This interests me, since when I asked about rerouting the submain feeding my flat (still on the to-do list!) the general opinion was that TPTB would insist on keeping the current arrangement - meter and switch fuse in the common hall way then a 16mm cable to my CU - and would not allow an unprotected cable to pass through the building to a meter in my flat (which would remove my need to access the common parts: GF flat with own front door)
That would still be the case I guess. The submain is yours and the meter at the incoming to the building. The external cable in my case:
a) didn't pass through an inhabited part of the building b) is trunked in the same protective pipe as you use to run up from the ground to wall meters (say 30mm) - this pipe extends out from the soffits on both sides and passes through the roof space - the cable itself is concentric neutral sheathed and so the installation is in no way "unprotected"!
I'm not sure what point you're making in relation to my previous post. As I said, it's hardly a ten-a-day occurrence, and it's a situation than can usually be remedied in a couple of hours, albeit on a temporary basis.
Without seeing the actual arrangement, I couldn't comment, other than to say a ducted cable run in the roof space is unusual by modern standards. What used to happen a few decades ago, when service o/hs might have gone to a central chimney stack, is altogether a different matter.
Very common and perfectly acceptable practice, particularly in rural areas.
6A ufh, 16A immersion heater, a 10A heater and a 13A heater. I don't really see how you can apply diversity - 'once the house is warm' is a big if, and the OSG doesn't allow diversity for electric heating anyway.
As I said, chuck in the kettle/washing machine/cooker, and it's not unrealistic to expect the load to go over 60A. I don't think 'CH not working' is a particularly contribed scenario...
Anyway, I've asked about upping the cutout fuse. I'll report back...
Ben
Sadly that's not an area of the country i'm able to look into :-(
Generally speaking, an electric co. will not put a meter on the end of anyone *elses* submain.
You may, however, be able to ask for a service alteration, which might entail a supply being taken direct to the flat from outside - but it can be a grey area as regards the potential safety issues in the event of a fire:
i.e. the fire brigade come out, pull the main fuses from the present communal meter position, and think the whole house is off. As you're now on a seperate supply, once they start squirting water everywhere, things might get a little sparky :-}
Do you have any issues insofar as gaining access to your meter at its' existing position in the communal area ?
Thanks for the thought anyway.
Any Ben
How do you mean, "from outside": a big 2-phase (legacy of DC days) armoured cable comes up from the ground into a service header with five meters and
60A switch fuses, then 16mm submains to the individual flats. Mine is the only one not accessed through the common hall, thus my only reason for having access to it is the elec meter and switch fuse.My submain runs through the garage which my neighbour is about to turn into a room, so it needs rerouting and it would be nice to remove the need to have access to the common hall - there's never been a problem but I don't have the right to do so in writing.
Depending on the layout of the property, it might be possible to get a new supply from the nearest mains in the street put direct into the property by clipping up the outside wall (if you're on an upper floor), or by getting an external meter box fitted.
Eek, this problem crops up quite a lot, and its quite an awkward to resolve cheaply where someone buys a flat in an ex-council block.
- in fact, I don't think i've ever yet come across a happy resolution !
Something that might force the situation, depending on where your meter is, is if the neighbour demands the cable is removed from "his" property. The cable, technically speaking (probably a bad choice of words), probably has an easement already by virtue of being there since the property was built / converted, whether mentioned in the deeds or not.
You might end up in a civil dispute if the cable through his flat is "yours", but it wouldn't resolve your situation. If he cut "your" cable (on the outgoing side of the meter) he is guilty of criminal damage.
Getting THEM to pay for the service to be removed might be a bone of contention, but they probably want it out more than you. Perhaps if you get a quote from the local REC for a service alteration and split the bill...
If your electric meter is at the "flat" end of the submain, you could argue that the local REC had effectively adopted that submain - if they can't keep you supplied via the existing cable route due to the change in circumstances, they can't simply leave you off supply (although I can't quote specific regs on this), as it would be in breach of the supply regs (to try to explain this, if a REC put a supply in prior to being paid for it, and the owner then refused to pay, the REC cannot remove the (unpaid for) supply.
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