Lead sheathed cable

[john4703]

I have a situation that seems crazy to me. The electricity supplier wanted a meter change. That seemed simple but when the technician arrived to change the meter he refused to do the job because the board it is fixed too is loose. This was raised with the DNO Scottish Power Networks.

One of their guys came and said that the main fuses are wrong and the incoming cable needs rerouted. I have no experience of this sort of lead sheathed cable, it was probably installed in the 1930s when the place was built.

How hard is it to joint to this cable? I’m not going to try it myself but wonder if the DNO can do a joint under the floor. They are sending an excavation supervisor to look at the job next month but I’d like to have an idea of what is possible. It is a 3 phase supply, 2 phases supply the church and halls and the third supplies a caretaker’s flat on the first floor.

 

[sparkwright]

They do joints under wooden floors on ancient old cable like that when moving meter locations etc.

Done well within a day, you will probably need your own electrcian on stand-by to connect the consumer's tails to a new isolator, assuming they provide one.

EDITED for detail.

 

[sparkwright]

(On an unrelated note, what bodger fitted that Schneider junction box and associated conduits?)

 

[john4703]

Tha

They do joints under wooden floors on ancient old cable like that when moving meter locations etc.

Done well within a day, you will probably need your own electrcian on stand-by to connect the consumer unit tails to a new isolator, assuming they provide one.

Thanks, that is a great help as there is a length exposed under the floor.

 

[john4703]

(On an unrelated note, what bodger fitted that Schneider junction box and associated conduits?)

It feeds the contactors for the central heating and the box has a couple of waggos in it. It looks really bad but it is so much better than it used to be. (The existing cables were just too short to reach the consumer unit that contans the contactors.)

 

[sparkwright]

They don't seem to worry about 100 year old cable still being in service, and of course by the time a new piece of cable has been added, it all looks nice and new above the floor, and the old cable will probably stay in service for no doubt another 100 years.

But there you go.

 

[john4703]

They don't seem to worry about 100 year old cable still being in service, and of course by the time a new piece of cable has been added, it all looks nice and new above the floor, and the old cable will probably stay in service for no doubt another 100 years.

But there you go.

They don't seem keen to dig up the concrete wheelchair ramp that was added over the cable about 25 years ago. I'd be happy if they replaced the whole cable along a new route right out to the street but I suspect that would cost them too much.
I think I will buy a couple of 100A switch fuses and have them ready for the DNO to fit. I can see some 100A Mains Switched Fuse c/w 100A & 80A fuse on the TLC website and at £21 each well worth buying.

 

[sparkwright]

Don't buy anything you can't return until you have spoken to the 'DNO'.

 

[securespark]

Yes, you'll have time yet to decide if you need to order any equipment.