Meter outside and route confusion

AS

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Hi
Can you help me get my head round this to decide if it is worth doing it and what exactly to ask for in my quote?

Had the man from the REC here because we have a 2 phase supply coming in loft to CU and storage heater set up in upper hall. This supply cable is bound in gaffa tape and he didn't like it. He suggested ( as we want to remove storage heaters) that they would reroute a single phase supply underground to outside wall /surface mounted box for £100.

The system would remain PME.
The meter is to be connected to an isolator switch

1.Can this be located in outside box too ?
2.Can this be a normal 100 A DP incomer switch in and insulated enclosure box or does it have to be one of those MEM 100 A isolator switches (frankenstein style from tlc £166!)


From the meter box we need to run 2 meters cable up outside wall and then 5 metres along loft space at some point it will divide at service connector box and go to 2 CUs (one on either side of 2.5ft stone wall). From reading for hours through posts I suspect that this distance will require a submain from the meter as the distance will be longer than 3 metres.

Please could you tell me what procedure I can expect here and the best layout:
1.What cable size / type / and conduit would be used to run up outside wall and along loft
2.Where is best location for isolator switch and service connector for dividing to 2 CUs.
3.Would the submain run to the service connector block and then 25mm meter tails from block to CUs.


If you could give me an idea of the procedure then I can think out different routes to try and get most economical quote.

Thanks sooooooo much
 
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diofferent electricians will as always have different ways of doing things if you are going to get a apraky to do it then let him do it they way he preffers.

the method i would suggest is

fit 100A metalclad switchfuse in meter box (check with the rec that they don't mind this first)

from there run 25mm SWA to a metal adaptable box

fit the service connector blocks inside the adaptable box (so single insulated cores will not be exposed) and then run double insulated tails from there to the CUs
 
would the metal adaptable box be located next to the 1st CU - so the 25 mm SWA would run up outside wall and along loft space to arrive at metal box with connectors near to CU location or would metal adaptable box be located near outside meter box.
 
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Had a look at switch fuses and seem to come in either TP and N or SP and N whats the difference and am I looking at around £200 for one of these?? unless i go for Wylex 100 A switch fuse at £87. By all accounts from reading posts no one likes Wylex - what makes would be recommended. Seems like making this change could be expensive if just that component comes in at £200.
 
you want SP+N. TP+N is for three phase systems

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Images/Products/size_3/WY110M.JPG looks fine to me.

the main thing that a lot of brands get stick for (even to some extent the better brands like MK) is flimsy enclosures but metalclad gear doesn't tend to suffer from that issue.

wylex consumer units are generally regarded as pretty cheap and nasty though.
 
As we are removing our storage heaters and other Cu which are wylex metal enclosures with rewirables fuses - would i be ok to get the sparky to reuse these boxes and get the MCB's that can plug into wylex metal boxes replacing the rewirables or would it be better to fit a new CU totally so can get some circuits with RCD protection. Seems that everything is made out of flimsy plastic these days and to just dispose of 2 metalclad Cu's in place of this seems so wasteful.

Having a problem finding price for 25mm SWA largest seems to be 16mm.
 
plug in MCBs are fairly expensive and you would need a RCD in a seperate enclosure

sure you could do it but it would look a mess and proballly be more expensive than just buying a new split load box

on the other hand you mention wanting to use two consumer units anyway (presumablly this has to do with that rather thick wall you mentioned ;) ) so if one of them doesn't need any rcd protected cuircuits you could reuse one of the old wylex boxes for it.
 
Och .. I think your right - trying to undo the mess of boxes and cr*p existing so if going to bother of changing it all anyway might as well get good tidy set up in place and as may put shower in the 2nd CU at some point will need more than basic protection potential.

What suggestions for CU brand then - is the MK box in screwfix decent or a cr*ppy made for screwfix version. Seems should avoid the Wylex ones at least - pity as they seem to be better size - most others are a lot larger.

Massive thanks for all your help - my hubbie thinks I'm an electrical hypochondriac!
It's pretty tricky being a female and trying to co-ordinate renovations - no offence but it's useful to get some idea what the set up should be so when having discussions with tradesmen you can get clear on what is happening.
Even going into the local elec suppliers there is about 30 min of banter before i can buy a junction box!!
 

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