main service fuse replacement

[choccy]

Good evening all, not had a post in a while but looking for some help please.

In a customers house and I am in need of a service cut out fuse, The info I have is a bs88 1952 and its a 60amp.

I am looking to change this to an 80 amp of the same size but cant sourse one. The size is 15mm diameter and 75mm in lenth.

If anyone could assist me I would be very grateful.

 

[Sidewinder]

choccy,

Contact the DNO and ask them for a service upgrade, you do not know if the supply cable can cope with the potential increase in load.

Also by tempering with the DNO kit in this way you are committing a criminal offence.

 

[ProDave]

Surely this is a job for the DNO not a sparky? Anything before the meter is theirs and we are not supposed to touch it.

It should be classed as an emergency so they should come out any time of day to fix this.

 

[Andy™]

Good evening all, not had a post in a while but looking for some help please.In a customers house and I am in need of a service cut out fuse, The info I have is a bs88 1952 and its a 60amp.

I am looking to change this to an 80 amp of the same size but cant sourse one. The size is 15mm diameter and 75mm in lenth.

If anyone could assist me I would be very grateful.

contact DNO. how do you even know the supply can be upgraded from 60 to 80.

 

[choccy]

Agree with the post and I will contact the dno on monday and ask for an upgrade.

 

[andy_spark]

I asked Western Power this last week as one of my customers is thinking about more electric heating. I was told that they will need a site visit to determine the current rating of the meter, cable sizes and main fuse rating. If they are satisfied you may get an up-rated supply, and a bill:O!!

I also had a PME supply installed last week for only

 

[Andy™]

why shouldnt you get a bill for it? you (well, customer) wants the work done. you didnt do your bit for free did you?

 

[andy_spark]

I agree with the bill, I'm just warning choccy not to be surprised by it.

My customer was more than happy to pay the

 

[ProDave]

Why do you think the customer NEEDS the supply uprated from 60A to 80A?

What extra things are you installing? Unless you have two electric showers, or a huge all electric range cooker, I would be surprised if it really needs an upgrade.

Of course you could just leave the 60A fuse there, install the extra gear, then when the DNO's 60A fuse blows you just might get your 80A upgrade for free :coat

 

[a1]

Western power not only did a free upgrade from 60 to 80 A fuse for me, they also changed the cut out to cope with it.

When the shed/workshop/childrens play room was built. (But it does have a retractable roof, like the millenium stadium in Cardiff).

And they weren't long in coming to do it, from the time of my request either.

 

[choccy]

Why do you think the customer NEEDS the supply uprated from 60A to 80A?What extra things are you installing? Unless you have two electric showers, or a huge all electric range cooker, I would be surprised if it really needs an upgrade.

Of course you could just leave the 60A fuse there, install the extra gear, then when the DNO's 60A fuse blows you just might get your 80A upgrade for free :coat

The customer has had a new 9.5 kw shower added thats all.

 

[Andy™]

doesnt always mean a larger supply req'd

used to have a 9.5kW shower at mine, along with leccy cooker and the usual sockets/lights. all on a 40A service fuse, which has never blown

 

[choccy]

Thanks for the reply I have spoken to the customer and going to contact the dno and take it from there.

 

[Andy™]

although i did install a shower a few years back for someone - 16mm tails from head to meter/CU, everything else OK (16th ed board). all tested out OK. then gets a phone call - 'there is smoke coming from lectric cupboard when shower was used'

got there, switched on shower, and within minutes smoke coming from head

called DNO. street is only wired with 4mm

 

[Technician]

DNO's change cut outs. I had a supply head renewal and the DNO rep

saw the new board. He gave me the old 80 A device and put in a 100A

BS1361 (with label).

I had a guy who asked me to put two 10.5 kW showers in, one for him,

one for his wife. When I refused, he pointed to all that I had done and said

that if I could do that I could change his cut out for a larger one.

You may imagine my response.

 

[kme]

I`ve done that, in a domestic with 80A supply.........through a changeover contactor You can HAVE two showers, but you`re only going to use 1 at a time ]

 

[Technician]

KME, yes... I did think of that, but I know that the householder was liable to re-locate

the tails and I also knew that in that area, illegal abstraction was going on.

I left it out of the discussion.

 

[ProDave]

No problem using two 8.5KW showers at the same time here.

But then Scottish Hydro do fit 100A cut outs as standard.

 

[Technician]

Interesting point Pro Dave...this silly sod wanted two 10.5kW

units on an 80A BS1361 cut out. Talk about a full Monty.

I said no.

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

In reply to a recent application for a new supply i was told all suppliers have to fit a provide a minimum of a 100A. When i was talking to the engineers regarding other problems this came up in the conversation. They have to provide 100A supplies even to each bedsit room we are converting from a large house.

Regarding the showers. I have mentioned this before, a house i carry out maintenance on has 8, 8.5 kw showers fitted (rented rooms with shared kitchen) I have known the job for 6 years and the main fuse has never blown. It could be the fact that its mainly students who dont know what a shower is.