Pull Mainfuse

[Andy™]

generally on newbuilds etc. I think it was a trial, obviously never caught on.

probably cost an extra few

 

[seajayess]

I have found that most jointers or meter installers would rather you pull the fuse than work LIVE, and when they leave there is often 1 or 2 seals left lying around just incase you need them CJS

 

[revjames]

I think once the key operated meters came in it was no good shielding them as customers wouldnt be able to get their keys in.

 

[mikep]

I am Gas Safe Registered, as long as you have done the meters course and passed you isolate and take the meter out so you can work safe while doing pipe-work etc, when your finished you pop it back in, nice and safe !!

 

[Lurch]

I am Gas Safe Registered, as long as you have done the meters course and passed you isolate and take the meter out so you can work safe while doing pipe-work etc, when your finished you pop it back in, nice and safe !!

This is what annoys me, gas engineers can remove and refit meters, plumbers can remove and refit meters, sparks can;t even connect a set of tails into an existing meter.

 

[ian932]

I'm tired of this debate, any DNO who would like to take me to court for working on a dead system that I have isolated via their cutout, due to their inability to come up with a workable process between them, the supply company's and our industry.

I've always phone the DNO to let them know the seals were cut and why along with my company details and to date no one has said I should not have done this.

 

[revjames]

safety first. if theres no way to isolate then it comes out.

 

[netblindpaul]

Look guys, sorry to be the party pooper, however, none of you are legally allowed to pull the DNO fuse unless you are a DNO employee or other person authorised by the DNO in writing.

If you do and something goes wrong you are in breach of EAWR89, and possibly ESQCR.

I'm sure the DNO guys on here will back me up.

I must be blessed as I can talk to sense to my local DNO and get things done, they are as far as I can see nothing but helpful regardless of metering supplier!

Has anyone been trained on live working on the national grid with current paperwork to authorise them to do this (DNO employees excluded!).

If you have not then you must not do this.

As I understand it, it can be made into a criminal offence, depending on what happens after you cut the seals, when you have no further control over the premises.

Abstraction comes to mind!

 

[ProDave]

I'm tired of this debate, any DNO who would like to take me to court for working on a dead system that I have isolated via their cutout, due to their inability to come up with a workable process between them, the supply company's and our industry.I've always phone the DNO to let them know the seals were cut and why along with my company details and to date no one has said I should not have done this.

You've hit the nail on the head.

I don't think there's one of us that can claim to have never cut a seal and pulled the fuse.

And the lack of prosecutions for doing that, says with a nod and a wink that in the absence of any other means of isolation, that's what you do.

Oops, the OP didn't want this to turn into a debate on the rights and wrongs of pulling the fuse.

 

[batty]

Look guys, sorry to be the party pooper, however, none of you are legally allowed to pull the DNO fuse unless you are a DNO employee or other person authorised by the DNO in writing.If you do and something goes wrong you are in breach of EAWR89, and possibly ESQCR.

I'm sure the DNO guys on here will back me up.

I must be blessed as I can talk to sense to my local DNO and get things done, they are as far as I can see nothing but helpful regardless of metering supplier!

Has anyone been trained on live working on the national grid with current paperwork to authorise them to do this (DNO employees excluded!).

If you have not then you must not do this.

As I understand it, it can be made into a criminal offence, depending on what happens after you cut the seals, when you have no further control over the premises.

Abstraction comes to mind!

EDF will not fit isolators so it could take me two days to do a cu change and customer would be without electricity for that time. You are lucky if you have a good dno, EDF are not very helpful.

 

[wozz]

EDF will not fit isolators so it could take me two days to do a cu change and customer would be without electricity for that time. You are lucky if you have a good dno, EDF are not very helpful.

completely concur. There is no option in EDF territory. I have been taught to pull fuses by a metering contractor in EDF areas and no specialist PPE was required to do this (unless working with cast heads) so why a decent solution to this problem cannot be found is beyond me. It took me about 1hr to read the procedure and past the test, and that was to change the whole meter not just pull the fuse!

I believe it is simple, the EDF dont want a solution, electricians are not injuring themselves or others everyday pulling service fuses, the current situation is the cheapest for them.

On the other hand southern electricity are coming more apparent round here. Their meters have isolators built in and i have even seen on their website temporary seals available and a service for resealing once work is complete.

So not all DNOs have the same views, luck of the draw.

 

[sparkss]

Excellent post Sparkss.That's just the way it should be. But perhaps you can answer this scenario:

I find a BIG problem when the customer's electricity supplier is NOT their local DNO. In that case, if I phone the DNO (Scottish & southern in my case) for any request, as soon as they look up the address and see they are not the supplier, they say they can't do anything. They say I must phone the supplier who will then pass on their request. So I phone the supplier who usually turn out to be useless. N Power are the worst, they won't do ANYTHING by phone, even when I have tried to report a dangerous situation that needs immediate attention (where SSE would attend that same day if I called them) all they say is "put your request in writing and we will deal with it"

I think this situation is deplorable. It's certainly not in the interests of safety and no doubt leads to more sparky's doing things like pulling the main fuse and cutting the meter seals to fit new tails, and not being able to get someone to attend for an emergency the same day is downright dangerous.

Personally I think the DNO should attend to the request in the same was as if they were the supplier, after all it is they who will eventually attend when requested to do so by the supplier.

I'd be interested in your comments.

ill answer this about the area i work in,

around here even if the supplier is E.ON its not the DNO E.ON and Central Networks although they are both owned by the parent company E.ON who bill people are infact E.ON energy.

totaly diffrent offices and everything so in that case they are diffrent from the DNO same goes for most of the other DNOS to. anyway back to this,

i dont think the industry will change not yet anyway, and i know gow difficult it is with the suppliers. Even when we ourselfs try to get imfo from them ect we come to a brick wall! :_|

Its just getting threw to there right dept, but some of the call handlers they have i think at times..... they might not even know what electricity is ; \

if anyone has any problems just messaage me as i have direct numbers for most suppliers.

another problem is that there is times when the metering equiptment is also seprate from the DNO and the supplier thats when the metering operator comes in and rase there heads,

CN area we also own the metering operator (metering services) so this does make it a little... easyer but again even though e.on own them and we are based in the same depo (tipton) trying to work togther is just a nighmare X(

 

[sparkytim]

Have had this dilemma for many years, it got good here in Eastern region when E.E. licenesed NICIEC approved contractors also memebers of H.E.A.T. to self connect, 2 day course all the tools including PPE, we could pull fuses up to 100 Amp, connect in tails, even connect in PME to nuetral for TNCS.

Later they sub-contracted out Meter changes and I had a pleasent summer in Broadland 700+ Meters, around 18 to 20 a day, a couple of days a week.

Then in came all the different suppliers and it all got spoilt

I understand work is going on with all the parties involved to solve the problem. At the moment it is IMPOSSIBLE to comply as many of the suppliers will NOT arrange tempory disconnections and here EDF as DNO will not do so.

So what do we do?

3 am call out to burnt out Consumer Unit?

Reality needs must, OK for you theroy guys to quote the rules but it dont work in the real world. Try it some time.

 

[Blue Fox]

Has anyone been trained on live working on the national grid with current paperwork to authorise them to do this (DNO employees excluded!).

Yes I have, I have my HV authorised person ticket which allows me to work on the grid, switch high voltage, work in sub stations etc etc, unfortunatly I'm still not allowed to pull a 230v fuse, I am however allowed to switch 275Kv in a substation!! Make sanse of that!

 

[bulmer]

I wonder how many electricians have been prosecuted for pulling the main fuse.

None I reckon

 

[Megaohm7]

[quote name='Andy

 

[ElectekAir]

It does seem a daft situation where you would report a gas/water leak and the relevant people come out as soon as to fix the problem but contact the DNO to report a potentially lethal situation then they request it in writing and so on . It's not surprising that electricians do what they do without bothering the DNO's . :Blushing

I would say it has somthing to do with cost if gas or water leak someone is paying but if it is a potentialy leathal situation then it costs them nothing? :|