Service fuse-link balls up.

[Click-Sure]

Oh dear, whilst investigating a problem with an eco-7 fed immersion heater, a spark on the same site as me put a link between phase and neutral to prove continuity, and found it.

Subsequently forgot to remove the link and replaced the service fuse link.

The dead-short destroyed the red cartridge (fused in another cabinet) and the service cutout enclosure.

I measured the L-N PFC at 1.6 kA, so i'm surprised he can still see/live.

Looks like the contractor will be getting a nice fine from central networks for his efforts.

 

[mattylad]

No photo's ?

 

[Steve]

What a berk.

 

[Click-Sure]

I'll get a few on monday before the DNO rock up to change the service head.

Upon further investigation, it turns out that there is no service fuse in the cabinet below, the wire just passes straight through, into the cutout which had 2 red SOLID LINKS in it, meaning thhat the installation's meter tails were protected by the fuse at the substation, which could be a fair few hundred amps, and probably wouldn't blow for ages, if ever!

There is plenty more really shoddy DNO work in the rest of the building, which I'll try to get a couple of snaps of.

 

[Roo]

We were warned about the red fuse holders containig a solid link a while ago.

AFAIK they are meant to be used in a cutout that feeds a cutout, with the fuse being in the last cutout next to the meter.

 

[securespark]

I saw this solid link set-upin a low-rise block of flats near me. Every flat had a solid link in their cut-out. The main fuses turned out to be accessible in a DNO distribution cabinet in the main hallway, where the main feed to the building comes in.

 

[Roo]

yeah thinking about it I've seen an older setup like that not far from where you took the SF6 photo on the sub.

Looks like it can be either way then aslong as it's fused.

 

[Click-Sure]

The mess this made out of one of the spades on the red link says to me there was no fuse down the line.

Roo: This was on the last cutout before the meter, I can't see another cutout before that.

Back-Fusing, blimey, my job would be a lot easier if I could get away with that

 

[Lectrician]

In communal setups it is quite common to have a central 'ryefield' board with 100amp henley fuses within feeding runs to service heads. The service heads then have solid links installed rather than an additional fuse.

I have some photos somehwere....

 

[Lectrician]

Ryfield board with grouped metering. Temporary install before construction of meter room.

Usually, these ryfield boards have a run of PVC trunk above with the meters sat on that. A second run of PVC trunk above with the switch fuses on.

These ryefield boards are also used to supply concentric or split concentric runs to service heads.

Untitled

• Lectrician
• 16 Aug 2008
• 1

 

[RF Lighting]

 

[plugwash]

In communal setups it is quite common to have a central 'ryefield' board with 100amp henley fuses within feeding runs to service heads. The service heads then have solid links installed rather than an additional fuse.

It seems to me that the very existance of solid links to fit in standard service cutouts is asking for trouble. It shouldn't be that easy to change something from being fused to being not fused.

 

[Spark123]

I don't see a problem with them tbh, they are only for use by suitably qualified and trained persons.
We use them in various applications, i.e. for the carriage in some isolators where the fuses are remote and in neutral links.

 

[ColJack]

any closeup of the switches in your picture RF?

or can you tell me what the thing on the left of the isolator is.. some sort of anti tamper or just a fancy blank?

 

[Roo]

Fuse?