This is the first in a weekly series of blog posts intended to pose a question and gather peoples responses before we reveal the correct answer. We want trainees, experienced sparks, domestic installers and anyone else for that matter to answer the question and contribute to the debate.

So our first scenario is this. You are installing a brand new consumer unit in a domestic property but soon realise that the consumer unit is too big to fit in the same space as the old one. It will fit if you turn it on its side (i.e. rotate it by 90 Degrees). So is this OK? Can you mount a consumer unit on it’s side?

So we have had this out there for a week and collected responses which came out as follows. Nearly 80% of people said no whilst just over 20% actually gave a detailed answer:

So what is the answer?

It is a little bit of a trick question. The answer is that you should check the manufacturers instructions. Some units can be fitted on their side and others can not. Of the 22% that answered “Other” all said this as the answer so those people can give themselves a pat on the back.