How to isolate for CU change

[tomsw18]

What is everyone doing to safely isolate when you are faced with a consumer unit change and there is no isolator between the CU and the supply cut out? I assume it Is a case of contacting the DNO to come out? How long does this take and what are the fees, etc?

I've seen plenty of videos of people pulling the fuse but I thought you weren't allowed to do that and am aware of the risks in doing so.

 

[Murdoch]

Pulling the DNO fuses depends on the DNO. SSE are happy for CPS members to pull their fuses.

The other approach is to get the customer to request an isolator be fitted .......... at their cost

Bottom line is you can't work live

 

[kerching]

I find it slightly odd For a qualified spark to ask this question , as it depends on which area you are working in and WHAT is allowed by area DNO

there again may it's just me

just saying

 

[Sharpend]

Used to cost £175 ish but that was near 10year ago :C  for an isolator to be fitted. 

 

[phil d]

if you are lucky then the house has an old metal service head, in which case you notify DNO as they have a policy of changing them, be there when they come out to replace it and they will connect up your isolator FOC, had one recently and the engineer even offered to give us an isolator!

A lot of the time if I'm doing anything that needs the main isolating I pull the fuse myself, just don't touch the meter seal, they are not as bothered about the service fuse seal as the meter seal, I was actually told this by a senior DNO engineer. When it's done I have seals to reseal it, a lot of the time there isn't a problem, only had one and the cutout had overheated at some point, I got the fuse out safely enough, but it wouldn't go back in, DNO came out and were fine about it, I'd found a fault for them, round here as long as you know what you are doing they don't really get upset, to be honest they get more upset about meter monkeys not tightening up connections properly.

 

[OnOff]

Locally BG were fitting foc with a change to a smart meter. EDF wanted I think it was £40 to supply and fit but that was about 10 years ago too. They would both fit the Wylex REC2.

I remember doing my own but was able to do so without touching the head fuse /seals as I had a duff, up front RCD after the meter I then used as an isolator to do the work. I called EDF/UKPN in to then replace the original small tails from the meter. 

 

[tomsw18]

I find it slightly odd For a qualified spark to ask this question , as it depends on which area you are working in and WHAT is allowed by area DNO

there again may it's just me

just saying

Because I've worked on the industrial side of things for over 20 years and now in the middle of a career change as personal circumstances have changed.

 

[tomsw18]

This isn't something I'm currently faced with by the way - I'm just researching as I've not found the 'right' way to do shown anywhere. 

I've seen videos of guys just cutting the seal and pulling the fuse themselves, but I've not managed to find anyone describing the process of requesting the DNO to come and do it, yet this must be commonplace on domestic work.

Is this something that normally happens in a few days or weeks or months?

 

[binky]

Because I've worked on the industrial side of things for over 20 years and now in the middle of a career change as personal circumstances have changed.

I gave up calling out DNO when they were 3 days late! Fortunately I had 3 days work to do at that property. Switch off board, pull fuse or disconnect meter tails at the meter - choise is yours. You can get meter seals online to reseal whatever you have removed.

 

[OnOff]

+

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6mm-AL-CU-METER-SECURITY-SEAL-SEALS-WIRES-FERRULES-MOCOPA-BS-QUALITY/352649988637?



If you are going to DIY it then FFS switch the board off so there's no load when the fuse gets pulled. Belt and braces you'd wear flash PPE.

 

[kerching]

And if it's a metal head be very very careful

and if it's a metal ISCO 3 phase  head don't even think about considering thinking about it.  The DNO open and cut the service in the road before attempting this. There is a bit of a design fault/BFO Bang and flash

 

[ProDave]

^^^^^ Wot he says above.......

 

[binky]

I always feel happier disconnect the meter tail at the meter, the customer side does belong to the customer after all, so the meter maids can f-off with sealing my customers gear 

 

[phil d]

And if it's a metal head be very very careful

and if it's a metal ISCO 3 phase  head don't even think about considering thinking about it.  The DNO open and cut the service in the road before attempting this. There is a bit of a design fault/BFO Bang and flash

Metal head is always a DNO job now for me, especially as they are replacing them anyway, worst one I had was pulling one and the fuse carrier broke in half, luckily I was using the fibreglass pliers at the time, and the gloves.

 

[kerching]

Metal head is always a DNO job now for me, especially as they are replacing them anyway, worst one I had was pulling one and the fuse carrier broke in half, luckily I was using the fibreglass pliers at the time, and the gloves.

How big are your fibre glass pliers to fit a 1361/88 carrier ? Post a link,please as I need some.  Mine are big enough to get a grip on H07 and K07s, I have the hands of a gynaecologist ( like shilling dinners ) but they wouldn't grip a DNO style carrier with a pair of pliers 

ive got Arc Flash face/head/ear protection , gauntlets, inner gloves and protectors , along with more 1000V VDE kit than you can shake a faeces encrusted tree branch with.  Mores the pity I didn't use it when I got arc flash burns recently.  Complacency isn't good

 

[phil d]

How big are your fibre glass pliers to fit a 1361/88 carrier ? Post a link,please as I need some.  Mine are big enough to get a grip on H07 and K07s, I have the hands of a gynaecologist ( like shilling dinners ) but they wouldn't grip a DNO style carrier with a pair of pliers 

ive got Arc Flash face/head/ear protection , gauntlets, inner gloves and protectors , along with more 1000V VDE kit than you can shake a faeces encrusted tree branch with.  Mores the pity I didn't use it when I got arc flash burns recently.  Complacency isn't good

very similar to this, https://uk.farnell.com/ideal/34-003/fuse-puller-3-4in-to-2-1-2in-diameter/dp/1753010

I must admit I had a lucky one the other week in a factory again caused by complacency, I was trying to remove a damaged cable and my finger brushed over one of the  metal prongs (live) that the breaker connects to. Luckily I was smoking a fag at the time, otherwise my other hand might have been leaning on the casing, done the same thing hundreds of times live and never a problem, as you say it's getting complacent that gets you.

I too have loads of vde kit, a lot of it ex DNO stuff, the trouble is the bit you need is always in the truck and it's going to take 5 minutes to get it or two minutes to do the job, yet annoyingly I'm the first one to tell off the younger sparkies if I see them taking chances, it's not a case of some sort of arrogance over myexperience, it's one of those sort of 'I'm set in with my bad habits, don't you start them too'.

My worst one involved a 3 phase short, many years ago,it happened the day I was going on holiday, I looked a right chunt, no eyebrows, a bald left arm and a hairy right one, my face looked like I'd spent a week under a sunbed, again caused by complacency, boy did I feel a fool on holiday. lol

 

[Evans Electric]

Used to cost £175 ish but that was near 10year ago :C  for an isolator to be fitted. 

Hence the reason no one requested it !!!!

 

[OnOff]

I think it was me who christened the hitherto unnamed Seal Fairy, Amelie after one of my then young daughter's books? 

 

[ProDave]

What I hadn't mentioned was up here in the northern branch of SSE territory, nearly all single rate meters were of a type with a built in isolator, so only the input terminals were sealed.

Of course now those are gradually being replaced by smart meters as more gullible customers are convinced a smart meter is actually of benefit to them, and of course the smart meters don't have this most useful safety feature.  I believe this is known in the trade as "progress"