I am currently renovating my first house (not living it it while I do it)
One of the jobs is rewiring, as there is a lot of old aluminum cables, spurs from spurs, spurs from the 32A ring made in 1.5mm T&E, chock block buried in plaster, "interesting" cable routes, and an FCU in the bathroom, directly over the bath (well, where the bath was before I removed it anyway!) easily reachable when standing in the bath, and I am sure much more I have yet to find...
The service head on the main cable is very old (1930's) a call to the DNO has confirmed this should be changed, and they will also change me to a PME supply, with a 100A fuse (Rather than the 60A one I have now).
I have removed to old fuse box and am now left with a Henley block after the meter, connected to a 20A switch-fuse with 10mm tails. This used to supply the garage, I have removed this connection (aluminum) and connected a double socket to it, so I have some power.
When they come to change the service head, and change me to PME, will they be happy with this temporary connection (Particularly the 10mm tails) or do I need to up rate them to 25mm (Which means I will need to go out and buy a new switch-fuse, as this one has small input terminals!)
In a similar situation to you, about 18 months ago, I made up a board attached to the wall next to the intended new position of the meter/ cut-out. This board had a new CU with rcd, 2 double sockets attached, cross-bonding attached, and L,N & E tails hanging free.
I had done a new installation test certificate, but they never even glanced at it when moving the supply and connecting it to the new CU.
In your case, it sounds you've made a "new circuit" by replacing the garage circuit with sockets, and that the tails are under-rated for the supplier's cut-out. Whilst they might accept it as pre-existing, the new CU/tails in the intended new location would be better.
On Wed, 3 Sep 2008 15:31:26 +0100 someone who may be "Toby" wrote this:-
It is worth remembering that under the old regulations for bathrooms what was banned was switches within reach of someone using a fixed bath or shower. The reason for this was to prevent someone operating the switch while in the bath or shower. If this was just a fused connection unit then one could argue there was no rule against it, other than generic ones. It would be a different matter if it was a switched fused connection unit.
Oh it was switched one, and didn't look like it had been there too long either, as the power shower it was feeding was plumbed in plastic pipe!
It was originally a supply to a large fan, as they had just tiled over the (about 8") hole!
Just been clearing the loft, found live lamp pendants just lying under the crap up there (They have installed down lighters in the lounge and dining room, but obviously couldn't be arsed to disconnect the old pendant!)
and OH MY GOD is it filthy up there, just come home covered in black dust!!
I did think this may be the case, however, not too long ago I had an economy7 meter and time switch at home, this had an even smaller cable from the main fuse to the time switch (About 6mm), so I thought maybe it was allowed, as long as the fuse the other end was satisfactory (20A in my case)...
I need to buy a small CU for the garage, so I think I will get this and install this in the house for now, this will accept the larger tails!
I like your garage CU idea. It cost you nothing as you will reuse it. Personally I would just install the new CU that you intend to fit on the rewire and then just leave it in place. Have you ever tried to get tails into a garage CU? It is not easy.
You will/may have to get your main equipotential bonding up to scratch before the PME is fitted.
This is the only reason I have ever known an upgrade or work of any kind refused by an electricity co.. In this case it was for a customer and I was fitting the bonding when YE turned up. They refused to do the work as the bonding was not in place.
Apart from that one case the lads who come to work on your supply are helpful. They do not expect to see a certificate if the house is in bits and unoccupied.
Trouble is, I need them to renew the meter board too, as it is in a bit of a state, (It isn't even a proper meter board, it's just a few bits of tatty wood, nailed to two battens) So I will be taking it all off again anyway. I will probably just screw the temporary CU to the wall above, then I can install the new big CU later, and where I want it.
Well, it's not really a normal "garage" one, it will be a normal 5 way, with an isolator, so I don't think it will be too bad!
I think I will take the liberty of installing a single main switch between the Henley block and the meter, then I don't need to pull the main fuse, I mean, ask for a temporary disconnection, of course, to work on the CU later...
I already have 10mm to the water and gas mains, so I think this is OK.
I will make sure I have tea, coffee and biscuits :-)
Make sure they know that in advance otherwise it's likely to require a second visit. When I had new tails connected here I mentioned the woodworm in the meter board and Eastern Electricity (as was) said they'd send someone round to change it. Seventeen years and one meter change later I'm still waiting (but have judiciously treated the woodworm myself anyway, so it no longer matters).
I don't get that sentence. The board is for the DNO's and meter operator's equipment only. You're not supposed to fix anything to it - although an earth block for connecting the main bonding seems to be regarded as OK. (It's neater to connect the bonding inside the CU though, if practicable.)
As Adam said, go for the final CU if you can, making sure that any unused ways are properly blanked off (an accessible live busbar tends to be frowned on...)
In your situation I'd try to arrange the PME conversion to be after substantial completion of the new installation. Then your final new tails can be connected at the same time. The supplier / meter operator might provide an isolator FOC in any case, so it's worth enquiring about that.
IME any temporary (builder's supply) type of installation needs to be TT
- i.e. earthed to a separate earth rod and fed via a 30 mA RCD.
If you have a megger, loop tester, RCD tester, etc, leave them casually lying around and looking used.
I did inform them of this, and now they have been and done it :-)
The old bard was a load of random wood, big enough for the old CU, a small switch-fuse, a Henley block, two round junction boxes, and loads of space, they have now installed a new meter board for me - (They actually screwed my Henley block to it too) I have now removed the Henley block, and replaced it with an isolator, because the two blokes that came to change the head over told me "Your electrician will have to do that, we are not allowed to touch anything after the meter" - so as soon as he went, I carefully withdrew the tails from the Henley block and shoved them in the new isolator, new Henley block will be installed later, as they lost one of the screws, even though they didn't actually need to open it.
I also noticed, the seals they crimped on were not stamped with any number, just crimped, which I found quite odd.
The seal on the main body of the meter was not broken, just the one where the tails go in.
The actually left a small amount of copper showing on the phase tail, as it goes into the meter - cowboys...
They replaced the tails between the head and the meter with the new colours, but left the old colours between the meter and my Henley block - I will upgrade these later, so I have all new colours, so don't need a big yellow warning label!
I couldn't really do that, as the old meter board was huge, and covering where I wanted to put the new CU.
They don't unfortunately.
They didn't do the PME upgrade at the time of the head change, even though it was booked in because "You have a temporary consumer unit"
It was all wired properly (to a double socket only, the bonding in all in place, so I think he actually meant to say "Sorry, but I cant be arsed to do it right now, call us out again, and I will get paid more to do it as a second visit"
As i have the bonding in place, I think they should have done this, not to worry, I will ask them to come and do it at another time, when it's all connected up properly.
.
I still actually had the 10mm tails between the Henley block and the small CU (I had 25mm ones on standby, incase they complained), they didn't even mention this, and still upgraded the fuse to 100A
As well as the temp CU only having a 63A RCD in too - I suppose it was 08:30 Monday morning!
I was also quite surprised the way the treated the live feeder once the old head was removed, he put some gloves on, and then proceeded to repetitively touch both the phase and neutral conductors while he hacked off the old bitumen that was stuck around it - at one point he slid a tube of what looked like heat shrink round it, to protect it I assume, I was just quite surprised how he made no effort to not touch the conductors. I would have expected them to screw something on the phase wire at least, while he prepared the cable for the new head!
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