Dual-RCD Board Upgraded to RCBOs + Surge Protection — Chadderton
A newer dual-RCD consumer unit upgraded to individual RCBOs with surge protection in Chadderton, Oldham — for per-circuit fault protection and to shield the home's electronics from surges, fully tested on completion.
What we did on this Chadderton job
The detail behind the project — what the client needed, how we approached it, and what was specified for the future.
A homeowner in Chadderton, Oldham, had bought their property around six months earlier and wanted to upgrade the consumer unit (fuse board). The previous owner had actually had a new board fitted less than a year before — a dual-RCD board — but our client wanted the extra protection that individual RCBOs and a surge protection device bring, so they asked us to change it.
The difference is worth explaining. A dual-RCD board splits all the circuits across two RCDs, so if one circuit develops a fault the RCD trips and takes out every circuit on that side of the board — half the house goes dark, including things you'd rather keep running like the freezer or the alarm. With RCBOs, every circuit has its own combined breaker and RCD, so a fault only ever trips the one circuit affected. Everything else stays on, and it's far easier to pin down what caused the problem.
On top of that we fitted a surge protection device (SPD). A surge — from the grid, nearby lightning, or switching loads — can wipe out modern electronics in an instant: TVs, computers, boilers, EV chargers and smart-home kit. An SPD clamps those spikes at the board before they reach your appliances, and it's now recommended under the 18th Edition wiring regulations for most homes. We installed a Live RCBO consumer unit with an integrated SPD and fully tested the whole installation on completion, issuing an Electrical Installation Certificate.
It's worth saying the client's existing board wasn't unsafe or non-compliant — it was newer and perfectly legal. This was a discretionary upgrade for the extra peace of mind and convenience, which is becoming a popular choice. If you'd like to move from a dual-RCD board to RCBOs, or add surge protection to your existing setup, we cover Chadderton and the wider Oldham area — get in touch for an honest assessment.