3036 fuses - when?

[alchemist]

Did a PIR on a house today and trying to guess the age.

5 circuits on BS 3036 rewireables, TN-S using 8mm unsheathed cable.

Any ideas on the age?

 

[Zeespark]

8mm? sounds like an imperial sized cable, 7/0.44 maybe? I am not 100% sure on these sizes, the older sparks on here will have a much better idea than Me.

AndyGuinness

 

[alchemist]

I think you are right. I measured the conductors with a micrometer and all the older cables came out at odd sizes. e.g. 1.5mm diameter, 7 strands =

((1.5/2) squared * pi) * 7 = 12.37mm2

 

[Andy™]

Did a PIR on a house today and trying to guess the age.5 circuits on BS 3036 rewireables, TN-S using 8mm unsheathed cable.

Any ideas on the age?

considering you can still install a 3036 today, thats no help at all.

 

[batty]

Probably 60's if it was 70's probably earth would be insulated.

 

[alchemist]

:coat

What would be useful in terms of guessing the age? The sleeving yellow and green striped throughout (not just green).

 

[PC Electrics]

Check out my guide:

http://www.talk.electricianforum.co.uk/downloads.php?do=file&id=63

I think you need to measure the diameter of the strands more carefully as your measurement of 1.5mm falls mid way between two sizes.

 

[Andy™]

:coat What would be useful in terms of guessing the age? The sleeving yellow and green striped throughout (not just green).

maybe you should quit PIR's until you have more experience/knowledge of electrical? sorry if it sounds harsh, but you dont sound competent with this

 

[Larnacaman]

Check out my guide:http://www.talk.electricianforum.co.uk/downloads.php?do=file&id=63

Ah, ...the 14th Edition, the last Regs that was written in plain everyday English that all electricians could understand, without the need for a commentary, notes and guides etc...

The 15th was the precursor of the Regs becoming a BS, along with the first steps of harmonisation of standards between European countries. As such it was written, ...for want for a better term, in ''legal phraseology''

.

 

[Evans Electric]

Did you say " Unsheathed " cable ? So its wired in 6491X (Conduit cable) sizes will probably be 3/.029 or 3/.036 for lighting and 7/.029 or 7/.044 power . Equal to 1.5 & 2.5 / 4.0mm respectively. A previous owner may have been a maintenance sparks in a factory , not able to nick Ins/shd. cable .

Was the earth wire green or bare copper?

 

[Larnacaman]

Generally the following imperial cable sizes would have been used in a domestic installations in the 50/60s...

Lighting ... 3/029 Twin TRS (No CPC)

Rings ... 7/029 Twin and earth TRS -CPC 3/029

Kitchen Socket / Immersion Heater ... 7/036 Twin and earth TRS -CPC 3/029

Cooker Point ... 7/044 Twin and earth TRS -3/036

Earth Bonding /Bathroom cross bonding ... 3/036 (usually bare conductor)

 

[Larnacaman]

Further to my above post, Council houses were generally equipped with Dorman Smith bakerlite light switches and socket outlets. Both secured to conduit boxes with square fascia plates. As all switch drops and socket outlet drops were made in conduit with welded stop-end boxes.

The socket outlets were 13A but with round pins, The plug tops fuse were actually one of the pins, that were a screw in design. Needless to say this design was soon dropped and the present 13A plug top design became the standard. Not sure if any of these old socket outlets are still in use, not on the council side, that i'm sure of, most of those properties have long since been rewired. But maybe there are some about, in properties that were sold under the old tenants right to buy scheme....

 

[alchemist]

Did you say " Unsheathed " cable ? So its wired in 6491X (Conduit cable) sizes will probably be 3/.029 or 3/.036 for lighting and 7/.029 or 7/.044 power . Equal to 1.5 & 2.5 / 4.0mm respectively. A previous owner may have been a maintenance sparks in a factory , not able to nick Ins/shd. cable .Was the earth wire green or bare copper?

The main earth was unsheathed and uninsulated i.e. bare copper.

---------- AUTO MERGE Post added at 22:20 ---------- Previous post was at 22:16 ----------

[quote name='Andy

 

[Larnacaman]

Your probably right about the installations age range, could of even been very late 60's . It could also have been rewired, ie...replacing all the old TRS cable, but probably not.

That stuff had a tendency for the insulation breaking-up, at termination/connection points. Especially at lighting points where the light fittings heat made the insulation extremely brittle. Lucky if you got 20 to 25 years life out of it... lol!!

 

[sprocketflup]

most of those properties have long since been rewired. But maybe there are some about,

My ma has lived in council all her life, they have just rewired her place (as cheaply as possible - she tells me there is that crappy stick on trunking EVERYWHERE) first time the electrics have been touched since early 70's apparently

 

[Apache]

Possibly a fair comment. I'm confident I can recognise stuff that is not safe or not 17th edition. The age doesn't really seem that relevant, whether it's safe and has acceptable test results is what matters.

I'm sure this will unleash a torrent of abuse

Does it need upgrading if not up to the 17th edition? What if there are no RCD's?

opcorn

 

[Larnacaman]

sprocketflup,

Ah, ....one of those ''wired in a day'' jobs then. ...lol!!! Wow!! 40 years, i hope it wasn't wired previously in TRS ...lol!!! Normally, council houses always had embedded conduit drops, so perhaps that stick-on trunking was to provide extra sockets, as the council places were always short on providing enough in the past. Like my parents old kitchen ....ONE socket!! and another on the cooker plate and that was it!! lol!!

All the council houses built in the 50's and before, in Essex were rewired in the late 70's and 80's. so around 30 years old in most cases, but some went back a lot further....

 

[Evans Electric]

The main earth was unsheathed and uninsulated i.e. bare copper.---------- AUTO MERGE Post added at 22:20 ---------- Previous post was at 22:16 ----------

I'm sure this will unleash a torrent of abuse :

Alchemist, There is no way you should receive (or accept) a "Torrent of abuse " on this forum . Other Forums ... I couldn't possibly comment!!!

"Torrents of abuse" tend to come from " Know it alls" who use the internet to **** people off and generally bully people . Not what this Forum is about . :Welcome:

 

[m4tty]

Well said sandra

 

[alchemist]

Man, I love you guys. I had a tear in my eye when I read that.

Seriously though, it's nice to know the people on here are not like that.