Unusual looped supply approach or something else?

[trevw]

Hi, I've looked at a lot of the threads on this and images/diagrams and they all show looped supplies being to do with the feed in before the cut out fuse..

I'm in a 50s semi and have a single feed into the house, but from what I can tell next door is fed partially from the top of our main fuse..

There are two grey cables going to my meter from the fuse and then a single one also from the top going through to next door to feed their property.. and another coming out of the bottom of the adjoining black box to the left - I assume completing their supply.. we have the DNO providing a quote to split things up and I told them it was looped - but was having doubts as this doesn't match anything I can find online (the label for the fuse is 60 amp). Just want to check it's not a 3 phase being split or anything weird..

any thoughts?

 

[Murdochcat]

Need a better photo , taken perpendicular to the service head

 

[trevw]

Thanks, hopefully this completes the picture - is a bit cramped in there due to a water softener, shoved it to one side so I could take this, but can't get the phone far enough away to get the full setup showing.. the cables heading off to the left are going through the party wall into the neighbours understairs cupboard/meter

 

[Murdochcat]

Another one please …. Showing more of the head and all the cables?

 

[trevw]

Is the service head the cable as it goes in to the fuse? Have taken a pic from the side of that and one showing the cables into the metrer/cu.. if that doesn't work as it's quite fragmented I'll try and stitch together a set of photos tomorrow to give a better view or take out the softener so I can take one pic of it all... thanks for looking at it!

 

[trevw]

Could it be a 'split phase'? And if so would that mean we don't need the 'unlooping' for an EV charger?

 

[plugwash]

Highly speculative answer.

It looks to me like the manufacturer has taken a design for a single-phase cutout and modified it to add a second fuse. I don't think it's a split phase or three-phase cutout because the "spreader box" part of the cutout is too narrow.

The fact the cable exits from the bottome suggests the second fuse is bypassed. Presumably your neighbour has their own cutout in their property.

So I think what you have is indeed a "looped supply" where an unfused feed is looped from your cutout to your neighbour. It's just that the loop is wired with tails rather than cable.

 

[trevw]

Thanks! Much appreciated - makes sense on the fuse bypass - I'll see if I can get next door to see if they have their own cut off fuse..

 

[Guitarguy]

Pretty standard 50’s setup this, originally would of been VIR tails going through conduit to next door, there is a separate 60a fuse on your cutout which is busbarred to the live side to feed the looped supply.
These are a problem if that fuse blows and no one is in to get access to change it!

 

[trevw]

Thanks! that might be another useful reason to persuade the neighbour to agree to the unlooping work..

 

[securespark]

Reminds me of the estate in Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester where I was doing a board change.

In those days, I was authorised by Norweb to pull main fuses, swap the board and tails and replace the fuse, leaving a cert behind for Norweb. They would then call in the next day or two and reseal.

I turned off the old board and pulled the main fuse. Took the fuse out, put it in my pocket and replaced the fuse holder.

Cracking on with the job, there was a knock at the door.

It was a Norweb bloke. "Is your power off?"
"Yeah, I'm doing a board change...."

Turned out that when I pulled that fuse, the houses down the road on that side went off too.

Instead of looping the supplies on the supply side of the intake, the Manchester Electricity Company (or whoever it was back in the day) had done it on the other side. At every house.

Apparently, this was the first estate in Manchester that was actually built with electricity installed at the same time.

I still wonder if ENWL ever sorted that mess out!