Your consumer unit (the fuse box) is the heart of your home electrics. If it is failing, everything downstream is at risk. Here are the six clear signs it needs replacing, and what to do about it.

1. It uses rewireable fuses

If your board has ceramic holders with actual fuse wire inside, it is a legacy design from the 1960s or earlier. These do not disconnect fast enough to be safe under a modern fault. This is a straight replacement job. Priority.

2. There is no RCD protection

Look at the board. If you see only rectangular breakers labelled with amp ratings (6A, 16A, 32A) and no big test button, you have no RCD protection. RCDs disconnect within milliseconds of detecting an earth leakage, which is what stops you being electrocuted. Every modern board has them.

3. It trips repeatedly and will not reset

An occasional trip in bad weather is normal. Repeated tripping on the same circuit means a genuine fault somewhere on that circuit, and if it will not reset at all, do not force it. Something is wrong.

4. Burning smell or scorch marks near the board

This is an emergency. Isolate the main switch immediately and call us out. Burning smells usually mean a loose connection arcing inside a breaker or the busbar. Left alone, this can start a fire.

5. It is a Wylex, MEM or Crabtree board over 25 years old

These brands were the standard in the 1980s and 90s and were well-made in their day. But plastic degrades, contacts oxidise, and the safety standards they were built to are now three revisions out of date. Replacement is not urgent, but it is due.

6. Your EICR failed on the board

If your last EICR came back unsatisfactory and the reason cited the consumer unit (missing RCD, obsolete design, or a fault on the busbar), the fix is a replacement. Landlords must sort within 28 days of a remedial notice.

What replacement gets you

  • Individual RCBO protection per circuit, so a fault only kills that one circuit
  • Surge protection built in (from 2022 regs onwards)
  • Compliance with the current 18th Edition Amendment 2 wiring regulations
  • An Electrical Installation Certificate and Part P notification for your paperwork
  • 25-year workmanship guarantee, transferable when you sell

What to do next

If you see any of these signs, book a free home survey. We look at the board, check the wiring going in, tell you honestly whether replacement is needed now or can wait, and give you a fixed price on the spot.