Another service fuse question

[ban-all-sheds]

Hopefully someone familiar with this design of service fuse can help me:

My question is how far out does it have to be pulled before it is completely out? The reason is that there is an obstruction in the form of part of the gas meter - this shows it more clearly:

I reckon the fuse can come straight out for about 1" (2.5cm for you young'uns) before it will hit the flange indicated.

Am I stuffed?

 

[securespark]

Hmm.

From memory, you need more than an inch.

Well, most gas meters are not secured - they are only held in place by the pipes connected to them. There should be scope for a little (careful!)movement there.

If not, then you will need to get the relevent gas department to come and move the meter on the grounds of obstruction. They should do this FOC, because it was a stupid place to put it in the first place! The placing of their equipment should not obstruct other services!

Can tell me where the obstructing flange is on the top piccy?

When I look at the second photo, the angle makes it look like the obstruction is below the fuse carrier.

Also, any chance of a wider view just to eyeball the general situation?

Is this your install?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Can tell me where the obstructing flange is on the top piccy?

When I look at the second photo, the angle makes it look like the obstruction is below the fuse carrier.

I've ringed the offending bit of flange (the one the arrow was pointing to in the second photo):

I agree - the angles are awkward to judge in photos.

Also, any chance of a wider view just to eyeball the general situation?

I'll see what I can do.

Is this your install?

Yup.

 

[securespark]

How long has the (gas) meter been there?

Do a bit of telephonic research to see how amenable they would be to a move - that's my suggestion.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Also, any chance of a wider view just to eyeball the general situation?

Your wish is my belated command:

(Sorry about the carpet, but it is the cupboard under the stairs...)

Re your suggestion about phoning the gas folks to see what they'd say about moving the meter - I know that in their shoes I'd say that it was the plumber who recently replaced the pipe (that obviously-new copper one) that caused the meter to end up in the way. And for all I know it was.

There is a bit of movement available - sometime I'll give it a wiggle to see if I can remove the interference.

Or I might leave it to the DNO - I need to get them out to upgrade the fuse anyway. It has no markings on it, but the meter says 80A, so I'm guessing that's what the fuse is.

And I think they need to do something about their earth connection - in the first photo you'll see 2 uninsulated, unprotected multistranded conductors. To the best of my measuring ability, it looks like each one has a csa of 2.5mm² - 3mm².

I also want their tails upgraded, in readiness for when I do my side of it all.

And, if the 100A upgrade doesn't bring a new meter with one built-in, I want them to fit an isolator. I'm in Southern Electric land, and I know from asking them before that they don't fit them, but they might wire one in if I provide it.

So a couple of supplementary Q's:

1) Would a 100A switchfuse be an acceptable isolation switch?

2) If I've got someone in officially to replace the fuse, and possibly meter, does anyone have a view on what my chances would be of slipping the guy a cash payment to have him connect up the switch and renew the tails? (Which I'm guessing would be cheaper than asking them to do it officially)

 

[phil_ballard]

Looking at the pic of the wider view; the meter board seems to be held to the wall via a screw and spacer at each corner. If these were removed, is there enough flexibility in the incoming cables to safely move the whole board - meter, fuse and all - enough to withdraw the fuse?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

There might be - they are short and p.d. thick, but the board wouldn't need to move by much to clear the gasmeter obstruction.

My other thought was to bend the end of that flange upwards - it does bügger all...

 

[plugwash]

yeah bending the flange frankly seems like the best bet

that or cutting and slightly extending the gas pipe but i dont reccomend touching gas to diyers

if you move the meter board and something comes out you have a live wire on a hugely high fused cuircuit with no means of isolation very nasty

 

[securespark]

Ban - I shall try and post a piccy of my iso switch. Just a 125A Merlin Gerin DP iso in a 4 mod enclosure.

Perfectly acceptable - no need for fusing at all. I would think that two HRC 100A fuses in line like that would cause discrimination difficulties anyway.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yo - it's just that I happen to have it, that's all.

Hopfully discrimination shouldn't be an issue - I'd hope that neither fuse would blow!

But what's wrong with this reasoning - if the service fuse were to blow, I'd be no worse off. If my fuse went, I'd be able to replace it.

?

It's no big deal - I bought it for another use anyway.

 

[plugwash]

true i cant see how using a switchfuse is really going to make any difference over using an isolator except that you know what type of fuse it is which may be helpfull in calculations

 

[tim00]

The gas cock/shut-off valve appears to be inoperative in the position shown in the pic. Perhaps you should test that it works or sort it out before doing anything else.
I should be cautious about cutting or bending the "flange".
There appear to be a few odd looking items in the pics:
1. there is a pipe/cable painted white running up behind the c/u; what is it?
2. there appear to be 3no gas service pipes in-situ, the one on the left is open, presumably abandoned, the centre pipe is capped and the third is the "live" supply - this arrangement might have some bearing on the present configuration and any proposed changes.
i hope that you dont mind my ten cents worth.

 

[securespark]

Ban

Are you sure you have to pay at all?

I got Norweb (can't remember current name) to fit new service head, meter and they wired in their side of the iso (that I had fitted ready), leaving me to connect the tails to the CU.

They shouldn't really charge. Should they?

Anybody else been charged for this kind of work?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The gas cock/shut-off valve appears to be inoperative in the position shown in the pic. Perhaps you should test that it works or sort it out before doing anything else.

Can't think why you say that, but it's worked fine whenever I've used it, and it worked fine last year when Mr Bodger^H^H^H^H^H^HPlumber did his thing.

I should be cautious about cutting or bending the "flange".

I will, but it doesn't actualy do anything - probably not that easy to see from the pics, but it's actually a large bracket, and it looks as though in an ideal world it shold be screwed to the wall to hold the meter in place. The actual bit I need to bend is just a cornere of it:

There appear to be a few odd looking items in the pics:
1. there is a pipe/cable painted white running up behind the c/u; what is it?

It's an old bit of electical conduit - it is now either empty or contains the remains of a disconnected VIR cable - can't remember which.

2. there appear to be 3no gas service pipes in-situ, the one on the left is open, presumably abandoned, the centre pipe is capped and the third is the "live" supply - this arrangement might have some bearing on the present configuration and any proposed changes.

They were there, like that, when I moved in. I've never really given them much thought. I wonder if there used to be a previous gas meter sitting on top of them?

i hope that you dont mind my ten cents worth.

No, not at all.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Ban

Are you sure you have to pay at all?

I got Norweb (can't remember current name) to fit new service head, meter and they wired in their side of the iso (that I had fitted ready), leaving me to connect the tails to the CU.

They shouldn't really charge. Should they?

Anybody else been charged for this kind of work?

I think that Southern Electric take the view that if I want something, eg I ask for the service to be upgraded, or I want one of their guys to come out and wire an isolator in, then I have to pay for it.

I might have them regarding their earth connection - I don't think it's big enough, and under the Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations I think they would be obliged to come out FOC and fix that.

If so, I need to parlay that into a reduced cost service fuse upgrade (as they've got to be there anyway), and then I need to slip their guy a drink to wire in my isolation switch. Possibly.