Meter fitter caused a short circuit

Les9000 · 14 Apr 2016

A colleague has just rented a house, and after a few days Scottish Power forced entry and fitted prepayment meters for gas and electricity.
Valid court order against previous tenant, and upon sending proof of tenancy change they promised to reinstate meters.
Except the next day the house had no power.
Scottish Power Energy Networks found the reason why.
The young lady who fitted the prepayment electric meter had connected the meter's off-peak live terminal to neutral.
So when the time came for the meter to switch to off-peak, it created a short between L and N, so blew the cutout fuse.
She fitted a dual-tariff meter to a house that did not even have off-peak.
I would have thought meter fitters would know better than to do that?
Given the way the suppliers inflict prepayment meters on debtors, I wonder whether they have specialist team of bailiff, locksmith, and low-skilled / poorly-trained meter fitter?
Anybody ever heard of a professional doing such a thing?

Nige F · 14 Apr 2016

A few years ago a certain power company had to change a grid transformer on a mobile home park . Got the phases crossed and blew up dozens of appliances on the site

securespark · 14 Apr 2016

Visited a house I had been to a few times before without issues.
Next time I went I had to change a light fitting. Found RP at the fitting so checked a socket....RP.
Goes to find customer.
Have you had a meter change?
Yes, he came three weeks ago.
Found RP at the meter!!

danechip · 14 Apr 2016

Sorry, RP?

JohnD · 14 Apr 2016

radioredcat · 14 Apr 2016

Reverse polarity.

danechip · 14 Apr 2016

I realised what just before coming back to say thanks.

davelx · 15 Apr 2016

Reverse Polarity......

RF Lighting · 15 Apr 2016

Best show I've ever worked on

ban-all-sheds · 15 Apr 2016

Was it all as good as that clip?

RF Lighting · 17 Apr 2016

I don't think that clip really does it justice! Next time it goes out on tour I'd definitely recommend going to see it.

It's a show of 60's rock and roll music based very loosely on Shakespeare's the tempest.

ericmark · 17 Apr 2016

Polarity in electrical terms can be positive or negative or North and South with magnets. I know the regulations state to test for reverse polarity 612.6 but with an AC supply when both line and neutral are both called live can we really have a reversed polarity other that at the 50 Hz of the supply? Yes reversed Line - Neutral, but is that really a polarity?

PBC_1966 · 17 Apr 2016

ericmark said:
when both line and neutral are both called live

That's a recent idea - Previously the neutral was not considered to be a live conductor by the Wiring Regs. But that aside, I agree that despite the common talk of "reverse polarity" when what is meant is an L-N reversal, it really isn't any such thing, just a reversal of which of two conductors is the earthed one.

ericmark · 18 Apr 2016

I remember getting a phase rotation meter, and I was given a job to fit a socket, so tested for reverse wiring, and it was reversed so I corrected, however since whole factory was wrong, what I had actually done as far are the owners were concerned was wire up the socket wrong, it did not matter that mine was only correct one, it did not match rest of factory. I did not make that mistake again.

Be it three phase, or single phase or split phase one has to allow for some one before you getting it wrong. I have made my fair share of mistakes, that's why we test out work. In fact in some ways easier for an electrician than a DIY guy to get it wrong. A box of sockets first 20 with line on left second 20 with line on right easiest thing in the world after first 20 to just assume all are the same.

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Meter fitter caused a short circuit

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