Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views!

Darkwood · Mar 21, 2015

Right ... Just been nudged to set this up by Paul.M and sounds a good idea following recent threads I've done in the Arms..

Rules....No Offensive material... edit if required before posting as this is the public arena.
Anything to do with the trade or in and around it ...H&S pic's welcome.

[ElectriciansForums.net] Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views!

I've posted this a few times and this is at a mates house following a kitchen refirb several yrs ago.

mg_smile:

pc1966 · Feb 9, 2022

Raptor0014 said:
Can it be wired with the meter supply in from the top and out to the CU from the bottom? I am assuming yes, but wanted to check before I ordered it.

I have no idea. There is a picture of the innards on the CEF site but I can't see any lable to say if one is input and other output:

100A SP+N Metal Switch Fuse

Metal door and robust metal enclosure, 1.0mm thick steel with low smoke and fume epoxy paint finish

www.cef.co.uk

I doubt it is like the Schneider quadbreak switches where both fuse ends are isolated when off so direction unimportant, but hopefully if you pull the fuse cartridge forward it is isolated before you can touch the end!

Raptor0014 · Feb 9, 2022

pc1966 said:
I have no idea. There is a picture of the innards on the CEF site but I can't see any lable to say if one is input and other output:

100A SP+N Metal Switch Fuse

Metal door and robust metal enclosure, 1.0mm thick steel with low smoke and fume epoxy paint finish

www.cef.co.uk

I doubt it is like the Schneider quadbreak switches where both fuse ends are isolated when off so direction unimportant, but hopefully if you pull the fuse cartridge forward it is isolated before you can touch the end!

Appears they are fed from the bottom. So this is going to be fun as I either need to crimp that SWA to extend, or hope there is enough slack there to re-gland and terminate it longer.

JosephandAmber · Feb 11, 2022

RCBO for outside lights tripping. Turned out that all the brick lights had the backs cut out of them and this was the attempt at a waterproof connection - Heat-shrink over connector block with some silicone on each end.

Deleted account · Feb 11, 2022

JosephandAmber said:
RCBO for outside lights tripping. Turned out that all the brick lights had the backs cut out of them and this was the attempt at a waterproof connection - Heat-shrink over connector block with some silicone on each end.

View attachment 95000

To be fair those brick lights a near impossible to waterproof.

LewisM · Feb 12, 2022

Some questionable conduit work

SparkySy · Feb 12, 2022

Had Western Power out yesterday to a factory shut down so they could assess the incoming supply and fuses. I went round and switched off as much of the distribution as possible before switching off the 200a switch fuse for the whole installation. We sat there for a second or two in silence before I heard a gas blown air heater kick in, mmm that's strange I said that was the main switch for everything?! We agreed to remove the main cut out fuses and have a look in the 200a switch fuse. Oh dear some quality bodgery gone on in the past then!

So that's a 2.5mm twin with the earth cut out, onto the incoming side of a 200a switch fuse with the 120mm tails backed up by a 200a network distribution fuse!!

pc1966 · Feb 12, 2022

SparkySy said:
So that's a 2.5mm twin with the earth cut out, onto the incoming side of a 200a switch fuse with the 120mm tails backed up by a 200a network distribution fuse!!

Am I also spotting a lack of CPC connection to add some icing on that cake-of-fail ?

ipf · Feb 12, 2022

SparkySy said:
Had Western Power out yesterday to a factory shut down so they could assess the incoming supply and fuses. I went round and switched off as much of the distribution as possible before switching off the 200a switch fuse for the whole installation. We sat there for a second or two in silence before I heard a gas blown air heater kick in, mmm that's strange I said that was the main switch for everything?! We agreed to remove the main cut out fuses and have a look in the 200a switch fuse. Oh dear some quality bodgery gone on in the past then!
View attachment 95015
View attachment 95016
So that's a 2.5mm twin with the earth cut out, onto the incoming side of a 200a switch fuse with the 120mm tails backed up by a 200a network distribution fuse!!

What IS the use of having an earth conductor in T&E?

Deleted account · Feb 12, 2022

pc1966 said:
Am I also spotting a lack of CPC connection to add some icing on that cake-of-fail ?

I think an earth would be Pointless as no amount of earth fault current would blow the non existent fuse.

so some thought went into the installation.

pc1966 · Feb 12, 2022

ipf said:
What IS the use of having an earth conductor in T&E?

In this case it is the fuse!

pc1966 · Feb 12, 2022

Also red/black, so either a bodge from an old circuit moved from the DB, or a time bomb that has been waiting patiently for a fault over two decades.

SparkySy · Feb 12, 2022

Yes a time bomb waiting to go off! This is the installation in question.

The main isolator is the one bottom right, the supply tails run in the trunking below it from the main intake just out of shot on the left.
The original work was very well done and this set up is repeated in the same building further up, it's just all the carp work done since that leaves a lot to the imagination!

This is in the next factory shop 2 rooms up from the supply intake!

SparkySy · Feb 12, 2022

Definitely a lot of C's of all descriptions in this one!
While there I was asked to look at an Anyak lathe 30kw 3phase (nice bit of kit) behaving badly! On inspection of the supply I found this!

Faulty L1 phase on the MCB not passing current through it. I was then told this trips out many times a week! Mmm wonder why!

pc1966 · Feb 12, 2022

SparkySy said:
Yes a time bomb waiting to go off! This is the installation in question.

I'm just wondering how someone with such an obvious abject lack of electrical knowledge managed to attached to the permanent live side without killing themselves.

SparkySy · Feb 12, 2022

Myself and the DNO engineer were of the same opinion as all the main seals were all intact on the cut out and metal supply intake cabinet! We came to the conclusion they either were damn stupid and incredibly lucky or they had some serious balls of steel!

pc1966 · Feb 12, 2022

SparkySy said:
Myself and the DNO engineer were of the same opinion as all the main seals were all intact on the cut out and metal supply intake cabinet!

A marvel!

SparkySy said:
We came to the conclusion they either were damn stupid and incredibly lucky or they had some serious balls of steel!

Bigger balls than brain...

freddo · Feb 13, 2022

I was asked if this was safe:

ipf · Feb 13, 2022

SparkySy said:
Myself and the DNO engineer were of the same opinion as all the main seals were all intact on the cut out and metal supply intake cabinet! We came to the conclusion they either were damn stupid and incredibly lucky or they had some serious balls of steel!

Yep. Beyond comprehension is that.

Could say 'they deserved to fry like pancakes'.......to$$ers

SparkySy · Feb 13, 2022

Even with hot gloves arc protection and insulated sockets or spanners it would have been lethal and I wouldn't have wanted to trap the 2.5 under the washer! Imagine if there had been a fault on that circuit as it was connected live

nicebutdim · Feb 13, 2022

SparkySy said:
Even with hot gloves arc protection and insulated sockets or spanners it would have been lethal and I wouldn't have wanted to trap the 2.5 under the washer! Imagine if there had been a fault on that circuit as it was connected live

That's the part which perplexes me - I can't see it having been connected live, but can't imagine anyone with authorisation to shut a place down carrying out such work.

SparkySy · Feb 13, 2022

@nicebutdim I totally agree with you, but it must have been done at some point after the original installation as the rest of that original installation is very well done, the rest is a mess but that's another story!
The only thing that could have happened is that the seal fairy paid a visit in the past and at some point after that it was re-sealed again by the DNO, perhaps after a meter change.

westward10 · Feb 13, 2022

Possibly an original fire alarm supply that has been repurposed. Pre control panels with back up batteries mains only operated systems were often connected direct to source of supply and that cable looks quite old.