Pulling Main Supply Fuse.

[kai]

I have seen a lot of comments about pulling the main supply fuse, i.e. the one with 100amps printed on it, in the big black box that comes at the end of the incoming service cable, in order to replace the old fusebox etc.

What is the current position, as I always though it was ILLEGAL to tamper with the Boards Seals and Equipment?

I would call the Board in to test and connect my new Consumer Unit to the mains, and disconnect the old fusebox at the same time.

 

[plugwash]

technically it is but in reality the recs don't care anything like as much as they used to and i've never heared of anyone getting prosecuted for it

one big problem is there is often simply not space to fit the new CU alongside the old one

even if they do complain they have no real proof of who did it

 

[dingbat]

What is the current position, as I always though it was ILLEGAL to tamper with the Boards Seals and Equipment?

It is. And nobody should be encouraging DIY-ers to do it. But in these days of privatised, downsized, decentralised organisations it can sometimes be almost impossible to get somebody out to do it and certainly not exactly when you want it done. And here's the thing; if you do call in the Regional Electricity Company (REC), not only will they charge you for it, but they won't even send in a qualified electrician - just a bloke with a pair of sidecutters and a sealing press. So, as has been mentioned here several times, most electricians just pull it and get on with it.

 

[securespark]

Dingbat - I have done 100's of CU's and never once been charged for it. What's more in Bristol, they sent a qualified cable bashing geezer to reseal for me. AND he meggered the tails to check they were OK.

 

[dingbat]

Blimey! EME charge about £22 for a visit, or £30 if they get to cut and re-seal in one visit. When I had my own fuse and tails upgraded the lads - cable jointers - and I had a chat. They had no test equipment with them and no interest whatsoever in what happened after their isolator.

 

[securespark]

Yes, I agree, most don't seem concerned about what you're connecting to the supply.

In 1986, my Mum had a bathroom refit and I fitted a Triton T100E then the biggest shower available (I think) at 8.5kW.

I put in a 45A MCB, 10mm2 T & E (which then cost several limbs!), a seperate rccb unit & enclosure an MK two gang 45A switch (on a surface box, as the wall was too thin to sink it!).

I called Norweb out, and the engineer refused to connect it until the main earth bonding had been upgraded to 6mm2, and I had changed the MCB to a BS88. Don't know why, but he was not happy with an mcb.....

Those WERE the days!!

 

[plugwash]

iirc some of the earlier mcbs in larger ratings had discrimination problems with fuses as they only cut at the zero volt crossing (modern mcbs have the opposite descrimination problem......)

he may have been worried that under some fault conditions the service fuse would go before the MCB

 

[kai]

I spoke to London Energy and nowadays the suppliers don't really care about what you connect to the supply, as long it doesn't cause a multiple interruption to your neighbours supply, by causing the main circuit breakers in their substation to kick out.

If it did, their compensation bill could run into many thousands, as they would have to compensate everyone in the street for loss of supply.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I spoke to London Energy and nowadays the suppliers don't really care about what you connect to the supply, as long it doesn't cause a multiple interruption to your neighbours supply, by causing the main circuit breakers in their substation to kick out.

If it did, their compensation bill could run into many thousands, as they would have to compensate everyone in the street for loss of supply.

I think if they'd designed a system with such poor discrimination that you could trip something at a substation without blowing your service fuse then any compensation should be down to them...

 

[plugwash]

with a large substation i would agree

with a 300A or so pole mount running near capacity it would be a different matter

 

[ban-all-sheds]

314-01-01

 

[securespark]

Yeah, but do the regs cover supply cabling or are there different rules?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Different, I expect.

 

[plugwash]

as of right now the IEE regs don't technically cover anything

they are the accepted standard from an industry body and are what most sparkys work to nothing more

electricity suppliers are bound by the ESQCR and the older ESR regs though which I imagine have something to say about descrimination