How do we find out if our building has rising mains?

ProDave · Sep 22, 2024

Those red and black meter tails on the supply side to me need updating as a very minimum.

You could test the water by notifying your electricity supplier of a dangerous cable on their equipment, which they should repair free of charge. If when they come they say it is not their equipment then you will know a Bulding Network Operator is involved.

Does anyone know if that Henley box contains a fuse inside?

Another thought, could this be a dual looped supply from the downstairs flat? You could always ask your neighbour downstairs if you can have a look at their electricity supply and take a photo?

monkey5 · Sep 22, 2024

What's under your stairs?
Do you give the meter reading from that meter in the photo to your electric supplier?

monkey5 · Sep 22, 2024

Can you see your neighbours(below you) meter and take a photo?

Richard-the-Ninth · Sep 22, 2024

My first place was a maisonette, it was exactly like blackcat says. (Top looks like it too) The whole of the floor (1st in my case) was mine, only "hidden" cupboard" was under the external stairs, and that was where I had the gas meter installed. (No gas when I moved in) The electric supply cable had to come in from the street. (I say had to, never seen it, and it was not in the downstairs maisonette, friends with them so seen the inside of theirs too.)

Phoenix · Sep 22, 2024

blackcat said:
It goes to each individual property from the street. There is no cupboard.

Judging by the fact that it looks like conduit arriving in your flat, I'd hazard a guess that is nearly but not quite right...

I wouldn't be at all supprised if the cables from the street arrived in cutouts on the two ground floor properties, and then were looped in conduit (probably terminated in their biscuit tin cutouts) to the respective upstairs ones. A picture of the meter/cutout location in one of the ground floor properties would confirm, if you are friendly with your neighbours?

Now, there is a non-zero chance that the DNO might try and claim the feed from ground to first is the responsibility of the mythical BNO, but that shouldn't be the case, because if its a biscuit tin cutout, you'd expect it to be looped off the supply side, so in reality its no different to any other looped supply..... so would be a bit of a pain for them if downstairs wanted an EV charge point and upstairs wanted a heat pump as they'd have to unloop it!

blackcat · Sep 22, 2024

monkey5 said:
What's under your stairs?
Do you give the meter reading from that meter in the photo to your electric supplier?

Under the outside stairs is what used to be a coal bunker. Even that isn't communal, it's demised to us under the lease.We used to use it to store our daughters bicycle and scooter. There's no meter of any kind in it. Yes, we use the indoor meter for readings.

Fleeting · Sep 22, 2024

Look in the other flats if you can in particular the one below yours.

Andy™ · Sep 22, 2024

see if you can look at the meters of the others. im certain this is a standard looped supply, supply comes in from road into downstairs, then continues to upstairs. very common and almost always DNO's responsibility. usually if there is an issue and cables need replaced they will often put a new cable to each and not a looped supply

i'd be asking those who say there needs to be thousandas spent where they got this from

as prodave says, it could do with updating. call DNO and get them to look at it

binky · Sep 23, 2024

Could well be taken off the downstairs flat.

7029 Dave · Sep 24, 2024

I would almost guarantee that60A biscuit tin is fed off the cutout from the ground floor.
Some set ups are even a shared supply ie both ground floor and top floor are on the same fuse.

How do we find out if our building has rising mains?

Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:

ProDave

Twatt ™

monkey5

Gold Member

monkey5

Gold Member

Richard-the-Ninth

Moderator

Phoenix

Senior Member

blackcat

Member

Fleeting

Well-known member

Andy™

©Resident Geordie™

binky

retired and loving it!

7029 Dave

Well-known member

Similar threads

Latest posts

How do we find out if our building has rising mains?

Help Support Talk Electrician Forum:

Twatt ™

Gold Member

Gold Member

Moderator

Senior Member

Member

Well-known member

©Resident Geordie™

retired and loving it!

Well-known member

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!