Mounting board for electricity meter

[Bert Coules]

My power supply company want to update my (original sixties) meter. When I phoned them to arrange an appointment, I informed them that the mounting board is crumbling and asked if their engineer would replace it. "No," I was told, "but he will tell you if it's unsafe and if it is, he won't change the meter". So it seems that the board is my responsibility.

It occurred to me that I could have a replacement board standing by to go in when the engineer arrives and the two jobs could be done at the same time. Is there a recommended or required material that should be used?

Many thanks.

[polygonum]

I always thought the "electric boards" were severely anally retentive about the ownership and use of these meter boards. So am a little surprised that it is being thrown straight back at you. (Actually, if it saves them some dosh, I am not surprised.)

[Bert Coules]

Thanks for that. There has been some discussion here in the past (though admittedly a few years back) about this, and the consensus then was that the board belonged to the supplier. Perhaps, as you say, this has changed.

But they're the ones who want to change the meter, not me, so if the existing board is in too bad a state I guess they're going to have to replace that too. Or insist that I do, I suppose, though I can hardly do it while the old meter is still in place.

[Tim Watts]

On Thursday 07 February 2013 11:35 Bert Coules wrote in uk.d-i-y:

As modern equipment is enclosed (not open backed) ply shoul be fine - and is the most amenable to taking clips and screws.

[Bert Coules]

Great, thanks, Tim.

[Andrew Gabriel]

(See earlier threads about postage free through to Friday.)

Don't know of the bloke will fit it - they now have very strict demarcation of responsibilities.

25 years ago, meter was changed and the guy said I had the wrong type of earth clamp on the lead sheath (it's a bog standard pipe clamp, which has partially crushed the lead). He would be back to change it next day.

He never did come back, but when my meter was due to be changed again last year, I reminded them to change the earth clamp too. "I can't do that - you'll have to get the network folks in to change the earth clamp".

They used to be, but now the builder has to supply/fit it. They probably are still anal about not having anything other than their equipment on it.

[Bert Coules]

Andrew, thanks for that, and the link. My meter is mounted on an 18"x12" board which has no visible fixings to the wall behind it: the corners where such fixing might once have been have crumbled away.

The same is true of a second 18"x12" board directly underneath the first, which holds another piece of electrical gear the purpose of which I don't know. The mains supply runs into this box and different, smaller cables come from it up into the meter. I wonder if the engineer will replace both items?

[harry]

If you have a very old meter there are three screws. The top one is put in first, the meter has a keyhole slot to hang it on the screw. There are two further screws behind the cover where the four cables go in/out of the meter.

In days of yore, the plywood board belonged to the meter owner/ (electricity board at that time). This new idea is quite baffling.

[Bert Coules]

Harry wrote,

Mine is the building's original, which makes it late sixties.

Ah, that would explain both why there are no fixings visible and why the whole lot isn't loose against the wall, though perhaps my initial thought - that it was only the cabling which was holding everything in place - could still be correct. Thanks.

[Andy Burns]

When they came to change my meter 18 months ago, the didn't object to the 100A isolator I'd fitted, though it is a Wylex one typical of the isolator many RECs fit, they'd refused to come out and fit one 8 years previous when I changed the CU.

[Bob Eager]

They were quite happy with the isolator I fitted too, although it wasn't a Wylex and I've never seen one used on a local installation.

[Dave Liquorice]

Catch 22. The REC's love playing Catch 22. We'd quite like our meters moved. Their rules say meters are not allowed under bathrooms, we have moved the bathroom so that is now over the meters. OK move the meters to an external box where the overhead supply drops down but the rules say an external box has to be on the front of the house and not behind any gates. That location fails both of those rules. If they want in front of house and not behind gates they'll have to plant a couple more poles and we'd have at least three sub-mains to run through the house, some how, to the current locations of the CU's.

Will they send an engineer with authority to say yeah or nay to our proposals? Nope, you have to fill in a form, submit plans etc send a (IIRC non-refundable) fee and they will approve or not without a site visit.

[charles]

our meter is under the bathroom and I think the installation dates from the arrival of electricity in the area. I think it was a retrofit to the house since when we moved in quite a lot of the wiring was on the surface.

Obviously "not under bathrooms" is a recent idea.

[Tim Watts]

On Friday 08 February 2013 10:12 Dave Liquorice wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Leave it where it is and tell them if they don;t like it, they move it at their expense?

I assume it's currently supplying your house?

[Dave Liquorice]

ideally we'd like to make the doorway that is currently only about 5' high normal door size. Guess what is just in the way... The whole lot is a 'orrible ancient mess.

[Tim Watts]

On Friday 08 February 2013 12:54 Dave Liquorice wrote in uk.d-i-y:

Hmm. Then that becomes trickier... I see the problem now.

[nimbusjunk]

Ho hum

I had my meter and Head moved directl;y under my bathroom less than 3 years ago by EDF so this must be very recent rule I have had it enclosed in a water resistant cupboard for obvious reasons but thet was me and not mandated nor suggested by EDF

Hope this helps

[Dave Liquorice]

More likely different rules by different REC's, I got it from the ENW Ltd website or they didn't spot there was a bathroom above or the water resistant cupboard satisfied them if they did.

[Frank Erskine]

Are these still normally mounted with porcelain stand-off "insulators" at each corner?

[docholliday93]

When they replaced my meter some time ago they decided the board needed rep lacing, and did it themselves. They also insisted that they had to take awa y the old one, although I'd offered to dispose of it for them. They also somehow managed to smash the 4' fluorescent tube in the cellar li ght fitting, then bugger the pins on the spare tube while trying to fit it, and they went away leaving the earth connection which had been attached to the lead sheath floating somewhere in its vicinity. I only found out about that last problem when I'd acquired another fluorescent tube to replace th e ones they'd broken...