we have a property with a single phase supply, another phase also enters the property and has an empty fuse carrier.
i met with UKPN on site and we confirmed its a seperate phase.
we applied to our supplier to have a 3 phase meter with 2 phases.
after 18 months of emails and missed appoinments they tell us that the cut outs are not suitable .
i cant think of a reason why it cant be conected, can anyone here help ?
they tell us that the cut outs are not suitable
Hard to know without seeing it - guesses might include each supply having its own N (and they don't wish to either combine them or use L from one supply and N from the other), or it's split-phase (and their meters aren't labelled for 460V use), or just the fuse carrier is old and not compliant in some way (anything from asbestos to the black plastic cut-outs on 100A supplies).
Would they give you a 2nd single phase meter?
- Andy.
it is black plastic, i have a picture of it. Not sure how to upload from my ipad.
its 415 volts phase to phase.
How do the two phases enter the property? If they arrive in the same service cable, all well and good; but if there are two service cables, you will need two service heads.
Whilst you could run two lines through one three phase meter, I am not sure what you would do with two neutrals.
If you have two single phase meters, you will need two MPANs and that can become a real minefield.
Have a look at this discussion from a few weeks ago.
A three phase smart meter should be able to accomodate split phase. there will just be unused terminals. Split phase is really quite common in rural areas. Tell them to send a three phase approved installer though. If the cutouts are a problem then UKPN should change them FoC. Why not post a picture here.
Not sure how to upload from my ipad.
Not sure about iPadOS, but from windoze drag & drop, copy & paste and from file via the Insert->Image/Video/File options all work.
- Andy.
Humm Thanks - that seems to answer most of the questions. No obvious reasons why not to my eyes.
The cut-out looks to be an older type - the fuse carriers look somewhat short to me - I wonder if they take a different kind of fuse they don't carry any more?
- Andy.
Hmm, well as far as I can see, there is nothing obviously terrible about that incomer and fuses, apart perhaps from the TNS to TNC-s conversion at some point in the past, which may hide a latent Zs issue or PILC problems to come. But that would be a DNO matter, and by the sounds of it they are happy. The incomer looks like it is one that could have been configured for 3 phase, as the right most slot (normally neutral) seems unused, but again that is not really a show stopper, any more than the few single phase incomers that have live on the right, they all need checking before connection anyway.
It is unusual to have things wired for 2 phases and not 1 or 3, but as others have said, far from unknown, especially in slightly larger buildings or ones that have been shops with a flat above in the past. A normal 3 phase whole-current meter will read just fine, simply recording zeros for the dead phase, just as it would if one fuse had gone,
For some reason they don't want to do it, or to send someone with the right kit Quite why is unclear, as from that photo it should be straightforward.
Mike.
It is unusual to have things wired for 2 phases and not 1 or 3
I've a feeling it's more common in areas that originally has d.c. supplies - original 3-core cable carried +/0/- so conversion to a.c. meant they were one core short for proper 3-phase (at least if not doing TN-C, which they didn't in those days).
- Andy.
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