rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

I am about to rewire my consumer unit (the current one is very old and doesn't support RCD). To diy it, I think I need cut off the mains supply first. However, I can't find any switch around the incoming mains. Should I contact my power supplier to temporarily cut off the power during the installation? Any suggestions and comments are very much appreicated.

Best wishes,

Bing

rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

Yes you should contact your supplier to make a disconnection as you havent got
an isolator fitted, but generally in the real world most of us cut the seal to
the main service fuse and remove the fuse isolating the supply.

rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

"Bing Wu" wrote in message
...
I am about to rewire my consumer unit (the current one is very old and
doesn't support RCD). To diy it, I think I need cut off the mains supply
first. However, I can't find any switch around the incoming mains. Should I
contact my power supplier to temporarily cut off the power during the
installation? Any suggestions and comments are very much appreicated.

Best wishes,

Bing

When I replaced the CU in my house I removed the suppliers fuse, this
involved breaking the seal. 4 years on, no problems, plenty of people have
seen the seal has been removed.

Andrew

rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

"Bing Wu" wrote in message
...
I am about to rewire my consumer unit (the current one is very old and doesn't
support RCD). To diy it, I think I need cut off the mains supply first. However,
I can't find any switch around the incoming mains. Should I contact my power
supplier to temporarily cut off the power during the installation? Any
suggestions and comments are very much appreicated.

Best wishes,

Bing


Cut the seal off the mains fuse and pull it out. Simple really. If you're
going to be pulling everything off the wall and installing all the gear in new
positions, then it might be best to pull the neutral supply out of the head as
well to be sure of not touching that to earth and causing sparks or tingles
through you body.

Once you're all done with the installation, then contact your supply company and
have them come do their tests, checks, prods about as they do, and re-seal the
head end for you.

Don't worry about cutting the seals off the mains head end cover and the
terminal cover of the meter, it is not against the law to do this, it's only the
seals of meter that are protecting the adjustment gear inside that really worry
the electricity suppliers.

So. Don't touch any other seals on the meter other than the ones holding the
cover over the connection terminals.

And REMEMBER, once the fuse is taken out of the main head end supply. The
exposed parts inside are at high mains voltage. So make sure you don't touch
them with anything.


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rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 16:25:04 +0100, Bing Wu wrote:

I am about to rewire my consumer unit (the current one is very old and doesn't support RCD). To diy it, I think I need cut off the mains supply first. However, I can't find any switch around the incoming mains. Should I contact my power supplier to temporarily cut off the power during the installation? Any suggestions and comments are very much appreicated.

Best wishes,

Bing

I think you need to trim your line lenghts as well

Dave

--

Some people use windows, others have a life.

rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

In article , Wheelbarrowbob wrote:
Yes you should contact your supplier to make a disconnection as you havent got
an isolator fitted, but generally in the real world most of us cut the seal to
the main service fuse and remove the fuse isolating the supply.

In fact, when my main fuse blew and I told the electricity board man
who came to fix it of my intention to replace the CU (debris in the CU
caused the short) he actually showed me where the fuse was and that I
could remove it to isolate my mains. He even said I should move the meter,
but in the end he did that for me!

Gerd.

rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Bing Wu" wrote in message
...
I am about to rewire my consumer unit (the current one is very old and
doesn't
support RCD). To diy it, I think I need cut off the mains supply first.
However,
I can't find any switch around the incoming mains. Should I contact my
power
supplier to temporarily cut off the power during the installation? Any
suggestions and comments are very much appreicated.

Best wishes,

Bing


Cut the seal off the mains fuse and pull it out. Simple really. If
you're
going to be pulling everything off the wall and installing all the gear in
new
positions, then it might be best to pull the neutral supply out of the
head as
well to be sure of not touching that to earth and causing sparks or
tingles
through you body.

Once you're all done with the installation, then contact your supply
company and
have them come do their tests, checks, prods about as they do, and re-seal
the
head end for you.

Don't worry about cutting the seals off the mains head end cover and the
terminal cover of the meter, it is not against the law to do this, it's
only the
seals of meter that are protecting the adjustment gear inside that really
worry
the electricity suppliers.

So. Don't touch any other seals on the meter other than the ones holding
the
cover over the connection terminals.

And REMEMBER, once the fuse is taken out of the main head end supply. The
exposed parts inside are at high mains voltage. So make sure you don't
touch
them with anything.


---
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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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While on about, meter adjustments, would disconnecting the main supply fuse
interfere with the settings on the newer electronic digital meters? Do they
have a non volatile memory and if so, how long have I got!?

TIA

Will


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rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

"Chibblegrips" wrote in message
...

"BigWallop" wrote in message
...

"Bing Wu" wrote in message
...
I am about to rewire my consumer unit (the current one is very old and
doesn't
support RCD). To diy it, I think I need cut off the mains supply first.
However,
I can't find any switch around the incoming mains. Should I contact my
power
supplier to temporarily cut off the power during the installation? Any
suggestions and comments are very much appreicated.

Best wishes,

Bing


Cut the seal off the mains fuse and pull it out. Simple really. If
you're
going to be pulling everything off the wall and installing all the gear in
new
positions, then it might be best to pull the neutral supply out of the
head as
well to be sure of not touching that to earth and causing sparks or
tingles
through you body.

Once you're all done with the installation, then contact your supply
company and
have them come do their tests, checks, prods about as they do, and re-seal
the
head end for you.

Don't worry about cutting the seals off the mains head end cover and the
terminal cover of the meter, it is not against the law to do this, it's
only the
seals of meter that are protecting the adjustment gear inside that really
worry
the electricity suppliers.

So. Don't touch any other seals on the meter other than the ones holding
the
cover over the connection terminals.

And REMEMBER, once the fuse is taken out of the main head end supply. The
exposed parts inside are at high mains voltage. So make sure you don't
touch
them with anything.




While on about, meter adjustments, would disconnecting the main supply fuse
interfere with the settings on the newer electronic digital meters? Do they
have a non volatile memory and if so, how long have I got!?

TIA

Will


Yes, they do have NVROM fitted, and you'd probably have about seven or eight
years, maybe longer, to get the mains back on before it wiped itself of all
memory.


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rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

BigWallop wrote:

Once you're all done with the installation, then contact your supply company and
have them come do their tests, checks, prods about as they do, and re-seal the
head end for you.


Many thanks for the advice. BTW, do they charge for the re-sealing?

Best wishes,

Bing

rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

BigWallop wrote:

Once you're all done with the installation, then contact your supply company and
have them come do their tests, checks, prods about as they do, and re-seal the
head end for you.


Many thanks for the advice. BTW, do they charge for the re-sealing?

Best wishes,

Bing

rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

"Bing Wu" wrote in message
...
BigWallop wrote:

Once you're all done with the installation, then contact your supply company
and
have them come do their tests, checks, prods about as they do, and re-seal
the
head end for you.


Many thanks for the advice. BTW, do they charge for the re-sealing?

Best wishes,

Bing


They never usually charge anything if the installation is ready for testing and
re-sealing, but you may incur costs if they have to come back and forward
because things on the system aren't right when they first visit. So just take
your time and do the job right first time and it shouldn't cost you anything
more.

rewiring consumer unit - advice
 

In article ,
"BigWallop" writes:

Cut the seal off the mains fuse and pull it out. Simple really. If you're
going to be pulling everything off the wall and installing all the gear in new
positions, then it might be best to pull the neutral supply out of the head as
well to be sure of not touching that to earth and causing sparks or tingles
through you body.

Once you're all done with the installation, then contact your supply company and
have them come do their tests, checks, prods about as they do, and re-seal the
head end for you.

Don't worry about cutting the seals off the mains head end cover and the
terminal cover of the meter, it is not against the law to do this, it's only the
seals of meter that are protecting the adjustment gear inside that really worry
the electricity suppliers.

I've done this a number of times but always asked the supplier first.
They were happy for me to pull the main fuse, but strictly do not
allow removal of the connection cover on the meter. (This might depend
on the meter, and the supplier.) I reuse the meter tails, and if they
aren't long enough, use a Henley block.

They record that the cutout needs resealing in the customer records,
but as they no longer have meter readers (it's all subcontracted out),
it never gets resealed IME.

--
Andrew Gabriel