What we replace and why
Most Ramsgate consumer unit replacements we do are for one of four reasons. First, an EICR has coded the existing board C2 (potentially dangerous) or C1 (danger present, immediate action) usually because it's a plastic 3036 rewireable-fuse unit with no RCD protection. Second, the property is being remortgaged or sold and the buyer's survey has flagged an old wooden or metal-cased Wylex board. Third, a new EV charger or PV array install needs 100A cutout-side headroom that a legacy 60A supply plus old board can't safely take. Fourth, the customer just wants RCBO per-circuit protection so nuisance tripping stops taking half the house down at 2am.
Price
Consumer unit replacement in Ramsgate starts from £600 fitted, certificate included, for a standard 2-3 bed dual-RCD 10-way board (Wylex, MK or Hager) on a like-for-like circuit count. Full-RCBO 12-way or 16-way boards (per-circuit protection, no shared RCD) - what we quietly recommend for anyone with a home office, medical equipment on a circuit or a nuisance-tripping history - and larger East Cliff or Vale Square villas with sub-boards or a garage/annexe subcircuit are quoted individually on survey. Split load, surge protection (SPD) and metal enclosure to Amendment 2:2022 mandatory throughout.
What's included in the price
- Full home electrical inspection before swap (so we don't inherit a C2 fault into the new board)
- Board, main switch, RCDs / RCBOs, SPD (surge protection device), metal enclosure to Amdt 2
- Meter tails upgrade to 25mm if the DNO cutout allows it
- Labelling and consumer-unit schedule
- Electrical Installation Certificate
- Part P Building Regs compliance certificate posted to your address and lodged with the scheme
Timing
Straight swap: one day, power off for around 4 hours in the middle. We give you a 30 minute warning before shutdown so you can save work and put the fridge on high.
Swap plus meter-tails upgrade requiring a UK Power Networks isolation appointment: two visits, one for the pre-work and one after UKPN. UKPN Southern currently books cut-and-reseal 3 to 6 weeks out; we file the request on your behalf.
Common Ramsgate boards we replace
Wylex wooden-cased rewireable, 1950s to 1970s: still surprisingly common in owner-occupied Nelson Crescent and Wellington Crescent. Crabtree C50 plastic split-load, mid-1980s: dominant in Cliffsend and post-war Ramsgate estate. MK Sentry plastic dual-RCD, 1990s to 2000s: fine electrically, but plastic-cased boards are now non-compliant under Amdt 3 of BS 7671:2018 for domestic installations located near escape routes, and we upgrade on customer request.
What we don't do
We don't swap a consumer unit and walk away leaving a C2-coded circuit still connected. If the incoming inspection finds a defect that would make the new board dangerous on day one, we quote the remedial in writing before we start. You then decide whether to fix and go, or fix and defer. No fait accompli.