seal on fuse cut out

[chrisgjudd]

ok guys can you be straight with me as i am still green, when a sparky turns up to i.e fit a new cu does he in reality cut the seal to remove the fuse or something else, same with meter seal, be honest guys???

chrisgjudd

 

[Admin1]

No, 99.9999% of the time they aren't there to start with.

 

[norv]

I dont think you will get a deffo answer on this one but as I've read before, e-bay is your friend;\

 

[mcgaw81]

No, 99.9999% of the time they aren't there to start with.

99.9999%??? I thought it was 100%, honetly can't remember the last time i seen one. :^O :^O

 

[steptoe]

i NEVER, and i mean i have NEVER in all my time ever cut a DNO seal.

some countries its a massive NO NO and instant jail if you do it and are a knowledgable person.

why would you need too???

 

[norv]

I agree Steptoe but I phoned the DNO a while back to come & pull the main fuse & they wanted

 

[steptoe]

I agree Steptoe but I phoned the DNO a while back to come & pull the main fuse & they wanted

 

[norv]

Well cutting the tails would mean working live wouldnt it ?

Seen these on e-bay, bought a couple. They got the 2 holes in the top & bottom aswell for the 25mm tails

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MEM-100-Amp-Double-Pole-Isolating-switch-with-enclosure_W0QQitemZ380021357210QQihZ025QQcategoryZ42899QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

 

[steptoe]

most councils require that type of thing to be fitted now.

good job they are too,

live isnt the big thing every1 makes it out to be, or maybe im one of the people you talk about can do the job on monday, I just dont see the point in being worried too much if you have the right kit,

decent VDE pliers and a 6mm screwdriver,

cut it, sheath it, strip it and tighten the terminal.!

 

[M107]

Well I'll put my hands up & be honest.

Yes I have cut seals & removed the service cutout fuses & if its a new meter that has the integral isolation switch , then I have removed the seal the meter mokeys have the habbit of fitting to the switch.

Why.....................because I dont fancy working with live tails! & most customers dont want to pay out or wait 24 days for SSE to do what I would do anyway.

But as said 99.9999999999999999% its missing anyway.

 

[kme]

a knowledgable person.why would you need too???

Well I'll put my hands up & be honest.Yes I have cut seals & removed the service cutout fuses & if its a new meter that has the integral isolation switch , then I have removed the seal the meter mokeys have the habbit of fitting to the switch.

Why.....................because I dont fancy working with live tails! & most customers dont want to pay out or wait 24 days for SSE to do what I would do anyway.

Agree with you both here. As Mr. Steptoe says, what`s the problem - unless you intend to attempt to comply with EAWR`89 - Then you`ve got to prove it was :

a. unreasonable to work dead.

AND

b. reasonable to work live.

However, some tails can be a real pain to deal with, in limited space etc, and then I pull the service fuse. NEVER the meter seal though - Never seen a need to.

On a connected note - one of the scottish DNOs piloted a system whereby qualified sparks could call them on a dedicated line, give the address, and were allowed to cut seals.

NICEIC held talks with other RECs/DNOs, who pretty much said:

"It`s our stuff, and we`re not having anyone else touching it."

And on a similar point again - upgrade of EC on PME. Our DNO has started fitting the Earthing terminal INSIDE the cutout. They`re charging up to

 

[steptoe]

UNLESS,

and this does make me a lair, (I never claimed not to be one!)

its the old style braided tails, and yes I have cut the meter seal and replaced them, rang DNO, explained to the (usually) lady on the phone and no probs.

but otherwise just to fit a new C/u or Earth Ive not cut seals,

for earth Ive left the tail hanging and informed DNO of my action and got customer to sign the form to say action has been accepted by them.

(cant remember the form name, sorry)

obviously Ive left existing earth connected also.

I think in this country its a much to a much once you get to know the set up with DNO if they find it acceptable or not to cut seals,

just a warning to any1 thinking of looking further afield, CHECK first.

your ass ' . '

your ass in jail ' O '

:^O :^O:^O

 

[kme]

:^O :^O:^O:^O:^O

Nice one my friend. FOTC +ROTF

 

[Badger]

ive never come across a seal upto now and ive done alot of board changes

 

[Andy™]

i often break the cutout seal, but if tails are undersized and need changed, then meter seal has to be broken. depending on the job, i sometimes screw an isolator to wall ready, then cut/strip and terminate live (insulated gloves are useful).

OOI, has anyone else came accross meters with a built in isolator? didnt get details of meter, but there was 2 covers on bottom, one on supply side and a separate for load side. under this cover there was a switch so you could work dead on the terminals. there was no kind of markings or anything on the meter to say there was an isolator, apart from the back of the cover

 

[GreekIslandLover]

Our boss told us a while back that SSE would let you cut the seal of you were an NIC registered company. Never quite sure if that was true or not, but as I've never seen a seal it's not a problem

However, on callout duty recently I had one property where ther was no juice coming into the property. Rang up SSE and tole them this. They said remove the fuse and check. I queried this instruction, and they then said if you are NIC registered you can cut the fuse. Had a second callout a few weeks later, and the service head had turned into a molten blob - no power coming in. Rang them to tell them they had better get it sorted. They asked me to remove the fuse and check if there was any power. I declined as under the circumstances they needed to do it.

But if it wasn't possibly going to save one of their blokes coming out in the middle of the night, would they say the same thing I wonder?????

 

[Theorysparky]

I put the question to an EON sparky a while back.

they didnt mind if it could be seen to have been done for a legitimate reason,ie cu change

but they would not tolerate tampering for theft of service which is how the drugs factory in Northamptonshire was discovered

 

[Andy™]

but they would not tolerate tampering for theft of service which is how the drugs factory in Northamptonshire was discovered

just about every time ive came accross where the leccy has been stolen all seals are intact...

 

[Badger]

so that means then its more of a chance if the c/u has been changed and niceic issued cert then eon-supplier shouldnt really have a problem with that, as its safer to put tails directly into the meter than have a tail from the meter through another henley block which goes from 16mm to 25mm, at 100 amps

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

About 15 years ago i was contracted by Cable London to upgrade the supplies to there roadside cabinets. It was all night work. 50 % had meters and the other 50% the supply came straight from a EDF head and the usage was estimated. There were 5 of us out every night for 2 months and we had to do 18 cabinets each. We were given letters from EDF ( each with our names on) that stated we were allowed to remove the seals and carry out maintenance works to the equipment. I used that letter for years.