Incoming electrical supply - can it be simplified

danieljamesscott · 15 Nov 2014

Hi,

I live in an old house which has obviously had many changes/improvements to the electric supply over the years. It currently looks very complicated and I'm wondering if there's anything which can be done to simplify it.

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danieljamesscott
15 Nov 2014
1

I'm guessing that the supply enters at the bottom, and goes through several fuses before reaching the meter. Then heads off to the left to the consumer unit. Does that look right?

There's a "radio teleswitch" at the top right. Are these still used, or is this system obsolete?

I'm thoroughly confused by the metal conduit in the middle. I'm not sure what that's for.

It looks like there are at least 4 fuses. Do I need them all?

Can anyone help with this? Just to be clear, I'm definitely not touching any of this myself, I just want to know what I should ask an electrician or my energy supplier to do.

Thanks,

Dan

garlicbread · 15 Nov 2014

The conduit looks like it could be supplying next door. If you have economy 7 then that tele switch will still be used.

As for tidying upyou could probably do away with one of the tail blocks, but wont make much difference.

ban-all-sheds · 15 Nov 2014

Firstly, nothing up to and including the meters can be fiddled with by an electrician, so that doesn't leave much.

Secondly, and mainly, you don't have to do anything to or with any of it, except report meter readings now and then, so why do you want it "simplified"? Not that it looks particularly bad, I have to say.

Do you have storage heaters, or a day/night tariff?

JohnW2 · 15 Nov 2014

ban-all-sheds said:
Not that it looks particularly bad, I have to say.

Agreed - but there are some things about it which look a little odd to me. In particular, what's going on with the two fuse carriers in series on the left, feeding a cable into the conduit (maybe, as suggested, to a neighbouring property), wired with what looks like fairly puny cable (particularly that between the two fuse carriers)?

Kind Regards, John

danieljamesscott · 15 Nov 2014

Thanks for the replies so far.

It's definitely possible that the conduit supplies next door, I'm in a terrace. As you say, the cable does look quite small, so I'd have thought that was unlikely?

It's good to know that it doesn't look particularly bad. I really just wanted to know if there's anything obsolete, or could be done to improve safety. The house is full of unusual/strange wiring, so really just want to know if it's normal. I also don't particularly like leaving old/unnecessary things around, so if there was anything unused, I'd like to have it removed. I'm also interested to know how it works, and what all the parts are for - I like to know what's going on...

The series of fuses looked quite unusual to me. Are they 'normal'?

I do have 2/3 rates. The meter keeps changing between 3 different readings, but the elec company are only interested in 2.

I'm going to have the consumer unit replaced, and would like to know if there's anything else that would be worth having done at the same time. If an electrician can't touch any of that, then I would guess it would be the electricity company? I'm also thinking of having a smart meter installed and would look at getting things tidied up at the same time. As you say, if it would just be a case of removing one block, then not really worth it.

Thanks for all the responses so far. It's useful info. Would the energy company be able to tell me for definite what's going on with the metal conduit? Would an electrician be able to tell me that?

Thanks,

Dan

JohnW2 · 15 Nov 2014

danieljamesscott said:
The series of fuses looked quite unusual to me. Are they 'normal'?

Up to a point - give or take the uncertainties I've already expressed about the pair on the left. The larger (lower) one on the right is presumably for your supply, and the little one above is is 'fusing down' to feed the teleswitch.

danieljamesscott said:
Would the energy company be able to tell me for definite what's going on with the metal conduit? Would an electrician be able to tell me that?

Despite the size of the cable, I would think that a supply 'to next door' would be the most likely explanation, but I don't understand why there appear to be two fuses (at least, two fuse carriers - one may not contain a fuse) in series. Is that a party wall into which the conduit seems to be disappearing? If so, I would suggest that, if you can, you go and look in the neighbouring property to see where the conduit emerges (if it does!) and, if so, where it goes! If it is a supply to the neighbouring property, then I would think (on the basis of the picture) that the size of the cable ought to be 'looked into'.

Kind Regards, John

OwainDIYer · 15 Nov 2014

View media item 85432
1 Supplier's fuse to neighbour's Live
2 Supplier's fuse to you
3 Neutral to neighbour, you, and teleswitch
4 Neighbour's submain fuse
5 Fuse to Teleswitch
6 Henley block to your CU

Item 4 is because your neighbour's tails to the meter are probably over 3 metres long, so the electricity supplier requires them to be protected by your (neighbour's) fuse.

Item 5 is because your Teleswitch requires a live feed that is (a) unmetered, so you aren't charged for the current used by the Teleswitch itself, and (b) fused at less than the main supply. It's probably a 5 amp fuse in there.

What would neaten things up a bit would be if you got a new meter that incorporated its own timeswitch/teleswitch. The function of the Teleswitch is to switch the meter over to the off-peak rate. Whether an integrated meter/teleswitch is available depends on where in the country you are and your electricity meter supplier.

OwainDIYer · 15 Nov 2014

To add: your neighbour's Live and Neutral wires should be kept together in the conduit and not have separate exits, as this will cause eddy currents to circulate in the conduit.

I also wonder how that conduit (and your neighbour) is earthed.

bernardgreen · 15 Nov 2014

The two fuse in series in the supply to next door is odd but may be such that the top one can be opened to remove the fuse to isolated the next door supply.

There appears to be some carpet that has been peeled back to allow the photograph to be taken. It is a very bad idea to hide the supply fuses behind anything that may be inflammable.

JohnW2 · 15 Nov 2014

OwainDIYer said:
Item 4 is because your neighbour's tails to the meter are probably over 3 metres long, so the electricity supplier requires them to be protected by your (neighbour's) fuse.

That's the bit I don't really understand, particularly if the fuse is the same size as in (1), a couple of inches away. Even if not sealed, it would not really be safe for the consumer to replace the upper one [ (4) ] if the supplier's fuse [ (1) ] was, or maybe, still intact.

Kind Regards, John

JohnW2 · 15 Nov 2014

bernardgreen said:
The two fuse in series in the supply to next door is odd but may be such that the top one can be opened to remove the fuse to isolated the next door supply.

So could the bottom one, even if the top one didn't exist.

As I've just written, I don't really understand what's going on there, or why. As I said originally, maybe one (the top one?) for some reason just contains a link, rather than a fuse?

Kind Regards, John

westie101 · 15 Nov 2014

You do need to contact your DNO as having a fuse (possibly 2) on your property that supplies your neighbour is a problem.
If for any reason it (they) operate and disconnect supply access will be needed to your house to restore supply to your neighbour, whic id you are on holiday would cause a huge problem.

Though it does mean if you fall out with them you can cause their electricity to go odd and on at will

JohnW2 · 15 Nov 2014

westie101 said:
You do need to contact your DNO as having a fuse (possibly 2) on your property that supplies your neighbour is a problem....

Indeed. Any thoughts about those two fuse carriers in series - do you think that one of them does not actually contain a fuse, or what?

Kind Regards, John

westie101 · 15 Nov 2014

Indeed. Any thoughts about those two fuse carriers in series

As baffled as anyone about that non-standard set-up

JohnW2 · 15 Nov 2014

westie101 said:
Indeed. Any thoughts about those two fuse carriers in series

Click to expand...

As baffled as anyone about that non-standard set-up

Ah - I suppose that's reassuring (for me)

Kind Regards, John.

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Incoming electrical supply - can it be simplified

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