of preventing a future electrical emergency. The more sensitive new consumer unit will detect electrical faults long before old fuse boards possibly could. 

This early detection will save unnecessary damage to the wiring system, electrical appliances and combined with regular inspections will mean that complete power failure is very unlikely. In the event of a breakdown of an old consumer unit or fuse box, your home insurance company may not cover your electrical issues if the equipment has not been maintained or is too old!

If in doubt check with your home insurer to see if your older equipment is covered or will be replaced in the event of an issue.

Aside from an insurance perspective, it is likely that any electrician will struggle to source new parts for older consumer units or fuse boxes so the entire unit may need replacing. This could result in financial loss and a great deal of inconvenience. 

If you are unsure of the age of your electrical system then contact us and we will visually check the equipment for free on WhatsApp message or via email. If that’s not possible then ask us for a quote and we will visit at a mutually convenient time to check it for you. 

0151 351 4011 (Liverpool) or 01925 595 980 (Warrington)

5) What is involved?

Where a consumer unit is due for replacement. It is strongly recommended to have the current electrical system checked for any defects before the installation of the new unit. Many electricians will not entertain swapping an old unit out before the system is inspected. 

If there are issues found then these will need to be rectified BEFORE the new installation can be signed off.

New consumer unit technology installed onto old wiring can prove to be problematic as old fuse boxes did not have the technology that new consumer units do. This new technology can detect hidden issues such as faulty wiring and will often trip or not turn on where there are previously undetected issues. 

Once all the prior testing has been carried out the consumer unit replacement can go ahead. The new unit is installed and any remaining testing carried out to ensure it meets current regulations. 
As a well-established CONSUMER UNIT ELECTRICIAN IN LIVERPOOL, we regularly carry out consumer unit changes to upgrade electrical installations so you are in good hands.

6) Have problems with your existing unit?

One of the main reasons that customers contact us, is that they complain of a trip switch problem with their existing consumer unit. 

This does not necessarily mean that the existing consumer unit is faulty. In fact, it is more likely that an RCD (Residual Current Device) or MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker) tripping is due to a problem on an electrical circuit. 

One of the most common electrical emergencies is to attend for a switch that won’t stay on. As your local friendly electrical specialists, we are sometimes able to assist with electrical support over the phone before you commit to an emergency callout. If you have a switch tripping in Liverpool or surrounding areas then get in touch to see if we can help.

If your existing consumer unit is smoking or damaged it may need completely replacing. 

7) What are the latest safety standards?

When we replace a consumer unit, we do so according to the current safety standards. This means that the latest edition of the BS7671 wiring regulations is adhered to ensuring that your consumer unit installation complies with all the necessary building and wiring regulations.  

Two certificates are issued following a consumer unit installation which will prove that the electrical installation has been tested and the new unit installed to the highest standards. 

8) What happens if there are electrical problems with the wiring?

Not all electrical wiring will have problems, in fact, the newer the wiring or home, the less likely it is to have problems at all. Most electrical installations, if left untouched, don’t develop hidden dangers for many years. 

As your local friendly independent electrical specialists, we will complete the pre-checks if necessary and produce a report (EICR). These electrical installation condition reports will detail any problems BEFORE the old fuse box is removed and the new CU (consumer unit) is installed. 

This will allow you to make an informed decision before committing to the new consumer unit installation. This is the best way to go about these types of electrical jobs as once an old consumer unit is removed and a new one installed, some circuits may not be able to be reconnected if there are issues. 

Your electrician will give you a copy of the report and, if necessary, a quote for any remedial works that need to be carried out. Some remedial works just involve a little bit of electrical fault finding if, for example there is a missing earth at one light fitting or socket. 

9) Which areas do you cover?

With the exception of Liverpool City Centre (L1,L2,L3) we generally cover most Liverpool Post codes so if you need a local Liverpool electrician then give us a call and I am sure that we can help. 

For a full list of our service areas just check here. 

10) Other electrical work

As your local Liverpool electrician, we also carry out other aspects of electrical work. Should you need any other electrical services then please get in touch. A full list of our services is available on our website. 

11) Emergency Electrician Services

Whilst we carry out some excellent work that is planned beforehand, emergencies can occur in your home at any time. Most electrical emergencies start with the consumer unit needing attention. 
As a qualified electrician in Liverpool, we are able to tackle all types of domestic electrical emergencies to get your power back on, your electrical problems fixed and safety issues repaired quickly. 
If you need a 24 hour emergency electrician then give us a call and we will attend to your emergency as quickly as possible. 

12) What kinds of situation are electrical emergencies?

There are a variety of problems that could be an electrical emergency but generally any situation where you have:

• Tripping switches in the consumer unit
• Burning Smell from consumer unit or elsewhere
• Flickering lights
• Crackling socket
• Plug sockets stopped working
• Complete power loss
• Intermittent power cuts

There are other situations that you feel need urgent attention too so don’t hesitate to contact us. 

I aim to answer all my customers phone calls immediately but on occasion I am unable to do so. Rest assured, if I cannot answer your call, you can leave a message, WhatsApp me through the website on 07858 136 955. 

Where there are emergency calls, these will take priority and I will call you back within a few minutes. Even if I cannot help you myself directly, I can recommend other excellent local electricians that may be able to assist.