House fuse blown

[bullethead123]

Hi All,
Last Friday evening both the main incoming (60A HRC) and 32A electric hob fuses blew due to a faulty hob. I contacted the power cut number given on the bill and was told that, as it's a flat, I'd have to contact the managing agent.
They weren't available over the weekend so I broke the seal on the fuse and replaced it myself (after replacing the hob).
I phoned the managing agents and they said it was nothing to do with them.
Who should I call (if anyone) to re-seal the fuse?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hello, Mr Incredibly-apt-userid.

Call no-one and hope that by the time it's discovered your culpability will have been forgotten.

 

[bullethead123]

.......So who should I call?

 

[SgtTrojan]

 

[ricicle]

Was it actually the DNO's fuse that blew or one in a switch-fuse for the flat sub-main ?

 

[bullethead123]

Hi ricicle, It was a fuse located in a cupboard just outside the flat, immediately before the meter. Surley the board's responsibility?

 

[Chri5]

Phone up your energy supplier and ask them for the network provider that covers your address.

It's a bit odd, but if you imagine power suppliers to be the same as train operators, who use the rail track railway to run the trains on.

So you have a energy supplier that uses a network operators cable to provide service. Hence when the service goes, it the network people you need not the energy supplier !

Clear as mud

 

[londonboy]

Hi ricicle, It was a fuse located in a cupboard just outside the flat, immediately before the meter. Surley the board's responsibility?

Probably is the boards property, so you broke the law by touching it and could have electrocuted yourself in the process

 

[DominicJ]

Where did you even get the fuse from?
I'm pretty sure they're different than the the ones you can get from B&Q?

I'm with B-A-S for once, thank god your not dead and hope no one finds out

 

[bullethead123]

Just phoned Npower's general enquiries line (thanks for the tip chri5). They tell me it's their responsibility and that, as it's a block of flats, I should have phoned the general enquiries line rather than the powercut line (National Grid are responsible for supply into the block, and the individual electricity suppliers are responsible for each flat).
However, I wouldn't have been able to get any response because they close at 8pm!
They also tell me that I need the work - I guess the replacement of the fuse- to be checked by a qualified person and a certificate of completion faxed to them before they can send someone to seal the fuse.

Can anyone give me an indication as to the likely cost of this?

 

[bernardgreen]

What sort of fault was it on the hob that took out the 32Amp breaker AND the main incomer fuse ?

From what I recall the normal incoming fuse is fairly slow blow. Much slower than a 32Amp breaker's reaction time so the 32Amp breaker should have protected the 60Amp fuse.

 

[SgtTrojan]

I smell something dodgy Mr.Holmes

 

[mfarrow]

Sounds plausible to me - slow breaker, tired fuse, close substation (or even within the block) could lead to both going at once.

You shouldn't be able to pull the fuse without breaking seals though, unless you've pulled the one on the consumers side, in which case the DNO/supplier won't be interested.

The railways is clear cut - Companies A-Y runs trains on Company Z's tracks. Now the power industry, hmmm... I won't even pretend to know how things work there.

 

[aptsys]

What sort of fault was it on the hob that took out the 32Amp breaker AND the main incomer fuse ?

From what I recall the normal incoming fuse is fairly slow blow. Much slower than a 32Amp breaker's reaction time so the 32Amp breaker should have protected the 60Amp fuse.

I've seen the main fuse blow before a 32A type B MCB with a short on a ring final before. I guess if the fuses are quite old or have been stressed in the past, the curves are no longer valid.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

The railways is clear cut - Companies A-Y runs trains on Company Z's tracks.

And hasn't that been a resounding success.

Even toy companies know that when you buy a train set you get track and rolling stock in the same box.