How do I insulate a fuse box?

[NeilDevine]

OK, so we live in a 1970's townhouse with double brick walls. Over the last several years google maps has been forwarding more and more traffic down our street, because it's a convenient passage between two major roads.

So I've been trying to find ways to sound proof the house, and recently had to change a light switch. I could see the light switch of our neighbors on the other side of the wall.

Literal light bulb moment. The reason we can hear so much road noise is because our double brick walls have holes you can stick your hand through in them. May as well not exist.

Luckily that's an easy fix, and I've gone around the house and put wads of fire-proof insulation behind all of the light switches and power-points. But my youngests room is still as noisy as ever.

So I had another light bulb moment today. On the back side of their wall is our fuse box, which has another hole through the wall behind it.

I can cut power at the meter so it would be safe to take it off the wall to insulate behind it, but is it safe to have a wad of insulation there? And is it even legal to do that?

My second option is to build a box around the fuse box and insulate that - is that safe and legal to do?

Thanks for your input guys. I'm at my wits end trying to get their room quiet.

[EricL]

Hello @NeilDevine 

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thanks for for sharing your question about insulation.

In this instance, I suggest engaging the services of a local electrician to find out if you can insulate your fuse box or build an insulation cover. Any electrical work legally has to be done by a registered electrician.  

Let me call on our experienced members @CSParnell and @MikeTNZ for their recommendations.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

[CSParnell]

@NeilDevine Hey mate there would be no issues in building a fire check box around the meter box for it to sit in and then run fire mastic around the cables it is common practice in different installation types but what I would suggest is engaging an electrical contractor to isolate and remove your switchboard and cables for you and reinstall, isolating at the meter generally requires an authorised by power authorities to cut tags and apply for reconnect anyways otherwise you can face fines, also it may need further down stream disconnect like at pillar or pole. An electrical contractor will be able to advise the best option

[NeilDevine]

Thanks @CSParnell

It's not the meter box that's the problem, it's the fuse box.

It's a set of 4 townhouses, each has their own fuse box in their garage and the meter is in a shared meter box at the other end of the complex. (4 separate meters in the one box.)

Is it ok to build a box around the fuse box in our garage? 

[EricL]

Hello @NeilDevine 

Let me tag @CSParnell as well to make sure they see your query. 

Eric

[CSParnell]

@NeilDevine @EricL 

Sorry guys been crazy busy at work coding, coding and more coding.

The board will need to have clear and unobstructed access to it as they are a point of isolation eg. If it was inside a cupboard it would have to be mount to the front so nothing could be stored in front of it. 

You don't want to build something around it that makes it difficult to work on the board either.

Hope that helps.

Sorry about the delay to get back to you. 

[Nailbag]

Going on @CSParnell advice, is it feasible @NeilDevine to install shelves along side of the fuse box and utilise the wall space thus making it less noticeable?

Nailbag

[NeilDevine]

Not really. It's in the garage. I'm not concerned with it being noticeable at all. It's the noise being transmitted into the house that I'm trying to get rid of.

And as @CSParnell says, it must have clear and unobstructed access. the last thing we need is to be fiddling around in the dark when a fuse blows.