living room spotlights

[SUNRAY]

elevator and forklift electrics which I do deal with. Those wiring diagrams do my head in.

Admitting that it does your head in tells me that you are neither fully trained or highly skilled as an elevator or fork lift engineer.

But you get on your high and mighty horse. Instead of giving it the big I am why don't you just assist?

I think BAS has in fact offered you some very good and professional assistance

The standard of this house will be better than if I'd have paid people because its my house and I am a perfectionist.

So am I but I get people in to to do the things I am incapable of or not qualified to do.

So I am no idiot as you imply.

That is your opinion, but most definitely not mine

 

[simonzx10]

meter tails are 7 meters long and will be run in conduit.

 

[Taylortwocities]

meter tails are 7 meters long and will be run in conduit.

So you'll need a switchfuse at the origin to comply with the DNOs meter tails length requirements.

 

[securespark]

Yup, depending on the DNO, you can only go 2 or 3 metres before having to fuse down.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Yes, but surely Simon is fully aware of that, given that he has decided he is competent to carry out design work?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Stupid me. I'm sorry I mentioned it. Of course, he has it all in hand.

 

[simonzx10]

Actually I was unaware of that. Especially as when the electrician first came round to look the place over when we first started, we had talked about moving the consumer unit from its original position and he just mentioned the cost of the tails. The actual mains come in to the house under the stairs into a old cast black box. Inside is 3 phase with large fuses. As it is already fused why would it require fusing again? The tails are going from the incoming box to the meter which will be moved where the consumer unit is, and before you start, the electric company said I can move it. And because I don't know all the regs, that's why I ask questions so I can get it right. So I am grateful of your assistance instead of you berating me.

 

[bernardgreen]

and before you start, the electric company said I can move it.

Was that the electric company you pay your bill to or the DNO who install and maintain the supply network.

The "help desk" people at the electricity company know almost nothing about the technicalities of getting power into their customer's houses.

 

[simonzx10]

Scottish power. its their meter.

 

[bernardgreen]

The meter owner is not always the DNO

http://www2.nationalgrid.com/uk/Our-company/electricity/Distribution-Network-Operator-Companies/

 

[simonzx10]

i'd leave the meter where is but its very awkward to read, hence moving it. so I phoned Scottish power and spoke to their dept that deals with this type of thing. exact words were you shouldn't move it but they don't mind if I do so long as I get my electrician to check it and phone them.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Actually I was unaware of that.

But nevertheless you decided you were competent to do the work.

I wonder what else you aren't aware of?

As it is already fused why would it require fusing again?

Because it does. The service fuse(s) are there to protect the supply cable, not the tails.

The tails are going from the incoming box to the meter which will be moved where the consumer unit is, and before you start, the electric company said I can move it.

No - they said it can be moved, they did not say you can move it.

And because I don't know all the regs, that's why I ask questions so I can get it right.

You started this topic asking how to connect up some spotlights, and it was only by chance that the information about you extending the tails came to light.

Don't you see? You cannot carry out work of this magnitude on the basis of asking questions about things you think you need to ask about, because you will only ask about the things you realise you don't know, and you will completely miss all of the things you don't know because you have no idea they even exist.

Who did you ask about protecting the meter tails before you just put longer ones in?

So I am grateful of your assistance instead of you berating me.

You are persistently working beyond your level of competence on things which can kill if you get them wrong - why should you not be berated for that?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

i'd leave the meter where is but its very awkward to read, hence moving it. so I phoned Scottish power and spoke to their dept that deals with this type of thing. exact words were you shouldn't move it but they don't mind if I do so long as I get my electrician to check it and phone them.

Write to them, and ask them to confirm in writing that you can move the meter.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I wonder what else you aren't aware of?

 

[simonzx10]

No - they said it can be moved, they did not say you can move it.

Im sorry I didn't realise that you were listening in on the phone, yes they did say I could move it, that's what I was asking them.


I wonder what else you aren't aware of?

Lots most likely but a few things I do know, I know exactly how my other house was wired and have used this as a model, OK that was done to 16th edition, but in general the houses are the same so it cant be to far off. Also, I know that the wiring in this house was horrendous, mixtures of rings and radials feeding sockets all over the place, only one radial for all the lights up and down, and an old fuse box, with loads of breaks in the wiring with connector blocks. It now has 3 rings, up and down power for the lights, separate radial for the boiler, 10mm cable for the cooker and a new consumer unit with RCDs etc.

Right as far as new meter tails. They are not in yet. You mention fuses to protect the tails as opposed to the fuses protecting the incoming mains cable. OK but apparently that only applies if the tails are over 3m. WHY? What difference does it make in the length? After all one end of the tails is the consumer unit and the other end the incoming fuse box. The tails will be in a conduit so are mechanically protected and as far as under fault conditions I cannot see what makes the difference between 3m or 7m. After all 3m of tails do not need another set of fuses!