New Build

[mikep]

Ok everyone, you may remember the topic I asked on the subject of the meter & head in a cupboard just in the boundary, well here it is first 2 pictures are of a local job by another sparks with an air raid style housing in the front garden for 3 new builds in the rear of a property.

The other pictures are of the housing I have built, brickwork with roof etc for the DNO to run their cable then from their meter to my Fused isolator, and SWA to the property, all the way through the client asked why I ran 25mm 3 core armoured they thought it was a bit large so I told them that it was the minimum size for tails and that you cannot rely on the armour for a CPC so 3 cores plus armouring and insulation make it thick, when EDF arrived to put in the supply they put in a single centre cored 25mm aluminium conductor with a copper sheathing around it ( forget what it's called now ), I had to explain to the client it was only allowed for the DNO's and used by skilled persons ? once it's on your property any stupid person could dig it up and cut through it!! so that's why it's so thick. I also told her the IPX4 light was no good for the sink next to a shower as it had a flexible hose and could be pointed at it, again more arguments, showed her the onsite Guide which say's IPX5 with water jet's so she said it is only a guide and did not matter, God give me strength! got me cheque and got out.

Mike.

Anyway all done now.

 

[ProDave]

That looks like a neat solution. It looks at though your "anderson shelter" is in fact a waterproof housing built onto the outside of the building, rather than a completely separate block house on the boundary of the property.

It does beg the question that I asked on the original thread, if they can (and did in this case) connect the feed right onto the outside of the property, why could they not have done the "normal" thing and connected it into a meter box built flush into the wall of the house, or even to a meter position inside the dwelling. It does seem they were being awkward just for the sake of it.

Single concentric is what the DNO's incommer is. They only supply, in effect a 2 core cable, the inner core is Live, and the outer core in their head supplies both neutral AND TNCS earth.

From the head onwards, neutral and earth must be separate, hence you need 3 core.

There is another variant you can use called "split concentric" It looks a bit like the DNO's cable with the single inner core being live, but the outer core has half it's strands bare used for earth, and the other half of it's outer strands are individually sleeved and used for neutral. It makes for an overall thinner cable than 3 core SWA. However I have not seen any "propper" way to terminate it, i.e you cannot terminate it into a gland like SWA as the outer requires the earth and neutral strands to be terminated separately. So the only times i've seen it used is with the outer strands unravelled, the earth strands sleeved and then all terminated directly. It works fine inside a CU, but the termination into a switch fuse in the anderson shelter may not be so neat.

In your case you might have been able to argue you don't need the isolator you have fitted, as you have one of those nice new Siemens meters with a built in isolator. However I guess your isolator is there to cover the possibility the meter may one day be replaced with one that does not have the isolator built in.

 

[mikep]

Hi Dave,

It actually backs onto the front wall, apparentley it would cost them Double the price to run the extra 7 metres to the CU, could not think of their cables name, as for the meter yes got a cut out on it, brilliant bit of kit. took me a while why I had no juice, then read the note on it, you think they would say for another

 

[Andy™]

There is another variant you can use called "split concentric" It looks a bit like the DNO's cable with the single inner core being live, but the outer core has half it's strands bare used for earth, and the other half of it's outer strands are individually sleeved and used for neutral. It makes for an overall thinner cable than 3 core SWA. However I have not seen any "propper" way to terminate it, i.e you cannot terminate it into a gland like SWA as the outer requires the earth and neutral strands to be terminated separately. So the only times i've seen it used is with the outer strands unravelled, the earth strands sleeved and then all terminated directly. It works fine inside a CU, but the termination into a switch fuse in the anderson shelter may not be so neat.

you can get heahshrink boots to fit over the stripped end. either way, even is split con was used, it would be taken fully into the enclosure so you wouldnt be able to see any without outer sheath

 

[Andy™]

In your case you might have been able to argue you don't need the isolator you have fitted, as you have one of those nice new Siemens meters with a built in isolator. However I guess your isolator is there to cover the possibility the meter may one day be replaced with one that does not have the isolator built in.

the isolator isnt really the problem - its the fuse to protect submain, since you cant rely on DNO's

 

[ProDave]

you can get heahshrink boots to fit over the stripped end. either way' date=' even is split con was used, it would be taken fully into the enclosure so you wouldnt be able to see any without outer sheath[/quote']The situation I've seen it used which looks very messy was where a 3 phase incomer terminated into 4 henly blocks, from where it is fed as submains to individual single phase CU's with split con. Terminating the split con into the henleys in the open, even with a boot, looks very messy indeed.

However that installation I think was a complete bodge anyway, a 3 phase distribution board with MCB's for each submain should have been how it was done, then the split con could be terminated properly within the 3 phase board.

 

[mikep]

Yep the DNO's is 100amp mines an 80amp. first one I've done

 

[mikep]

Even stuck a bit of flexi conduit on the tails, bound to be used as a store cupboard for the BBQ, still you do the best with what you got!! OOh Matron!!

 

[Andy™]

The situation I've seen it used which looks very messy was where a 3 phase incomer terminated into 4 henly blocks, from where it is fed as submains to individual single phase CU's with split con. Terminating the split con into the henleys in the open, even with a boot, looks very messy indeed.However that installation I think was a complete bodge anyway, a 3 phase distribution board with MCB's for each submain should have been how it was done, then the split con could be terminated properly within the 3 phase board.

main problem there would be the single insulated part between sheath ending & conductors going into henley. by twising N & E, you can make it look reasonable

 

[ProDave]

Hi Dave,It actually backs onto the front wall, apparentley it would cost them Double the price to run the extra 7 metres to the CU, ... , you think they would say for another

 

[wozz]

who put the duct in for the supply cable?

around here theres no way the edf would put their cable in that duct.

 

[ProDave]

around here theres no way the edf would put their cable in that duct.

Why not? what's wrong with it? what would you use instead?

The only time I've had the DNO refuse to use a duct that was provided was when the stupid builder thought it would be okay to use a length of blue MDPE water pipe to feed the incomer through, and the DNO rightly refused as someone may think it's a water pipe and saw through it expecting to make a water connection.

 

[initforthemoney]

That is one mother of an isolator. ROTFWL

 

[kme]

who put the duct in for the supply cable? around here theres no way the edf would put their cable in that duct.

WPD have stated they will only install into a "hockey stick" - I`ve known them refuse to use duct like that!

 

[wozz]

Edf will only pull through their approved ducting, i think its 52mm PVC ducting you can get it from jewsons. well its usually murpheys pr freedom not actually edf doing the cable pulling.

When doing a meter move they give you a leaflet from jewsons with the meter cabinet on it and say others may not be suitable so buy it from jewsons!

 

[green-hornet]

WPD have stated they will only install into a "hockey stick" - I`ve known them refuse to use duct like that!

I have had the same problem with United utilities, hockey stick or no service.

 

[mikep]

EDF instructions say customer to Istall polyduct, The ground waorkers had fitted the duct before I got their ( was not happy them running it ) I did not know what EDF were fitting only SP+N so stuck the Isolator in That's good for the 100amp capacity, I think they use the same box for the 3 phase units and leave the switchgear out. anyway all done now.

Mike.