Photo of the moment!

[ban-all-sheds]

pulled out loads when I was an apprentice (apart from the vertical drops that were handy to draw new T&E down )

They weren't in a house I moved into, where as far as I could see they'd pulled the VIR through and then hammered dents and kinks into it before rendering over....

 

[skenk]

Did the present occupant do that?

No it is currently unoccupied, the new owner is getting work done before moving in. Looked like the previous occupant (RIP) had been there since the 60's at least.

MICC / MIMS is the supply cable

What's the difference?

Its in a flat??

Yes, top floor of 3-storey victorian tenement

The wooden fusebox is in remarkably good condition for the age, will get more photos if i'm back there

 

[RF Lighting]

MICC / MIMS is the supply cable

What's the difference?

If you mean the difference between MICC and MIMS, one is Mineral Insulated Copper Clad (cable), the other is Mineral Insulated Metal Sheathed (cable)

MICC always has a copper sheath, but MIMS could be any metal. The only other metal is usually used is aluminuim, but it is rarely used due to it's reduced fire resistance.

OOI, where is the cutout for this flat?

 

[skenk]

Free electricity??! + VIR...

It is the "cable" leaving from the from top of the switched fuse at the left of the picture that worries me. Looks like bell wire or a single live ( it is red )

It appears to be a single live, I haven't poked around much, it's all getting taken out..

 

[ban-all-sheds]

MIMS could be any metal. The only other metal is usually used is aluminuim, but it is rarely used due to it's reduced fire resistance.

You can get it in stainless steel & various high performance alloys for trace heating - don't know if you can get power cables like that though. Shame - they'd look really cool.

 

[skenk]

where is the cutout for this flat?

Outside on the landing, just a floating fuseholder (60A) in a metal box (at about 2.2m height) which also contains another fuseholder for the other flat on that floor and the neutral service block. Standard supply for this type of building. SP Energy Networks don't have a problem with it and tell you to use the MICC sheath for the earth as long as it provides a good path to earth at the 3-phase incomer by the front door. They will not upgrade a single supply, only whole tenements (lots of zeros). If their steel conduit between incomer and cutout boxes is REALLY rotten then there is a case to be made for them to re-wire FOC.

Will get pics if i remember, there are many thousands with the same setup round here (not my flat though. . . )

 

[skenk]

Untitled

• skenk
• 27 May 2011
• 1

Untitled

• skenk
• 27 May 2011
• 1

This is the cutout for the flat, a bit different to normal, usually the fueseholders are floating and the earth is from the conduit/trunking only (I know...) Seeing as they have provided a proper earth in the box I will run a new cable from here to the CU.

Note the (failed) attempt to fill the knockout on the left with filler! and the (usual) poor standard of the door entry conduit install.

 

[aptsys]

Seeing as they have provided a proper earth in the box I will run a new cable from here to the CU.

Why not just use the sheath?

 

[skenk]

Surely running a new cable is preferable to putting a BS951 clamp onto MICC!?

 

[17thman]

hardly any domestic installs between 1939 and 1945

 

[aptsys]

Surely running a new cable is preferable to putting a BS951 clamp onto MICC!?

Is it not possible to gland the MICC in a metal enclosure and take it from there?

 

[xr4x4]

Where does the green wire in the metal box go?

As surely this is a earth, and where does the two black wires in the earth block go?

 

[RF Lighting]

The green wire is the suppliers TN-S earth.

Each black wire goes to one of the pyros. They go to a toothed washer and smooth washer contraption that you put the wire into and kind of crimp shut.

It then gets clamped between the enclosure and the locknut. It was like a forerunner to the SWA monacle.

 

[kai]

In one newly built twenty-teens apartment block, there is a big three phase fused incomer in the ground floor meter room, feeding a ryefield box alongside, complete with a 100amp fuse for each flat.
From that, each flat's meter is fed through steel trunking, and for good measure, a Wylex Switchfuse unit sits between each meter, and the flat being supplied. The consumer unit in the flat is a modern Wylex 17th edition board. The earthing is PME/TNCS, taken from a thick metal bar sticking out of the right hand side of the main fused incomer unit.

Intake of modern block of flats

• kai
• 27 May 2011
• 1

 

[aptsys]

Are they 300A per phase? Supply cable looks fairly thin, but there's not a lot to base the scale on.