Hi,

I am going to replace our old cartridge fuse consumer unit with a new
split-load one. While I am at it, I am going to move it from its current
inconvenient position (currently you need a step ladder to reach it) to
some where more accessible in the dark. So I need to extend the meter
tails by about 1m. Having read the archives, I am going to contact my
supplier and tell them the fuse seal will be broken to install a new CU,
then after removing the old CU I will put in a Henley block to extend
the tails down to the new CU.

My question is this, what is the best way to extend the various circuits
down to the CU, there is a little slack in the current wiring but
certainly not 1m. Would joining them with chocolate block of the
appropriate rating be OK? I would put it in some sort of secure plastic
box rather like a central heating wiring centre box.

Thanks,
BraileTrail
--

"BraileTrail" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I am going to replace our old cartridge fuse consumer unit with a new
split-load one. While I am at it, I am going to move it from its current
inconvenient position (currently you need a step ladder to reach it) to
some where more accessible in the dark. So I need to extend the meter
tails by about 1m. Having read the archives, I am going to contact my
supplier and tell them the fuse seal will be broken to install a new CU,
then after removing the old CU I will put in a Henley block to extend
the tails down to the new CU.

My question is this, what is the best way to extend the various circuits
down to the CU, there is a little slack in the current wiring but
certainly not 1m. Would joining them with chocolate block of the
appropriate rating be OK? I would put it in some sort of secure plastic
box rather like a central heating wiring centre box.

Thanks,
BraileTrail


Crimp connectors for all the PVC circuits is the best way to extend them.
As for the meter tails, you're better to remove the main fuse at the head
end and replace with tails directly from the meter to the new CU. Using
Henley blocks is OK if you wish to tail off to another CU for an outhouse or
garage, but if you're only intention is to supply a new CU from the meter,
then new one piece tails direct from the meter is better than joints.

Thanks for the advice re the meter tails.

In message , BigWallop
writes
Crimp connectors for all the PVC circuits is the best way to extend them.

Do crimp connectors meet the current wiring regs? I am thinking we may
have to have an inspection when we sell the house.

Thanks,
BraileTrail

--

BraileTrail wrote:
I am going to replace our old cartridge fuse consumer unit with a new
split-load one. While I am at it, I am going to move it from its current
inconvenient position (currently you need a step ladder to reach it) to
some where more accessible in the dark.

If you put a battery-backed-up emergency lighting unit next to the CU,
it won't be in the dark when the power goes off. You could put another
one near where you keep the stepladder, although MCBs can usually be
poked on/off with a window-pole or similar.

Would that be a sufficient solution to the accessible-in-the-dark
problem and save you a lot of work: ;-)

So I need to extend the meter tails by about 1m. Having read the
archives, I am going to contact my supplier and tell them the fuse
seal
will be broken to install a new CU,

Don't. They will probably witter on at you about Part P. Just pull the
fuse, *ensuring there is no load on the circuit*.

then after removing the old CU I will put in a Henley block to extend
the tails down to the new CU.

You would probably be better putting in a 100A switch-fuse at the
current CU location. This may be required for meter tails 1m. This will
also isolate the supply to the new CU when you're poking about inside it.

My question is this, what is the best way to extend the various circuits
down to the CU, there is a little slack in the current wiring but
certainly not 1m. Would joining them with chocolate block of the
appropriate rating be OK? I would put it in some sort of secure plastic
box rather like a central heating wiring centre box.

Crimps, or DIN rail mounted terminals in a DIN rail box.

When you are running the cables to the new CU you may have to take cable
grouping factors into account.

Owain

On Sun, 3 Jul 2005 17:57:44 UTC, BraileTrail
wrote:

I am going to replace our old cartridge fuse consumer unit with a new
split-load one. While I am at it, I am going to move it from its current
inconvenient position (currently you need a step ladder to reach it) to
some where more accessible in the dark. So I need to extend the meter
tails by about 1m. Having read the archives, I am going to contact my
supplier and tell them the fuse seal will be broken to install a new CU,
then after removing the old CU I will put in a Henley block to extend
the tails down to the new CU.

Having a joint in the tails is not a particularly good idea, IMHO. But
OTOH you shouldn't be breaking the meter seals to put in new tails.

I'd 'join' the tails by putting in a 100A isolator. Useful in the
future...!

On Sun, 3 Jul 2005 19:34:34 +0100, BraileTrail
wrote:

Thanks for the advice re the meter tails.

In message , BigWallop
writes
Crimp connectors for all the PVC circuits is the best way to extend them.

Do crimp connectors meet the current wiring regs? I am thinking we may
have to have an inspection when we sell the house.

Thanks,
BraileTrail


Yes they do for this purpose. You do need to house the single wires
in some auitable way. You also need to use good quality crimps with
the correct crimping tool - available from an electrical wholesaler
such as Newey & Eyre, TLC, WF, etc.

There is new legislation as of April this year, Part P of the Building
Regulations. Many discussions on this have taken place on this
newsgroup. The type of work that you describe, certainly falls within
its scope.

Your options if you wish to comply with the legislation a

- Employ an electrician who is a member of one of the approved
organisations such as NICEIC. He can do the work, inspect, self
certify and give you a certificate.

- If you want to DIY, use the Building Notice procedure c/o building
control at your local authority. There will be a fee for this and
the work should be inspected and certificate issued.

If you don't care about the legislation you can opt to do nothing. At
the time that you sell, an inspection may be initiated by the
purchaser. You may also be asked about works that you have carried
out by the purchaser's solicitor. A diligent one may pick up on the
lack of certificate and post April 2005 work (though it is unlikely I
think and hard to prove) and if you answer truthfully, there would
need to be a regularisation done with the local authority. The cost
for this is not a lot different to the building notice procedure.




--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

In article ,
"Bob Eager" writes:
Having a joint in the tails is not a particularly good idea, IMHO. But
OTOH you shouldn't be breaking the meter seals to put in new tails.

Some meters have a separate cover over the consumer's meter
tails, although most don't. You should not break any seal on
the meter, which may mean you can't connect new tails to it.

--
Andrew Gabriel

In article ,
BigWallop wrote:
Crimp connectors for all the PVC circuits is the best way to extend them.

I'd say absolutely not - unless they are in a position where they are
mandatory.

--
*A backward poet writes inverse.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
BigWallop wrote:
Crimp connectors for all the PVC circuits is the best way to extend
them.

I'd say absolutely not - unless they are in a position where they are
mandatory.


Dave Plowman

Why would you say that? What alternative would you recommend, and why?

BraileTrail wrote:

Do crimp connectors meet the current wiring regs? I am thinking we may
have to have an inspection when we sell the house.

They do. You will also want sleaving over the overall cable once the
individual wires are joined. Heatshrink sleaving (CPC do wide sizes on
reels in white and grey - which works well on T&E cables).

To get the neatest join, strip three inches or so of the overall sheath
off the wire and then leave one conductor full length, then cut each of
the others about one inch shorter that the previous one. Cut the
conductors of the mating bit the other way round so the wire ends will
all meet up. That way you don't end up with a bunch of crimps all side
by side which creates a big bulge in the wire which makes it take more
space and makes it harder to slide the overall sheath over the join.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article ,
BigWallop wrote:
In article ,
BigWallop wrote:

Crimp connectors for all the PVC circuits is the best way to extend
them.

I'd say absolutely not - unless they are in a position where they are
mandatory.

Why would you say that? What alternative would you recommend, and why?

I'd not joint cable anywhere where crimps were the only 'legal' way - I'd
replace it. I've seen too many badly made. So I'd not recommend them for
amateur use.

--
*Rehab is for quitters

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

BraileTrail wrote:

Hi,

I am going to replace our old cartridge fuse consumer unit with a new
split-load one. While I am at it, I am going to move it from its
current inconvenient position (currently you need a step ladder to
reach it) to some where more accessible in the dark. So I need to
extend the meter tails by about 1m. Having read the archives, I am
going to contact my supplier and tell them the fuse seal will be
broken to install a new CU, then after removing the old CU I will put
in a Henley block to extend the tails down to the new CU.

My question is this, what is the best way to extend the various
circuits down to the CU, there is a little slack in the current
wiring but certainly not 1m. Would joining them with chocolate block
of the appropriate rating be OK? I would put it in some sort of
secure plastic box rather like a central heating wiring centre box.

Have a look at the meter, some recently installed have a isolation
switch which will allow you work on the CU and Tails, while others you
will need to remove the fuse. I would look at installing a Henley
Block (Sometimes called LN block), and a earth bar. All of these
can be bought from ScrewFix.

If the CU is near a ceiling, can you not put proper joint boxes
above the ceiling, if you use crimps you will need to provide a box
to protect the joints, while with proper joint boxes protection
will not be required.

J

BraileTrail wrote:

Thanks for the advice re the meter tails.

Crimp connectors for all the PVC circuits is the best way to extend
them.

Do crimp connectors meet the current wiring regs? .


Only if you provide additional mechanical protection, this means
you put everything in a plastic or metal box (Which will require
earthing). These can be bought from City Electrical or any similar
outfit.

By the time you have messed around with extra box(es), with all
the glands, and finding a place for it, you could have bought a
set a of 6 amp, 20 amp and 32 amp joint boxes and fitted them.

I am thinking we may have to have an inspection when we sell
the house

If you do everything by the Wiring Regulations or On Site Guide,
you will not have anything to worry about.

J

Thanks to everyone for the informative replies.

BraileTrail
--