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On the subject of pulling the DNO fuse.

alanblaby
There have been a couple of reports here of the DNO confronting electricians who have pulled their fuse.


It's getting closer to home, a work colleague was doing a CU change on a domestic house last week, no isolator fitted, so he pulled the fuse (no seals present).

South Nottinghamshire.


Around 90 minutes later there was a knock on the door, a guy from Western Power was investigating a power loss at the property, reported by the Smart Meter phoning home.

He gave the sparky a talking to, and warned they are getting strict in pursuing people who do it, he said meter fiddling was rife, so any loss of power is checked out asap.
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    Alan Capon:




    Measuring where you are, I am assuming you have a Class 4 tester with Class 4 leads. 


    For a Zs of 1.3 initially at the consumer unit, would the fault level justify a space suit?. I was a SAP with NOSHEB for voltages up to 275kV in days of yore.


    Jaymack




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    For a Zs of 1.3 initially at the consumer unit, would the fault level justify a space suit?



    But you can't know the PFC until after you've measured it - if the high loop impedance was due to a loose connection or corrosion on the outgoing fuse terminal for example the fault current would likely be orders of magnitude higher at the incoming contact.

      - Andy.
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    Firstly, measure Zs at the CU with the main earth disconnected, then inspect/investigate further if suspect.


    Jaymack
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    Alan Capon:

    When Smart Metering was introduced in Ed Milliband’s 2013 Labour government, the consumer was given the power to veto a smart meter chosen by the electricity supplier.




    David Cameron's Conservative government was in power in 2013. Ed Miliband was the leader of the opposition.



     

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    Hi,


    On a directly-related topic, what is the point of a seal on a head that is installed after the meter?  I have seen this and can't understand what it is there for.  No abstraction is possible even if you remove it and make any changes.


    Do you think its there as the DNO just always put one on any red-head?


    Thanks,
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    On a directly-related topic, what is the point of a seal on a head that is installed after the meter?  I have seen this and can't understand what it is there for.  No abstraction is possible even if you remove it and make any changes.


    Do you think its there as the DNO just always put one on any red-head?



    It's probably from an electric shock point of view - preventing someone pulling the fuse or otherwise removing covers to expose live parts - which if it were not for the seal could be accessed without the use of a tool.


      - Andy.
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    AJJewsbury:




    On a directly-related topic, what is the point of a seal on a head that is installed after the meter?  I have seen this and can't understand what it is there for.  No abstraction is possible even if you remove it and make any changes.


    Do you think its there as the DNO just always put one on any red-head?



    It's probably from an electric shock point of view - preventing someone pulling the fuse or otherwise removing covers to expose live parts - which if it were not for the seal could be accessed without the use of a tool.


      - Andy.

     




    Aha!  Good point.  So on that basis (and I'm probably being an ar$e here...) it could be reasonably replaced by a cable tie?  Same means of removal, i.e. by wire snips...


    Thanks,

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    it could be reasonably replaced by a cable tie?  Same means of removal, i.e. by wire snips...



    I guess in theory yes - in practice though a reasonbly robust nylon tie probably isn't going to fit though the little holes they provide. Maybe it could go around the whole thing, but it then gets difficult to ensure it can't be slid off.


      - Andy.
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    AJJewsbury:




    it could be reasonably replaced by a cable tie?  Same means of removal, i.e. by wire snips...



    I guess in theory yes - in practice though a reasonbly robust nylon tie probably isn't going to fit though the little holes they provide. Maybe it could go around the whole thing, but it then gets difficult to ensure it can't be slid off.


    It's about intent isn't it? If you are very agile, you could probably bite it off. (When I was a very small boy, I could bite not just my finger nails, but also my toe nails; nowadays I do well to kiss my knees.)


    Isn't it like those hopeless dolly locks? Yes, you have demonstrated safe isolation, but one good tug and the lock comes off. However, should there be any difficulty, you can still demonstrate that the padlock was secure.


    Funny old thing, nowadays DNOs and meter installers take pictures of their completed work.

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    Verging on boring now.


    Regards, UKPN.?

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