Rules and Guidelines
Want to participate in the discussions? Please read our Community Rules and Guidelines. Need some help? Visit Support and Answers.

  • State Not Answered
  • Locked Locked
  • Replies 26 replies
  • Subscribers 31 subscribers
  • Views 2015 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
You may also be interested in
This discussion is locked.
You cannot post a reply to this discussion. If you have a question start a new discussion

Tough Meter Tails.

Zoomup
I reused some old meter tails today, cira 1980s. Wow, did they bend easily. It was a delight to use them. Why oh why are modern meter tails so difficult to bend into shape. Is the copper harder? I even heard a meter installer complaining about how he hated trying to bend modern meter tails.


P.s. Is that why modern meter tails come loose so easily in main switch terminals if we just look at them? There is no "give". They are just so rigid.


Z.
Parents
  • 0

    Colin Jenkins:

    I agree with the comments above that present-day meter tails are much harder to fan into terminals than they used to be, for whatever reason.  I think this is the primary cause of the consumer unit fires that led to the Amendment 3 metal enclosures.  We would perhaps have been better served if the problem(s) had been researched more thoroughly and eliminated rather than just enclosing it/them.  A seven-strand 25mm tail does not want to bend into the restricted access to a cage clamp.  Using a torque driver does not alter the situation - the cable does not want to be in there and will squirm and twist over several weeks after installation until eventually it has relaxed and then there is the risk that it is no longer as secure as it was when first installed.  Clamping the tail in the consumer unit may help but does not eliminate this problem. Should this situation be followed by the smart meter crew arriving and overlooking checking/tightening the consumer unit incoming tail connections, then the consequences can be serious.


    Regards,


                           Colin Jenkins.




    I completely agree.

    There is no justification for not annealing/softening copper except as a cost saving exercise with dangerous results.

    With regard to CU fires the evidence of a lack of annealing contributing to the fire would be destroyed by the heat.

Reply
  • 0

    Colin Jenkins:

    I agree with the comments above that present-day meter tails are much harder to fan into terminals than they used to be, for whatever reason.  I think this is the primary cause of the consumer unit fires that led to the Amendment 3 metal enclosures.  We would perhaps have been better served if the problem(s) had been researched more thoroughly and eliminated rather than just enclosing it/them.  A seven-strand 25mm tail does not want to bend into the restricted access to a cage clamp.  Using a torque driver does not alter the situation - the cable does not want to be in there and will squirm and twist over several weeks after installation until eventually it has relaxed and then there is the risk that it is no longer as secure as it was when first installed.  Clamping the tail in the consumer unit may help but does not eliminate this problem. Should this situation be followed by the smart meter crew arriving and overlooking checking/tightening the consumer unit incoming tail connections, then the consequences can be serious.


    Regards,


                           Colin Jenkins.




    I completely agree.

    There is no justification for not annealing/softening copper except as a cost saving exercise with dangerous results.

    With regard to CU fires the evidence of a lack of annealing contributing to the fire would be destroyed by the heat.

Children
No Data

Join us to get the best from IET EngX.

Joining EngX lets you personalise your experience so you stay up to date on the topics that interest you, plus you’ll be able to make connections who are looking to collaborate, exchange ideas and more.

Join us Not now

Community Rules & Guidelines