Meltdown fusebox

[uoc]

Hi
Has anyone come across black melted plastic running down from a fuse box. The fuse box is a AE1 Series 3-100. The house was built in 1940. It has been rewired and a new consumer unit fitted recently. The photo shows the meltdown.

Meltdown

• uoc
• 24 Jun 2008
• 1

Black plastic has oozed out of fuse box and run down the mains cable onto the floor.

The fusebox and electric meter is in an understairs cupboard and doesn't get used much and noticed it when the meter was read last.

Can anyone advise how this has happened and what I should do about it, if anything?



Regards Chris Russell

 

[Spark123]

That is your service head, it belongs to your distribution network operator. If you contact your network operator or who you pay the bill to and tell them you have a black tar dripping from their service head they should send someone around.

 

[regsmyth]

OMG!!!

Looking closely you can see distortion on the cover between the blue and green dot, which I assume is heat damage.

Not to mention of course the huge amount of black stuff!

Should you be worried? I should say so!!

This isn't your fusebox, this is the elec boards property, and I think only they can fix it.

Great photo!

 

[uoc]

Hi Reg Smyth,
Thank you so much for your prompt and helpful replies.

What do you think caused this as we only run the usual domestic appliances?

If it is the electricity board's property and its old then would I be expected to pay for the repair do you think?

Regards Chris

 

[uoc]

Hi Spark123,
Thank you for your speedy reply. I will get onto them about this. In the meantime should I be cautious about how many appliances I have on at anyone time?

Regards Chris


"That is your service head, it belongs to your distribution network operator. If you contact your network operator or who you pay the bill to and tell them you have a black tar dripping from their service head they should send someone around."

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Looking closely you can see distortion on the cover between the blue and green dot, which I assume is heat damage.

I can't see that, but....

uoc - did you have a new CU because of a new load, e.g. a shower? If nothing has changed then the overheating can't be due to overloading. If there is heat damage where regsmyth says then I wonder if the electrician had the tails out, and didn't tighten the neutral properly when he put them back.

Also one of those earth cable connections (the one with the coil in) looks dodgy.

 

[securespark]

Isn't the area Reg is talking about a moulding in the case, not distortion?

 

[GaryMo]

Isn't the area Reg is talking about a moulding in the case, not distortion?

Yes, there's another equal one between red and yellow phases.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It looks like Bakelite anyway - that doesn't melt.

 

[333rocky333]

The right one does look to me as if it is sort of melted , may be the light reflecting though

 

[uoc]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I'm pleased to say that the problem has now been resolved.

I called my supply company, as you advised, who sent round an engineer within the hour! He said it was the service head (not fusebox) and that the seal which was old had deteriorated and caused it to leak black bitumen which they used in the old days to fill the box to prevent tampering.

Its not dangerous and they will be replacing it with a new one when they are less busy.

Phew. Thats a relief. And thanks again for all your advice.

Chris Russell

 

[regsmyth]

... black bitumen which they used in the old days to fill the box to prevent tampering.

Thanks for letting us know, interesting idea. Guess it would be a bit of a deterrant.

Can't help looking at that photo though, and thinking there's something odd about that "distorted"bit.
I would just feel it every now and then to see if it's getting warm, like when the shower or cooker is on.
Sorry if earlier comments caused alarm!

 

[RF Lighting]

How about this one:

Cutout:

A switchfuse below the cutout:

The tails out the bottom of the switchfuse:

That had been a bit warm. The DNO had even tried to seal the cutout with potting compound.

 

[mdbalson]

The tails out the bottom of the switchfuse:

I hope that those cut off tails were not still live

 

[RF Lighting]

Nah. That pic was taken just after the old installation had been disconnected from that lot, and connected to a nice new 300A TP CT supply. (And tails etc upgraded)