New meter and consumer unit - see photo

[colorado]

Scottish Power told me they had to fit a new meter as the old one was no longer suitable (the house is about 40 years old, don't know if the meter is original or not). When their engineer came he said he couldn't do it and I would have to change to a modern consumer unit first. He said the meter could only have four leads coming off it and I have six, i.e one pair to fuse box, one pair to a cooker circuit and one pair to a shower circuit, plus the suppply pair. I have put a phot in my album

1. What is the legal position. Can they force me to spend money when I haven't asked for the meter to be changed.

2. If I do have to get a consumer unit, any advice on what to ask the electrician for. Presumably MCBs and RCDs are standard these days but I'd appreciate any advice as I imagine there are various different models (and prices!).

Any advice on both points please.

Untitled

• colorado
• 14 Aug 2008
• 1

 

[rssteve]

you could fit all your cables into a henley block/ But it does look rather old and there is signs of single insulated cables so i think in your interest you should get a new CU

 

[rssteve]

what does the time clock programmer there do?

 

[Click-Sure]

And potentially seriously overloaded cables to boot, you need an opinion in the flesh from an electrician, 99% of whom will not charge for this, for a more in depth Periodic Inspection Report, they will.

 

[colorado]

what does the time clock programmer there do?

The time clock controls the central heating and hot water. Does this have much significance? If I'm getting a new CU I might as well get all these switches tidiedup and get the latest standard and best practice so that it'll be good for a good few years.

 

[TopTrumper]

why dont you just pay for a consumer unit upgrade *****************

 

[colorado]

why dont you just pay for a consumer unit upgrade *****************

What kind do you recommend?

 

[shedi123]

Get a spark to advise you and what is best suited to your installation. You can't really advise on much without seeing it.
Also, i have worked for Siemens fitting meters and in the event we came accross bunched cables in the meter like you have we simply fitted them all in a henley block and then fed that from the meter. So you don't have to have your system upgraded, although i does look like its in need of some TLC so i would go with the upgrade idea. [/quote]

 

[ericmark]

As already stated you can get connector blocks to allow what you have to work but if the system does not comply with regulations I know the suppler can refuse to connect. I am unsure if he can disconnect an existing supply but the problem as I see it is the non double insulated cables. If the whole thing is in a locked cupboard it may pass but the supplier could disconnect as being unsafe and once disconnected it will be a lot harder to re-connect.

But how is another question. All sealed and so without braking seals one could not change the consumer unit and I would have thought you would need to have an isolator and a henley block fitted by supplier before any electrician could fit the new consumer unit.

This makes me wonder if someone is tying to get extra work for themselves as once the isolator and henley block are fitted then you could continue as you are although it does look as if it needs some work.

I will watch with interest how this progresses.

Eric

 

[Roo]

I'm assuming we came to do an SMC (statutory Meter Change).
This happens around every 20years on average in my neck of the woods.

Don't know what the chap who came to see you was on about as I'd say 90% of jobs I go to have bunched tails.

In the procedures he's supposed to stick em in some henleys and renew your tails to at least double insulated 16mm(only because 25mm won't fit into some cutouts) from Cutout to meter and meter to henleys.

I would think he was either in a rush and made a bad excuse or a new fella that wasn't sure what to do and got confused(unlikely as looks straight forward to me).

You DON'T have to have your CU changed for us to change the meter.

But as the sparks are saying above it might be a good idea.

 

[Pensdown]

Don't know what the chap who came to see you was on about as I'd say 90% of jobs I go to have bunched tails.

In the procedures he's supposed to stick em in some henleys and renew your tails to.....

That's very useful to know.

 

[Roo]

Just our procedures other companys may vary

And if single insulated tails are in trunking do they really need to be double insulaed?

I also personally believe it's safer to leave a 16mm and 2.5mm or similar bunched into the meter rather than have a 2.5 mm in it's own port in a henley.

Waiting for somebody to say bunch it in the henley now

 

[Pensdown]

If the tails are totally enclosed in trunking I agree that they don't need to be DI. In fact most commercial installs with trunking over the head are wired in normal singles (waiting for a pic from RF)

As for the 2.5, with a few strands of cable and a solder pot I could turn that into a 16mm

 

[securespark]

why dont you just pay for a consumer unit upgrade *****************

TT - the most helpful fellow on the site...

 

[RF Lighting]

If the tails are totally enclosed in trunking I agree that they don't need to be DI. In fact most commercial installs with trunking over the head are wired in normal singles (waiting for a pic from RF)

Hows that?

You can just see the single insulated tails leaving this CT chamber in steel trunking.