Fuseboard and re-wiring question

chris20051

Registered User
Messages
149
Hi,

I own a 3 bed-room house, built in 1979, there is an old fuseboard in the hall way etc..my question is, should the house be upgraded to a trip switch fusebox would that be sufficent? or would I need to re-wire also?

My wiring is not the old copper wire, it is newer stuff, but instead of the earth having plastic cover over it there a copper wire with no plastic cover were the earth wire goes, is that normal?

Also in the attic there is plastic grey wires that link up everything else

Thanks
 
I would advise you to get your fuseboard changed to an MCB type board. If the house was wired in 1979 it would have been wired with grey pvc-pvc cable which should be ok but I would advise to get it fully tested and inspected to make sure it is ok.
 
My mother in law got hers done recently, they upgraded fusebox and the earthing. The house is 40 years old. The original wiring is sound. It cost under a €1000 inc VAT.


Edit. Location, south Dublin.
 
I have heard an advertisment on the radio from a company to replace your fuesboard for €450 euro approx. I will try to find out more.
 
Who ever you get to do the work for you make sure they are registered with RECI or ECSSA so that they will be able to provide you with a certificate
 
It is a requirement of the wiring regulations which are produced by the ETCI which in turn is recognised by the Health & Safety Authority. If something goes wrong after work is done and you put in an insurance claim the insurance company will not pay out if a certificate is not provided.
It may not be a legal requirement but it is considered best practice as I have found out when attending court cases as an expert witness in bad wiring cases.
 
Not so sure why this is but it would be much better if it were a legal requirement
 
Not that many as many cases are settled before they reach the court. No electrical contractor or electrical engineer wants his name draged through the courts as it would have a bad effect on his business.
It is still is quite common to find a lot of electrical work which does not meet the ETCI wiring standards.
 
Hi Liam,

Would tradesmen.ie members have this certs, or is it up to me to ask if the cert can be provided by the electrican?
 
Not sure about "tradesmen.ie" but you should ask contractor if he is registered to provide a certificate or you could look up a list of contractors in your area on www.reci.ie or www.ecssa.ie where they list the members who are registered.
Please note I have no involment with the above bodies.
 
Thanks Jetblue,I have been involve for over 30 years in inspection and testing of electrical installations both in Ireland and UK
 
guys bit of a problem, im getting text messages from tradesmen.ie about 4 times now and im wondering how do i stop the text mesages and are they charging me for it?
 
Not that many as many cases are settled before they reach the court. No electrical contractor or electrical engineer wants his name draged through the courts as it would have a bad effect on his business.
It is still is quite common to find a lot of electrical work which does not meet the ETCI wiring standards.

I can see why everyone would want a competent and safe installation. But how does a cert guarantee this, and how is it enforced or the work checked. Are even new builds checked for this cert? I've been in many new build where the electrics are to a very poor standard.

That insurance companies would use any excuse not to pay out, is hardly a surprise. So using that as a stick to beat people to certified contractors, is a bit dubious to me.

How do you get this certificate?
 
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