My main fuse box smells very, well the only way I can describe it is like fish smell, disgusting lol and its quite old with the breakers using fuse wire

Sure I can remember something where electrics smell of like a fishy smell what it means~ is this true and whats happening there>?

Thanks

 

dunno about the smell but for less than £100 you can by a nice new safe consumer unit, just dont tell anyone your fitting it, or you'll go to jail for 30 years!

 

What is the mains incomer cable like ? ive seen a few very old undergrond cables go strange and heat up....but cant say Ive ever come across a fishy smell. Aside from actual fish or some dirty stinker.

 

The fishy smell is 9 times out of 10 plastic melting. I'd get it checked asap

 

Do sometimes get a fishy smell when insulation gets nice and hot, you checked every screw is tight that holds a cable down (turn incomer off first)

 

Thanks guys Il get someone to check it out.

Biggest problem with new consumer unit is the room in the cupboard its a tiny thing just now. would be a pain to fit I would imagine.

 

Get it changed to your place will burn down before that fuse wire goes

 

To give you and idea on size. When I bought my place and was doing it up, I went from this:



to this:



It's all boxed in again now in a bigger cupboard admittedly, but I hadn't planned to make it any bigger until I decided on keeping room at a later date for a server. The consumer unit itself doesn't stick out any further than the breakers did and if your set-up is similar to mine was, you'll actually get some space back.

A decent electrician is used to tight fishy places so it shouldn't be a problem

 

If I was called to work at the above...I'd tell you to fuck off lol.

Although Ive seen worse.

 

look on the brightside least you dont need all these ( just for the lights )

 

+1

Get ot looked @

Got called out last week to something similar
phase meter tail into the cutout was glowing backboard was all black n singed fella was lucky
Switched it all off callled leccy board
Now rewiring it next week as house is full of old cables

 

Did you mean the work on mine?

 

Think he meant accessabilty bud


I know I did..!!

 

The photos don't show the fact that the framework wasn't fixed and could be moved to the other side of the room.

I can see why you both thought that though BUT.... didn't you think "if a plasterer can get in there and do that, I can crimp a few wires"??

 

well we may both have thought it was plastered before the unit etc was fitted being as thats the norm but hey ho

 

It was plastered before the unit was fixed... which was kind of my point but it's my fault though, my first post wasn't very clearly put!

Anyway, to the op - get an electrician in [with a keen eye for detail ] and sort it out asap.

 

as above deffo get the consumer unit changed, as said there getting cheaper, i think i saw in screwfix a comsumer unit bundle with all mcbo's etc for about £70 or £80 but make sure the electrician is part p registered as you may have problems when trying to sell your house!
my mate is a part p electrician and only took an hour to change

 

Absolutely !!!

Get the wooden structure in front of the consumer unit removed...and maybe. But when its a dangerous obstruction, no way. People who install stuff in such inaccessible places need a slap.

 

Please read the posts above, I admit I often assume some intelligence from other board users which is perhaps a mistake some cases.

The framework was not fixed until after the consumer unit was put in, then the room was plastered.

Like I said, perhaps I wasn't clear in my first and second post but you then start talking about telling customers to fuck off or giving other tradesmen a slap, add that to not paying attention to the details and an offer of "maybe" doing some work if it's all wrapped up in a pretty little bow for you?

I want you to do all my electrical work because I'll bet you're an absolute joy to have around.

 

You defo want to get it checked out ASAP mate!!


Cheers,
Grant

 

So how do you expect anyone to work at the consumer unit now that the frame is fixed in ??

As I say, only an idiot would obstruct something as important as that. But clearly there are people with no intelligence who would fix things in front of the CU blocking it.
I wonder do they also build brick walls in front of doors ?

 

I'd expect them to work at the consumer unit by opening the big, easily accesible door in front of it.

I would imagine there are somewhere!

I would imagine if someone wanted a door blocked up, then yes some people would?

An idiot however may well block up a perfectly good door, as they are unlikely to enquire about the details and are very likely to make assumptions beyond their intelligence.

 

It's quite apparent you've never had to do any work before, nor use any common sense.

It looks like you could babrely fit a screwdriver in to access the CU, let alone get your head in front at a safe distance to see what you are doing. Or are you a midget dwarf ?

Normally there is supposed to be at least 1m of clear access in front of any dist boards.

How much have you got there ?? 10cm ?

 

Old Bakelite style plastic smells fishy when it gets hot, so it's not something I'd wait to get looked at!!

 

i think the point is paddy from your pics in your first post on the thread it looks like the frame is a fixed obstruction but as you say its just lifts out of the way

personally i advise a CU to be easily accessed/seen ie not hidden but if the end user puts a cupboard round once signed off then thats that

 

I thought this was a post to have a quick smell of an electrician, I am now gutted!!!!!

 

See previous post about assumptions beyond intelligence.

You could have stopped there and thought... but no...

You mentioned doors in your previous post so perhaps I'm falling into a similar trap and making assumptions beyond other people's intellects.

There is a door in front of it now.

The perspective of the second photo does indeed make it look like the framework is covering some of the consumer unit. It is not.

That would be simply awesome! But alas, I am neither a midget nor a dwarf. Not sure if there's such a thing as a normal sized dwarf or even a giant dwarf which would require the classification of a midget dwarf. Thanks however, for clarifying your point, there's idiots everywhere!

I can assure you there is more than a metre with the door open. With the door [sorry, hinged access panel] shut however, I would imagine your guess of 10cm is about correct.

My electrician clearly being smarter than the average idiot has mastered the art of opening doors. In fact, 6 months after it was installed and the framework was completed, painted etc. [it's actually part of a shelving unit with the consumer unit boxed in to hide it away] he managed not only to defy logical stereotypes about electricians by opening the door but he also found it within himself to cram himself into the 4 metres or so of space in front of the consumer unit, to install a new RCD and wire up my garage and garden for me!

And once again, bringing it back to the OP, you're getting the benefit of all this experience in finding tradesmen who not only look at the whole picture but get all the details before making assumptions.

Attention to detail is important to me when employing tradesmen. Especially if you can believe any quote they give you is competitive and if indeed the quality of their work will be up to much.

 

Its very popular in ireland.

 

Paddy, it goes to show how many thick cunts use this forum and dare type on posts. The cheek of it

 

Mine was a light socket , tell tale signs were browning round the base , 2nd is bad wiring arcing out in the connection ect ect, it normally does it when hot, so after its been on for a while.

good luck.

 

it is fairly obvious from paddy's first pics that the cu is fixed to the wall and then there are bits of timber and doors and shit stacked up on the wall when he's taken the picture

why are people thinking that he's biult it in there so that even the flap can't be opened is beyond me

i'll get some pics of mine up later when i get the dongle thingy sorted, but you need to get proper electrics sorted first and foremost, is probably worth your while to do a full rewire now you have an issue and consider any further work you'll possibly do in the future to the property so that you can have additional capacity in the unit for afterwards

our house was built in 1929 and didn't even have a switch to kill thepower to the house, the mains cable went straight into the meter and then spread out to the various different pull switches you see in old school horror film that mad scientists use to power up their franenstiens

 

Anyone that takes advice from dojj should buy a saddle and water their horse often. The guys unique to say the least ..

 

Proper PMSL

Some people really need to read before posting lol.

OP, Is anything getting hot? That would be where you might find a loose connection. As everyone has said - get it checked ASAP.

 

Love the tag, cheers Paddy

 

the actual people from the electric came and did that installation as they have to turn off the power from the street

they only charged us £30 for the privilege of hooking up the 2 units, the rest of the wiring was done by the sparky