Pulling the electric co's fuse...

[Lobster]

I'm shortly going to be tackling a rewiring job (before Part b*******y P comes in!) and will need to replace the CU (or rather, install one - the current system has about five separately switched circuits all wired in to the meter via Henley blocks).

Unfortunately, although the electric co replaced the meter last week (changed from economy 7), they didn't fit a main isolator switch, which I find bizarre and would have thought was almost negligent under the circumstances, but there we go... anyway, I'll probably start by fitting an isolator switch to the existing system, for which I will need to yank the fuse.

I'm not unduly worried about doing this, but never having done it before, or seen it done, I don't want want to make a boo-boo. Is it just a case of ensuring there's no load on any of the circuits, and then, well, just pulling the fuse out with insulated pliers or something? Anything to watch out for, or to be aware of!? I gather from the uk.d-i-y archives that Breaking the Electric Company Seal is not an issue!

Thanks David

[tarquinlinbin]

Just ensure that there is no load and pull it out,thats it,done...

[Alex (YMG)]

Sometimes you have to give them a good tug though, and just remember the bottom terminal of the fuse holder is still live!

Alex

[Alistair Riddell]

yup, and no need for insulated pliers either, assuming you have the standard type with a large lump of plastic attached. Just remember that one of the terminals exposed will be live. It is usually rather badly shrouded - it would be easy to stick your whole finger in there, and is probably fused at hunreds an hunreds of amps.

[Ed Sirett]

And only protected by a VERY big fuse at the substation.

[Tim S]

Sometimes also a 300A fuse in a link box in the street. When they go bang, it's spectacular - usually invoving nearby hedges catching fire...

Timbo

[Paper2002AD]

Can I come and watch while you do it - just in case you do put your finger where you shouldn't?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Don't use pliers, etc, you might well break the fuse carrier. Fingers will do.

[MJ]

When I watched the man change my meter he slipped a protective blank over the bottom terminal. As such a thing would be next to impossible to obtain, anybody any ideas on a home made one?

MJ

[BigWallop]

Take the cartridge fuse out of the holder and put the holder back in. This protects the whole mains part of the headend to stop anything from getting in.

[Mike Hall]

What I did was remove the fuse from the fuse holder, (two screws), then re-insert the empty fuse holder into the feed. - Jobs a goodun and all live bits suitably shrouded. ..... of course you then find yourself glancing at the (removed) fuse every 3 seconds just to *absolutely* convince yourself that you haven't inadvertently put it back in again !!! - well I did anyway!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Stretch some gaffer tape over the body if you are really that worried.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

When I recently changed my CU - which also involved a fair bit of 'building' work after removing the old one and meter etc - I wired in a gash 13 amp RCD twin socket direct to the header for lights and a drill. So I stole some electricity...

[Andrew Gabriel]

I have done this by reconnecting the tails to the old CU after removing it (make sure connectors at other end are tight too), and wiring a temporary socket to one of the fuse ways. This requires that the tails enter the CU on the surface with enough slack and not from the rear.

Next time round, I bought an electric drill first.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

To clarify, my riser and header are in the cellar, but the meter and fusebox at the top of the cellar stairs. The SWA cable between them was routed the easiest way rather than the neatest, and I wanted to sort this too. The meter board mounted on brick had got an ancient fuse, couple of henly blocks, extra switch fuse for the cooker, and looked a real mess. I dry lined that part of the wall and concealed all the cables.

Presume you mean cordless? I've got several of those, but wanted good lighting, as there's little natural light there.

[Lurch]

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 10:43:01 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)" strung together this:

We used to do this on building sites to avoid having to struggle with the genny. Once all of the other trades, most of whom couldn't wire a plug, on the site cottoned onto the idea there were some 'interesting' alternatives to our relatively safe method(!) of doing it. After that the leccy board started sealing the cutouts up once they were fitted and covering them with tape, labels, notices, seals and whatever else they had in the back of the van!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes - it's rather open to abuse. ;-)

I had made tentative arrangements to just run an extension from a neighbour's house, but was worried about leaving it overnight. My heating can run off a car battery, and I've got a portable radio so I'd not come to any harm for a day - even without any mains electricity. ;-)

As it happens, having pre-fabricated as much as I could, I only had things disconnected for a few hours.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Yes;-)

I have a 15 year old 7Ah SLA battery (was pensioned off from an alarm system years ago), which still seems to have all it's original capacity. I use it to operate a 12V fluorescent lamp for such purposes.

[John Southern]

from the ERG39 course advice also wear a full facial visor and insulated gloves when removing the RECs fuse carrier from the cutout. The board also had leather patches used to cover over the exposed live terminal inside the cutout whilst working.

Jon.

[Mike]

Try pulling the fuse without cutting the seal first. I managed to get it out far enough on the slack in the seal to cut the circuit. But obviously make sure you don't lean on it and push it back in whilst holding a live end.