CU change for assessment + questions + pics

[Norv]

Hi

I'm going to change my CU as one of my assessments for my DISQ. Can I just pull the Distributors fuse & let them know when I've done the job & they will come & put the tags back on it ?

Secondly, I've posted a few pics of the meter box outside my house. When I moved in I had storage heaters, but I got rid of them & fitted central heating but I still get an economy 7 rate on my bill (only for about £2.50 p/m). There is a couple of wires in there that are not connected, but I didnt want to mess with them until I've pulled the main fuse. I was also going to tidy it up in there. Can you see where they all go ?

[/img]

 

[Spark123]

You're not meant to tamper with DNO equipment, there was a thread on here not so long back re the legality, the best we came up with was criminal damage for cutting the seal. The only people who can answer your question are at the DNO. The cables should not really have been just taped up, they should be terminated into something i.e. a henley just to keep them safe. I take it you are updating the earthing. Do I also spy some JBs and a twin and earth disappearing through the bottom of the box?

 

[nozspark]

Norv,

TBH those pics do not look good as when that time clock clicks over to night time rate those un-terminated tails will become live!! And ther reason that you still have night rate charges on you bill is because all night time electric is priced at your low rate.

The easiest way to get this sorted "legaly" is by getting you elec supplier to replace your meter for a standard rate one. When doing this they should at least disconnect the timer and redundant tails.

Remember - when on an E7 tarrif, whilst the night time rate is reduced, you will pay more for your daytime usage!!

 

[Qedelec]

I concur with Noxspark and spark 123. I would add an isolation switch so you can switch of the supply. If you get one and screw it in place, the nice man from the DNO will probably connect it up if you ask him nicely.

 

[ATES]

Norv,

Is this a new assessment or an annual review? From your questions, I suspect it might be your first assessment? As i understand it (and i might be wrong) your assessor will be wanting to check not only the quality of your work, but also the correct certification. Because you're not yet a member of a self certification sheme, you can't self certificate this job until you can self-certify, and thus can only complete a MEW cert as a competent person who is not yet a member of a self-cert scheme?

Might be worth checking with your scheme operator, a guy at my wholesalers fell foul of this and yanked himself for another £350 for a revisit after LABC had stamped his work up!

Ant

 

[Adam_151]

He may issue an EIC or MW cert depending on which is appropiate to the sort of job he is doing, being registered or not doesn't change that.

If you are not registered to self certify compliance with the building regulations then the correct course of action is to notify the LABC in advance of doing the work, however none of the schemes seem the least bit interested whether or not this has actually been done, they are more interested in your ability to comply with BS7671, which of course includes testing and issueing the relevant certificate.

I expect the mate at the wholesalers somehow managed to beleive you cannot issue a MW or EIC if you are not registered, if you turn up to your assessment haping not issued certification, you will fail it because you have not complied with BS7671 which is precisely what they are checking you for!, also if you carry such a belief it is unlikely you can be accepted as 'competant' becuase a 'competant' person would not be in the dark as to the requirements of BS7671!

 

[securespark]

Both the assessor & the DNO would expect to see no equipment of the consumers attached to their meter cabinet.


We cannot replace CU's when they're mounted in the outside cabinet, we have to re-site them. Most DNO's are quite possesive of their cabinets. I had one job when I was S/E and the DNO had to replace their cabinet. Trouble was, there were 2 CU@s an RCD & several JB's attached to the chip.

They were NOT amused.

 

[Norv]

Thanks for your replies chaps.

I have not touched any of this so this is what it was like when I moved in about 6 years ago, but I'm sure there wasnt two wires taped up then. It looks like the neutral has been cut from the meter. I cant really work it out!!. It also looks like the CU was originally in the top of the cabinet but JB's have been put in & the wires extended about a foot so the CU is in the house, just inside the front door. I think I'll get the DNO round to sort this out & go from there.

Cheers, Norv

 

[Steve]

yeah the neutral has been cut! it no longer goes through the meter at all. The only neutral goes straight to the house. Does the timer need a neutral? Is it getting a neutral from the earth block????

Its a mess. (Though i'm not sure exactly how this sort of E7 setup would have operated!)

 

[ColJack]

the E7 timer has a neutral to it, and a live out.. that's all it needs.. it just switches on a live feed for the storage heaters at night..

it would have been a split board with half on normal, and the E7 on the other half.. same neutral bar...