Extending the cable that goes into the consumer unit

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I need to extend the big black cable that goes into the consumer unit so I can move it higher up the wall. I need to extend it by about 1 metre. The cable is rubber coated and contains 4 big wires, yellow, red, black and blue I think. Is this quite a simple job for a professional electrician or not? Ta.
 
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we havent really got enough info there to go on mate.

what big black cable are you talking about?

first impressions are get an electrician!
 
I'll definitely be getting an electrician to do the work but in the meantime I need to know if it's feasible so that I can put up a partition wall!

The cable I'm talking about is the big lead that goes into the consumer unit/fuse box on the wall. The ring main, light circuits, etc etc come out of the CU at the top and this is the only lead that goes into it. It's about an inch thick and is made of rubber. It is what connects my CU to the mains I believe. As you can tell though, I'm no expert!
 
This sounds like an industrial job (3-phase supply) so an industrial electrician will be able to do it. Certainly not a DIY job. I was wondering for a moment if a TPN breaker would help, but it'll be much better for the person seeing the job to decide.
 
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Can you take a photo of it?

Is it the cable going into a box like this?

TPcutout.jpg


(Yours may be black, rather than the grey one pictured)
 
RF Lighting said:
Can you take a photo of it?

Is it the cable going into a box like this?

TPcutout.jpg


(Yours may be black, rather than the grey one pictured)

That's the sort of thing. Mine is a bit thicker than that one I think and it definitely has 4 wires inside the black outer sheath; red, blue, yellow and black. It's basically the supply cable that connects my CU to the meter, which is in a cupboard downstairs in the hallway (the property, if it helps, is a top (second) floor flat in a victorian conversion).

I'll take a pic tomorrow, I'm not on site at the mo.
 
Is it a conversion of a Victorian house, or of a Victorian factory?
 
Not if he doesn't want the meter moved, just the CU, and therefore cabling on his side of the meter..
 
It's a 3 storey victorian house that has been converted into 6 flats. The 6 meters are in a cupboard in the communal hallway and each flat has its own consumer unit, fed from the meters by this black inch-thick supply cable. My previous flat had the same thing so I don't think they're that uncommon. I need to e3xtend my supply cable by a metre or so so I can move the fuse box to a different wall.
 
:idea: Aha !

I have a feeling that not all four of those coloured cables go to your flat!

Maybe each flat has about two colours going to it, tapped off the big cable in some way.

Do you see any joints or junctions between the big cable and your CU?

Is there by any chance a switch-per-flat in the cupboard or elsewhere?
 
All 4 wires deffo go into my consumer unit and no-one elses. I've already had the CU off the wall (I did turn off the power, heheh) and moved it so I know that for sure.
 
Why have you got a 3-phase supply to your flat? Have you got a home smelting furnace, like me? Or are the four cores combined into two pairs? Where did you turn off the power?

What is the size and shape of your Consumer Unit or Distribution Board?

Is it metal, painted grey, or is it a pale plastic? OOI, what brand is it? I'd love to see a picture.
 
Me too, two.

Above the arithmetic mean but in line with the modal.
 

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