If the fuse board in your house is twenty years old and you want to upgrade it to a modern fuse board can it be done with out re-wiring the house?

Answer 1

In the UK, a Domestic Electrical Installation certificate along with a schedule of tests and a schedule of inspection signed off by an approved electrician should be issued, as above any upgrade must comply with the current regulations, currently 17th edition.

Test must be done on all cables, this includes (not necessarily limited to):

• continuity of protective conductors

• continuity of final ring circuit
• Insulation Resistance test
• Polarity Dead

then a board could be installed.

• then test polarity live
• earth fault loop impedance
• earth electrode (if any, TT system)
• prospective fault current
• prospective short circuit current
• loop impedance values at end of lines
• RCD tests

Make sure any derivations of the regulations are noted, if any of the above tests fail, cables could need replacing. All cables must have an acceptable current carrying capacity and be suitably fused!

There is more but without writing the whole of the 2391 test and inspection book I think this should put you off from doing it!

Leave it to the professionals.

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Keep in mind that any changes made to an existing electrical system have to bring it up to current code regulations. This means you will need wiring permits and inspections. Your old panel board most likely will have to be disconnected from your supply utility and they will not reconnect until they get approval from the electrical inspector. This type of installation falls under the category of a "Service Upgrade".

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In most cases yes. If the wiring is sloppy, it may be a sign that the wiring should be at least checked pretty carefully.

Get an electrician in to take a look, and give you an estimate.

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Remember, that depending on your local ordinances, and how your wiring is done a lot of the new breakers must now be arc-fault to be code-conformant. (It may mean some rewiring.)

Electricians know which brands and models work best with the situations currently in the box. THIS IS NOT A PLACE TO SKIMP!

(If you plan on adding on to your house, you should plan for the electrical now)

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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS

WORK SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.