CU replacement and seal break

[shedssssssss]

The MK board's modules are leaning like the tower. Why is the bottom of the casing distorted?

SS Whose board are you using there?

when the casing is on it is fine on both accounts

 

[supersparks]

The MK board's modules are leaning like the tower. Why is the bottom of the casing distorted?

SS Whose board are you using there?

its a hager mate

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The MK board's modules are leaning like the tower.

That's what they do.

Why is the bottom of the casing distorted?

Presumably that's also something that MKs do...?

 

[fubar]

Why is the bottom of the casing distorted?

Because the busbar finger protector is incorrectly fitted.

--
Michael

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Why is the bottom of the casing distorted?

Because the busbar finger protector is incorrectly fitted.

--
Michael

Well he did only pay £42......

 

[shedssssssss]

Why is the bottom of the casing distorted?

Because the busbar finger protector is incorrectly fitted.

--
Michael

Well he did only pay £42......

i'm gulity for that one, can't say 100% the spark didn't fit it in a similar fashion but i certainly removed it and put it back after he'd completed the job and left.

 

[benjiman]

ahh, thats why, that is whats commonly known as rats nest wiring, not unsafe but far from good quality(though you get what you pay for! )
this took just under 3 hours including tests and is what id call a rush job...
(also included finding a lighting fault-about 15 mins)

Very nice looks very tidy. How do you get it so neat? Is there a special method to follow each time or you do it as you go?

 

[supersparks]

if im totaly honest mate id put that down as untidy, i dont like how the earths were done, but bear with me, it was first use of a hager split board

basicly, if your bringing all your cables in from the left (most are in that pic) get the ones in that go to the breakers nearest where they come in, in that case the rcd is left, the downstairs ring is first, so the ring cabls go in first
helps with numbering aswell
ie, breaker 1
neuteals 1
earths 1

then next breaker and so on, this way you get the bunch effect and you get the best finish that way, all following the same route and dropping off into their breakers as and when.
i would have prefered to have come along the top with the earths (behind the phase and neutral cables) and up to the block and down so it was neater...
but at the end of the day its what your used to, the more you do of one make the better you know how you make it look good for that next time

i always loop down and then up and into the 'run' but thats habbit rather than anything else

cheers for the compliment

 

[fubar]

earths 1

ISTR it is good practice to put the two ends of each ring final cpc in different holes on the terminal block. Perhaps this is why on some boards the earth terminals aren't numbered?

--
Michael

 

[supersparks]

i thaught it was what you were supposed to do actuly...

 

[dingbat]

No offence Dingbat, but how can you question SS,, after all you clearly don't know what your talking about

You Don't use a loop tester to verify earthing connections, this is dangerous and could cause harm to someone, and you would have a Installation Certificate, and NOT a PIR for a CU change, surely you know this !

No offence taken LS, but you should read my post a little more carefully. Firstly, I wasn't questioning anything SS said, I just pointed out that the spark wasn't also supplying the CU he was fitting.

I wasn't loop testing to verify earth connections, I was doing it to measure the Zs, which turned out to be way too high. And it was not dangerous as nobody else was in the building. Of course, I'm sure that every time you change a light fitting you remove all lamps, close all switches, disconnect the circuit and measure (R1 + R2), then do an insulation resistance test, connect up and only then check loop impedance, because those old Wylex 6-way fuseboards are so roomy and easy to work with. What I did was safe and revealed a problem, which then prompted further investigation, which revealed the other earthing problems.

My comment about a PIR was in response to shedsssss mentioning of a visual inspection for a minor works cert. If you'd read to the end of that paragraph you would have seen this: "Certainly nothing less than a full Electrical Installation Certificate is valid for a job like this." In order to issue an electrical installation certificate you do, effectively, carry out a periodic inspection before testing. (Or do you leave all the appliances plugged in when you do it?)

So, no I'm not offended, but I do know what I'm talking about.

 

[the trician]

£42 smackeroons+£50-odd for you CU is an absolute bargain mate - I charge £280 minimum.
Can't believe the guy was NIC though - they usually rob you.

As far as meter seals are concerned - GET EM CUT. It matters not one jot to the RECs in todays world. So long as you aren't pinching leckky they don't give a fonkeys muck.
Chop those seals and get that CU fitted!
If anyone DOES go for a CU change and gets someone in to do it, make sure they test EVERYTHING before leaving your premisies.

TT

 

[L.Spark]

lol dingbat, I read only from what you wrote, and you decribed how you found the missed earth connection with a loop tester, when you would find this through continuity.

no you wouldnt take everything apart, but AFAIC all old wylex boards should be replaced with a more modern board which offers better protection.

 

[dingbat]

lol dingbat, I read only from what you wrote, and you decribed how you found the missed earth connection with a loop tester, when you would find this through continuity.

Quite correct, you should. But in this case the only thing I was supposed to be doing on the lighting circuit was replacing a luminaire. (Most domestic sparks wouldn't even bother to test... even if they had the kit.)

no you wouldnt take everything apart, but AFAIC all old wylex boards should be replaced with a more modern board which offers better protection.

Again, I'd agree with you, but you know how hard it is to get your average householder to part with cash... and it's not uncommon to come across Wylex fuseboards installed less than twenty years ago by recs and local authorities - suggest a new board and they immediately think you're trying to con them into having unnecessary work done. A couple of months ago encountered a "full rewire" on a recently-ex-council house that was carried out only ten years ago and consisted of a single 30A socket ring, a 30A cooker circuit and a single 5A lighting circuit, all on a Wylex 3036 four-way. The fact that they had a fuseway left meant (in the owner's opinion) that there was ample room for expansion.

 

[Lectrician]

good god