To move, or not to move (the service head) ?

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At church we've been advised to have "the electrics" moved as they're almost over a wooden staircase and hence a fire hazard. That's according to a third hand report of what the meter fitter told someone when the meter was changed a little while ago.
Certainly moving the distribution boards (and replacing with something a bit less ancient :eek:) would be useful in it's own right, but while we're getting quotes for the costs involved, what do others think ?
Not too easy to see from the attached photo, doing almost anything electrical means leaning over the rail or using ladders which in itself isn't ideal. It's something like 10foot from the landing floor down to ground level where the floor is stone slabs. The stairs only lead to the tower, no-one works there and the single room is only used for storage. I'm thinking that it might be worth just leaving the meter and service head where they are, and by the time the old fuseboards have been removed, there won't be anything really close to the stairs.
20181120_080617.jpg

PS - we're in the process of getting all the "stuff" moved from down below :whistle:
 
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It's certainly old, untidy and inconvenient, and I don't like to see those cloths draped close to the old wiring.

It looks like a single-phase installation, so I presume not much electrical heating. Lighting loads are getting very small with modern lamps.

A modern steel distribution board (nominally 12 ways, but in single-phase actually gives you 36), at a convenient height, would be a good start, is durable, and very roomy to work inside

The enclosure gives limited protection in the event of fire, but cases have been known where flame eventually rises out of the top, and molten plastic drips out of the bottom, which is inconvenient if it is placed against a ceiling so fire gets into the void, or if the floor is wooden. Keeping stored materials or rubbish away can sometimes be accomplished with a non-flammable cupboard deliberately designed to have no space to add junk. Add a fire detector inside the cabinet.

I am an RCBO enthusiast so would go straight to that if you're modernising. Likely some of the old circuits will be found to be in poor condition and need replacing.

The meter and cut out are also very inconveniently positioned. You can get a quote to move them.
 
P.s.

A trick used in the telecoms trade is to use steel enclosures with a pitched top, like a roof. People think it's to shed rain, but really it's to stop you sitting on it, or putting stuff on top.


Here's a comparable job. Very neat.

View media item 1574
 
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P.p.s.

Voluntary organisations such as churches often have helpers who are not too quick on stairs, so being readily accessible from ground level is a plus point. Add emergency lighting to illuminate the board and access route when you lose power.
 
It looks like a single-phase installation, so I presume not much electrical heating.
Correct, heating is by oil (no mains gas). Though there is one member of the PCC who likes air source heat pumps - if that happened then there would be a considerably higher electrical load, but it's not on the cards in the foreseeable future.
I am an RCBO enthusiast so would go straight to that if you're modernising.
Ditto, that's what I'll be recommending
Likely some of the old circuits will be found to be in poor condition and need replacing.
Actually while I know little of the history of the wiring, it does look like "relatively" modern T&E. No sign of any old rubber cable, and no accessories older than the age of the fuseboards you can see. I do know that some of the wiring is fairly recent (as in last decade or two).
The meter and cut out are also very inconveniently positioned. You can get a quote to move them.
We've had a quote now from the DNO. But because there's a (so called) "smart" meter, they won't move that - we have to get our lecky supplier to do it. Apparently this policy is because they've moved them in the past and the connectivity has been lost (turning them into a dumb meter, but without the easy to real dials :whistle:), so they no longer take the risk.
A trick used in the telecoms trade is to use steel enclosures with a pitched top, like a roof. People think it's to shed rain, but really it's to stop you sitting on it, or putting stuff on top.
:mrgreen:
Reminds me of a conversation with a salesman from DEC many years ago - yes when it was still DEC (Digital Equipment Corp.) He said that one of the design standards for their kit was that it has to have no reliance on ventilation through the top (as they are routinely covered in piles of paper etc; and that it should support being sat on (as some of the units were a convenient height for that).
Here's a comparable job. Very neat.

View media item 1574
It's not showing up for me, though I can see a gallery reference in the text :?: Could it be a permissions problem ?
Voluntary organisations such as churches often have helpers who are not too quick on stairs, so being readily accessible from ground level is a plus point. Add emergency lighting to illuminate the board and access route when you lose power.
Not had too much discussion on where to put stuff yet - in part because of waiting to see what the DNO said about moving the head. But I'd be looking to put the board where it's easier to get to, without having to go upstairs.
Some Emerg Lighting is also likely to be on the agenda (I'd be raising it regardless), but priorities for limited budgets would be to sort out the current mess and then move onto "new" things.

There is some good news though. While we don't have the fancy open timberwork visible in most church roofs - it means we have an attic in which to run cabling for overhead stuff like lights. Access is "not easy", but it's there.
Also means there's somewhere to (relatively) easily add insulation to make the place less cold.
 
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It's not showing up for me, though I can see a gallery reference in the text :?: Could it be a permissions problem ?

many of my pics are now private, due to a stalker.

I'll see if I can open that one.

full
 
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Saying it should be moved because it's close to some stairs seems a bit bizarre. What about timber framed houses? What about the cables in timber ceiling and roof structures?

Mounting the fusebox on a sheet of ply is still pretty much standard practice.
 
many of my pics are now private, due to a stalker.
I'll see if I can open that one.
It's showing now, nice and tidy :cool:
Saying it should be moved because it's close to some stairs seems a bit bizarre. What about timber framed houses? What about the cables in timber ceiling and roof structures?
Mounting the fusebox on a sheet of ply is still pretty much standard practice.
Indeed. The problem is that the message I've had is something like third hand, having come through non-technical people. In part that's why I'm here seeing what others' opinions are.
There's agreement that the distribution needs sorting, but I'm not so sure about the meter and head which will be another set of hassle to move - not least, drilling a 2" hole through 3 feet of masonry for a new entry duct :eek:
 

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