Would you re-use 'used' RCBO's / other item's too??

That rather depends on the circumstances. Clearly if the customer is paying for a new installation, and they get bits of second hand kit cobbled together ,that would not be right.

But if this is a part for a now aging installation, and a largely passive and easily inspected part,  like an old fuse carrier, junction box lid or a  door catch or something has broken ?  Well if  that can safely be swapped out without great risk, and in doing so avoids a lot of upheaval, then I think the use of a recycled part may be perfectly justified. Although it is still important that everyone involved knows that is what is happening. Between these extreme cases  lies  a slope of progressive uncertainty and variable risk.  The first problem is provenance, and the example of an MCB is a good one - unless you know it has never tripped in it's life, how do you know what condition it is in - it may be burnt almost to the point of failure internally ,and you would not know. Equally, it is not unknown for brand new parts to be dead on arrival, but at least you can send them back and complain. I''d be wary of a second hand breaker off Ebay for example. One left over that had not been used from a pre-populated board would be less of a concern, as essentially 'new, old stock (NOS)


Then again if it was for my own installation, I'd be less concerned anyway than if it was for anyone else, or perhaps if it was for a job with limited life - only to keep the power on until the new CU arrives next week is a less scary prospect than a permanent fix. Cables and so forth can be visibly inspected for damage, at least externally, and certainly insulation and continuity checked, so are probably lower risk than items with moving parts, which in turn are less risk that things with programmable electronics in.

I have re-used  long lengths of SWA, after a bit of umming and a lot of testing, and I have re-used fuses, as these are pretty much either blown or not, but even then there are not many cases where it would feel like the right thing to do.

That rather depends on the circumstances. Clearly if the customer is paying for a new installation, and they get bits of second hand kit cobbled together ,that would not be right.

But if this is a part for a now aging installation, and a largely passive and easily inspected part,  like an old fuse carrier, junction box lid or a  door catch or something has broken ?  Well if  that can safely be swapped out without great risk, and in doing so avoids a lot of upheaval, then I think the use of a recycled part may be perfectly justified. Although it is still important that everyone involved knows that is what is happening. Between these extreme cases  lies  a slope of progressive uncertainty and variable risk.  The first problem is provenance, and the example of an MCB is a good one - unless you know it has never tripped in it's life, how do you know what condition it is in - it may be burnt almost to the point of failure internally ,and you would not know. Equally, it is not unknown for brand new parts to be dead on arrival, but at least you can send them back and complain. I''d be wary of a second hand breaker off Ebay for example. One left over that had not been used from a pre-populated board would be less of a concern, as essentially 'new, old stock (NOS)


Then again if it was for my own installation, I'd be less concerned anyway than if it was for anyone else, or perhaps if it was for a job with limited life - only to keep the power on until the new CU arrives next week is a less scary prospect than a permanent fix. Cables and so forth can be visibly inspected for damage, at least externally, and certainly insulation and continuity checked, so are probably lower risk than items with moving parts, which in turn are less risk that things with programmable electronics in.

I have re-used  long lengths of SWA, after a bit of umming and a lot of testing, and I have re-used fuses, as these are pretty much either blown or not, but even then there are not many cases where it would feel like the right thing to do.