I'm buying a house which has an old fuse box. This was noted on the survey I had done and it was suggested I update it. Is this really necessary? There's nothing actually wrong with the fuse box - it's just old fashioned? Are there any safety concerns with these old ones or is this just something they tend to note on such surveys.

Our old shower is a Mira 8.78 advance ATL (I'd assume 8.78kw but the label doesn't actually say). We're looking for a new replacement electric shower and hope to replace it with a 9kw as we don't want the hassle (and extra cost) of fitting a 10mm cable. (This one we think http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/9kw-white-chrome-3298-16348.)

As this is the first time I've had to buy a shower I have no idea what is or how to check a fuse rating... how do I do this and how do I know if the new shower can just be put in without any other problems? Is there anything else I need to consider?

Thanks for your help!

I should add to recent answers that no I am not intending to do the work myself, however I need enough information to first buy the replacement shower. I do not want to purchase it only then to realise that I can't afford to install it!

Also if the old shower is an 8.78kw then surely I should already have a 10mm cable and RCD fitted? We have a separate switch in the old boiler room (next to the bsthroom) that turns the power to the shower off completely. The wire to which is over 1cm wide. Is that then a 10mm cable?

Hi - can someone please clarify for me the "regulations" about putting downlighters in kitchens and bathrooms because I am totally confused getting conflicting information that there is some kind of "special" more highly rated downlighter which we should now be using ! I am sure we have nothing "extra ordinary" in both our kitchen and bathroom but as I want to instal new downlighters in my mother's property in Kent I would appreciate the definitive view ! Also do I need a "registered electrician" to do this work now or is it still a DIY job ? There are currently no downlighters in my mother's house so I guess it would need new wiring - hence I may need a qualified electrician perhaps ? Very grateful for any info you can pass on. I don't want to fall foul of any legislation or regulations as the property is going to be rented out. Thank you.

Hi,

My electician has rewired the house and installed a 4.2kW oven (with a separate gas hob). The oven radial uses a 2.5mm wire with a 20 amp fuse, and the length of the wire from the consumer unit to the oven is about 4m. My builder has told me that the 2.5mm wire is unsafe, but my electrician insists it's okay because the oven has no hob. Can anyone confirm whether the 2.5mm wire is safe and compliant with the regulations?

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Thanks all, much appreciated.

Please advise, I have just had my flat rewired, kitchen and bathroom installers say that the 6mm cable is not sufficient for the best modern showers, that a 10mm cable should have been installed.

Both the installer and the electrician who did the rewiring are registered.

What is currently considered best practice, and if a matter of opinion, should the customer be consulted during the rewiring?

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Additional

A clear decision from experienced electricians, which is helpful.

All four electricians agree that 10 is the current industry standard, including G W Electrics, who carried out the rewiring of my flat, and provided only 6 for my shower, how arrogant!

Thanks to the other 3 electricians who kindly responded to my question, if only my rewiring had been carried out by one of them.

Hi All,

Purchasing a house in the Bargoed area which has an old style fuse box.

How much is the average cost to replace it with a RCD unit?

Cheers

Kevin

Is there a minimum depth for wires to be chased in to walls? We've just had a full re-wire and were about to start decorating but in places the cable is coming through the plaster, to the extent I can read the writing on it. Other bits I've noticed are staring to crack and come away where the plaster over the wire is spread so thinly, presumably because it's not deep enough. Is this acceptable? Should he have used some sort of capping for the cable? And how would it be best rectified? He's coming on Thursday to look at it so any information to hit him with would be appreciated.

Thanks.

I've bought a new extractor fan (Xpelair 4-inch 100mm Timer Bathroom Fan) - it replaces an old standard fan (no timer), the wiring available is 1 red wire (i believe this is live) 1 black wire (neutral?) & then a bare copper wire. The previous fan simply connected via the red/black wires but the new fan will not operate at all with just two connections & just wanted to know what the bare copper wire would be?

I want to put in lights in my garden but we don't have an external electrical socket. Wondering if it's acceptable to run outdoor lighting from an internal electricity source. What are the regulations for outdoor lighting?

An electrician doing a PIR on my flat tells me the above is a fire risk. i would just like to confirm this, as he tested the installation and says it was very good. This seems a bit of a contradiction. Separately, he also considers my fuseboard requires an RCD as soon as possible. He may be right, but I would welcome a second opinion as my installation dates from well before I Jan 2005 and so is not subject to BS 7671: 2008.