I have a couple of henley blocks on my incoming electrics board
located after the meter. The henley blocks have seals on them. (The
incoming electrics run through the meter, through henley blocks to the
CU)
I need to change my consumer unit, so I would like to open the henly
blocks up and connect the new CU tails.

Is it illegal to open these seals even though they are placed after
the meter?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Best regards

Mark Wilmott

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 07:52:12 UTC, (Mark) wrote:

I have a couple of henley blocks on my incoming electrics board
located after the meter. The henley blocks have seals on them. (The
incoming electrics run through the meter, through henley blocks to the
CU)
I need to change my consumer unit, so I would like to open the henly
blocks up and connect the new CU tails.

Is it illegal to open these seals even though they are placed after
the meter?

MY feeling is that in a lot of cases, Henley blocks have seals put on
them 'because there is a place for them'.

However, you make no mention of any isolator, so I would guess that they
are there to make people think twice about opening them, since there is
no real way of making them 'dead' short of pulling the main fuse. It is
dangerous to work on the tails live, the problems not just being with
shock, etc.

Of course, if you're pulling the main fuse anyway, that's different (but
that would be breaking a seal too, and you didn't mention that one). The
general consensus seems to be that the leccy board don't worry much
about it these days.

Again, you could have an isolator immediately after the meter, but you
don't mention it.
--
Bob Eager
rde at tavi.co.uk
PC Server 325*4; PS/2s 9585, 8595, 9595*2, 8580*3,
P70...

Mark wrote:
I have a couple of henley blocks on my incoming electrics board
located after the meter. The henley blocks have seals on them. (The
incoming electrics run through the meter, through henley blocks to the
CU)
I need to change my consumer unit, so I would like to open the henly
blocks up and connect the new CU tails.

Is it illegal to open these seals even though they are placed after
the meter?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Best regards

Mark Wilmott
Just cut them off and chuck 'em away.
I had just this situation a week or two ago. Took seals off henley block
after meter and on the main fuse before it.
I then changed the CU. However I noticed the elec company's short cable from
the incoming cable to main fuse had perished insulation.
So I called them out to replace it. When they came they made no mention of
the seals being removed.
Neither did the meter reader

"Mark" wrote in message
om...
I have a couple of henley blocks on my incoming electrics board
located after the meter. The henley blocks have seals on them. (The
incoming electrics run through the meter, through henley blocks to the
CU)
I need to change my consumer unit, so I would like to open the henly
blocks up and connect the new CU tails.

Is it illegal to open these seals even though they are placed after
the meter?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Best regards

Mark Wilmott

If the Blocks aren't needed anymore, then take them away completely and put
the new tails directly between the meter and the new consumer unit.


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BigWallop wrote:


If the Blocks aren't needed anymore, then take them away completely and put
the new tails directly between the meter and the new consumer unit.

or replace one with an isolater...

--
Cheers,

John.

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"Bob Eager" wrote in message ...
On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 07:52:12 UTC, (Mark) wrote:

I have a couple of henley blocks on my incoming electrics board
located after the meter. The henley blocks have seals on them. (The
incoming electrics run through the meter, through henley blocks to the
CU)
I need to change my consumer unit, so I would like to open the henly
blocks up and connect the new CU tails.

Is it illegal to open these seals even though they are placed after
the meter?

MY feeling is that in a lot of cases, Henley blocks have seals put on
them 'because there is a place for them'.

However, you make no mention of any isolator, so I would guess that they
are there to make people think twice about opening them, since there is
no real way of making them 'dead' short of pulling the main fuse. It is
dangerous to work on the tails live, the problems not just being with
shock, etc.

Of course, if you're pulling the main fuse anyway, that's different (but
that would be breaking a seal too, and you didn't mention that one). The
general consensus seems to be that the leccy board don't worry much
about it these days.

Again, you could have an isolator immediately after the meter, but you
don't mention it.

There isn't an isolator, but I was under the impression that it would
be reasonably safe to do this live, since you would only be working
with one wire, which would only become live once it inserted into the
henley block?

On 19 Jan 2004 08:56:20 -0800, (Mark) wrote:

There isn't an isolator, but I was under the impression that it would
be reasonably safe to do this live, since you would only be working
with one wire, which would only become live once it inserted into the
henley block?

Whilst I've worked with live wires quite often I think I'd draw the
line at working with a live wire which had an almost limitless current
capacity and no human-friendly protective devices downwind.

Slightly different matter when you've got an RCD on the circuit
protecting your arse.

YMMV.

PoP

Sending email to my published email address isn't
guaranteed to reach me.

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 17:42:03 UTC, PoP wrote:

On 19 Jan 2004 08:56:20 -0800, (Mark) wrote:

There isn't an isolator, but I was under the impression that it would
be reasonably safe to do this live, since you would only be working
with one wire, which would only become live once it inserted into the
henley block?

Whilst I've worked with live wires quite often I think I'd draw the
line at working with a live wire which had an almost limitless current
capacity and no human-friendly protective devices downwind.

Slightly different matter when you've got an RCD on the circuit
protecting your arse.

I agree. I'd want to be more than 'reasonably safe'....!

--
Bob Eager
rde at tavi.co.uk
PC Server 325*4; PS/2s 9585, 8595, 9595*2, 8580*3,
P70...

On 19 Jan 2004 08:56:20 -0800, Mark wrote:

There isn't an isolator, but I was under the impression that it
would be reasonably safe to do this live, since you would only be
working with one wire, which would only become live once it inserted
into the henley block?

I guess provided the first thing you do is remove the one tail from
one henley block and then put the cover back on and tape over the
hole. Then do the other it wouldn't be to bad as you don't have a free
end of 25mm cable waving about with 240v on it.

Getting the new tails in might be fun 25mm cable is not the easiest
stuff to work with. I know I was swearing fairly loudly at the last
lot of 16mm I had to deal with and that was ona fully dead system. Not
sure I'd want to do it with this big exposed lump of brass directly
connected to the mains in front of me.

Pull the fuse, the boards don't appear to care anymore. What would you
prefer 6' under or a slapped wrist?

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

Replaced both my dodgy consumer units by withdrawing the tails from the unsealed
Henly block - if that is what the Bakelite box with two stacked busbars is
called. I used a seriously insulated screwdriver to undo each tail in turn and
then refitted the cover. Removed and replaced the consumer units and mounting
board. Remade new tails and then refitted them to the Henly. All without
removing the company seal.

This was all done after watching the bod from the Lecy board replace the company
fuse by hammering the tar filled remains off the incoming cables (live) without
any protection apart from the wooden handle of his hammer (and plenty of
practice!).


BOL Richard

PS he didn't seal my Henly block.

On 19 Jan 2004 18:35:24 GMT, "Bob Eager" wrote:

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 17:42:03 UTC, PoP wrote:

On 19 Jan 2004 08:56:20 -0800, (Mark) wrote:

There isn't an isolator, but I was under the impression that it would
be reasonably safe to do this live, since you would only be working
with one wire, which would only become live once it inserted into the
henley block?

Whilst I've worked with live wires quite often I think I'd draw the
line at working with a live wire which had an almost limitless current
capacity and no human-friendly protective devices downwind.

Slightly different matter when you've got an RCD on the circuit
protecting your arse.

I agree. I'd want to be more than 'reasonably safe'....!

I'd do it live if I had to, then again, I do it day in day out so
that's not really an issue. If you're asking a questions on NG about
electrics probably best not to do it live!!


SJW
A.C.S. Ltd.

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 22:11:32 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:



Pull the fuse, the boards don't appear to care anymore. What would you
prefer 6' under or a slapped wrist?

True, last one I did was a 3 phase job, phoned Scottish Power, "Just
cut the seals and do it, phone us when you're done and we'll come out
and reseal it."

Most new installations seem to have isolators.

--
Niall

True, last one I did was a 3 phase job, phoned Scottish Power, "Just
cut the seals and do it, phone us when you're done and we'll come out
and reseal it."

If I get that sort of call (i`m one of their phone monkeys) I arrange for
an isolator to be fitted.

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On Tue, 20 Jan 2004 22:06:23 -0000, Colin Wilson
wrote:

True, last one I did was a 3 phase job, phoned Scottish Power, "Just
cut the seals and do it, phone us when you're done and we'll come out
and reseal it."

If I get that sort of call (i`m one of their phone monkeys) I arrange for
an isolator to be fitted.

IIRC I did suggest that but they weren't interested. Not sure there
was room without major alterations. Huge old house, 3 ph supply,
electric underfloor heating. Only private house I've ever seen with a
"switchroom".

--
Niall

"Colin Wilson" wrote in message
t...
True, last one I did was a 3 phase job, phoned Scottish Power, "Just
cut the seals and do it, phone us when you're done and we'll come out
and reseal it."

If I get that sort of call (i`m one of their phone monkeys) I arrange for
an isolator to be fitted.

How much do you charge to fit an isolator ?

True, last one I did was a 3 phase job, phoned Scottish Power, "Just
cut the seals and do it, phone us when you're done and we'll come out
and reseal it."
If I get that sort of call (i`m one of their phone monkeys) I arrange for
an isolator to be fitted.
How much do you charge to fit an isolator ?

Precisely nothing.

If its a Scottish Power area Dataserve will usually sort them out for you
(the new name for the metering dept.), but if you need a cutout change
then the relevant operations dept (Power Systems) for the area will fit
one at the same time as changing it.

The preferred method is one of the above, but if its a rush job then
*sometimes* we can arrange another way (without saying how, and it
doesn`t include cutting the seals yourself !)

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