What was the smallest size tails that were made in the 80’s
I have some which I think are 10mm or smaller. Could that be right?
I have some which I think are 10mm or smaller. Could that be right?
Tail size 1980s
- Thread starter AndyPRK
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6mm² too.
Main fuses in the 80s and earlier were much smaller than today's 80 or 100A ones.
I often came across 30, 40 and 60A fuses.
A good example might be a Wylex 104 fed with 6mm² tails, itself ffeeding a 30A shower circuit wired in 4mm² T&E.
Main fuses in the 80s and earlier were much smaller than today's 80 or 100A ones.
I often came across 30, 40 and 60A fuses.
A good example might be a Wylex 104 fed with 6mm² tails, itself ffeeding a 30A shower circuit wired in 4mm² T&E.
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I haven't seen 1 milli 6181Y being used in new lighting circuits since around the introduction of BS7671.
But in the 80s, (and earlier) it was everywhere. And 6241Y was too.
Lighting in houses was often wired two plate like you would with conduit. Except there was no conduit.
But in the 80s, (and earlier) it was everywhere. And 6241Y was too.
Lighting in houses was often wired two plate like you would with conduit. Except there was no conduit.
Yeah it’s a good point about light circuits.
And has pretty much always been the case.
I has some 2.5 and 4mm² in this house when we moved in back in 1994
you could often (and still can) get caught out with down for on and up for off, more so if there is a mixture of up/down orientations!
Yep, at one time Wylex boxes were being sold with wooden frame backs as down for on and with plastic backs, initially down on but changed to up on. Buying multiples from a wholesaler at the same time was a real lottery.
Yes I remember a bloke taking one back to the wholesaler as he had attempted to "correct it" by opening up the mainswitch but not able to "fix it" or put it back together once he had opened it up. (Wylex).
Oh Dear - LOL - I do remember changed to Red Rockers on mainswitches fo a while and was told it was to help signify the "new way of doing".
Mind you I also remember a gifted DIY Regular customer at a wholesalers complaing that cable colours were "wrong" too - mind you when we changed to the "new colours" years before "It was only for flexes and not for mains wiring and never would be!" LOL.
I always had a hank of green sleeving for T & E cpc too.
Oh Dear - LOL - I do remember changed to Red Rockers on mainswitches fo a while and was told it was to help signify the "new way of doing".
Mind you I also remember a gifted DIY Regular customer at a wholesalers complaing that cable colours were "wrong" too - mind you when we changed to the "new colours" years before "It was only for flexes and not for mains wiring and never would be!" LOL.
I always had a hank of green sleeving for T & E cpc too.
6mm or imperial equivalent tails from the henley block to a 30a switchfuse was quite common,
I think even smaller stuff was used for links to control economy 7 contacters and meter switching links
I think even smaller stuff was used for links to control economy 7 contacters and meter switching links
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Henley Blocks or tail blocks were uncommon, multiple tails to switchfuses were twisted together and all connected into the meter.
Anyone remember the "Wylex Extenso" Consumer Unit being a new idea?
Anyone remember the "Wylex Extenso" Consumer Unit being a new idea?
Well yes, I originally saw them connected directly to some form of isolation and later to a VOELCB, rather than extensions of a fuse box
In fact I'll go further and say the early domestic fuseboxes were commonly wooden with a row of 4 or 6 ceramic fusewire style holders connected to a 30, 60A DP CI switched fuse etc and my earliest experiences of what I know as the Extensio with a wooden frame rear became the replacement for those non switched fuseboxes. I even fitted a couple from the isolation point to add additional circuits alongside existing fuseboxes.
EDIT: A google had to be done, for the benefit of others, TaDa:
EDIT2: Here's one I prepared earlier, including the development from the ceramic fusebox:
The wooden frame is the same as the original ceramic wireable fuses, there was a wooden hinged lid on it. The individual parts were available to convert the wooden enclosure to this form and I think the bakelite cover was a later addition to the range. Both forms would have typically been fed with a 2 pole cast iron fused switch of this style
and later with this style
with typically 30-60A fusewire.
When we changed the...
In fact I'll go further and say the early domestic fuseboxes were commonly wooden with a row of 4 or 6 ceramic fusewire style holders connected to a 30, 60A DP CI switched fuse etc and my earliest experiences of what I know as the Extensio with a wooden frame rear became the replacement for those non switched fuseboxes. I even fitted a couple from the isolation point to add additional circuits alongside existing fuseboxes.
EDIT: A google had to be done, for the benefit of others, TaDa:
EDIT2: Here's one I prepared earlier, including the development from the ceramic fusebox:
Indeed and the origin of the format, I haven't seen one for a long time now.
The wooden frame is the same as the original ceramic wireable fuses, there was a wooden hinged lid on it. The individual parts were available to convert the wooden enclosure to this form and I think the bakelite cover was a later addition to the range. Both forms would have typically been fed with a 2 pole cast iron fused switch of this style
and later with this style
When we changed the...
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Hi yes - I was thinking in the other sense of "Extenso" that an outgoing way was provided on the cu to feed tails to another CU too (I might be wrong though) and the had a mainswitch to switch the extenso consumer unit fuseholders and the outgoing way as well.
Once you get over 70 memory becomes less accurate though!
Once you get over 70 memory becomes less accurate though!
Ceramic fuses - wow yes I remember those, often for lighting as a group of say 2 or 4 lighting circuits just above the switchfuse feeding it, screwcovers with a few bleed holes in them to allow the fusewire to burn, often both the L and the N were fused thus.
And if they ran out of fusewire a temporary replacement with any old wire or paperclip that often stayed in place for 10 years or more.
Those were the days.
Children were told "do not touch" and if they killed themselves it was "Their own daft fault!"
And if they ran out of fusewire a temporary replacement with any old wire or paperclip that often stayed in place for 10 years or more.
Those were the days.
Children were told "do not touch" and if they killed themselves it was "Their own daft fault!"
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