This could have been nasty...

Dave OCD · Aug 28, 2023

We've been upgrading some bits and pieces in a rented house which hasn't had anything done for at least 40 years by the looks of it.
The picture is where an old fused spur and box was being renewed as it was really manky and cracked too.
This would once have been the external wall but a 'lean to' was added years ago and it's part of the kitchen now.
I was just about to drill new fixings as the new box didn't match the existing holes and so lucky the loose bit of plaster fell off.
That's the main incoming supply cable, makes me shudder....

Dustydazzler · Aug 28, 2023

Dnag that was a lucky escape , so they basiclly just rendered over the incomer...when they did the extension

Dave OCD · Aug 28, 2023

Exactly that , bloody scary eh !

mainline · Aug 28, 2023

Dave OCD said:
Exactly that , bloody scary eh !

I had one the other day cutting for a back box in a dot an dabbed plaster board wall.

SparkySy · Aug 28, 2023

Many years ago now before I was an apprentice a good friend did drill through his main supply cable, with a metal Black and Decker drill putting up a picture mirror.
That cable too was buried in the render of an old now not external wall. I was stood not that far away, watched him leave the steps he was on and hit the floor drill smoking and the drill bit gone down to the now very black chuck!
He was fine luckily, I don't know how, it could have been fatal!
EMEB as they were turned up and the engineer said 'that was unlucky but I can see how it happened.'
He was on a temporary cable for a few days while they dug the road up and replaced the supply cable, surface up the wall of the house!
Sy

mainline · Aug 29, 2023

SparkySy said:
Many years ago now before I was an apprentice a good friend did drill through his main supply cable, with a metal Black and Decker drill putting up a picture mirror.
That cable too was buried in the render of an old now not external wall. I was stood not that far away, watched him leave the steps he was on and hit the floor drill smoking and the drill bit gone down to the now very black chuck!
He was fine luckily, I don't know how, it could have been fatal!
EMEB as they were turned up and the engineer said 'that was unlucky but I can see how it happened.'
He was on a temporary cable for a few days while they dug the road up and replaced the supply cable, surface up the wall of the house!
Sy

I have to admit although it was about 25 years ago I drilled on the side of a front door to put an outside light up for a mate, wanting to drill into the passage wall so I could put a switch and a small chase up the wall nice easy job.
Proudly Using my new titan massive drill and my new 3ft bit I’m going to show my mate how it’s done

Went through the first layer of brick like butter although a bit too powerful and causing the surface of the brick to splinter a bit, no Matter the light will cover that I thought.
I felt the bit go into the cavity and hit something hard thinking it must be a metal wall tie I carried on turns out it was the metal trunking for the meter tails that was the end of my new bit.
Was also the end of the cut out fuse and ended up taking a large part of his living room wall down to get to the trunking.

I often wonder how he’s doing haven’t seen him for about 25yrs

Dustydazzler · Aug 29, 2023

I didn't see it but I know a young apprentice that put a petrol grinder through a set of buried meter tails which apparently made a lovely big flash and took out the 100amp fuse.

Also near me the old council estate on many of the older house a set of cloth covered tails comes up in a bit of buried split tube to the high level fuse box. I have been called out to a few of these where the home owner has drilled through it putting up a shelf or picture.

oscar21 · Aug 29, 2023

I've got a mate that was putting up some fencing around his back garden one evening years ago using those big spike things you drive into the ground and slot the posts into, his house backed onto fields and I remember it was the night of the european cup semi-final when man utd played Juventus. He said all of a sudden there was a big bang but not as big as you would imagine, then sparks started coming out of the ground like a gigantic roman candle for a few seconds and then his whole local estate went black.
He had hit the main feeder cables coming across the field to feed the local substation, think they were either 33kV or 11kV. Not really sure what happened in the end as he was adamant they shouldn't have been crossing his land at all, no covenants or anything like that for them.

mainline · Aug 29, 2023

oscar21 said:
I've got a mate that was putting up some fencing around his back garden one evening years ago using those big spike things you drive into the ground and slot the posts into, his house backed onto fields and I remember it was the night of the european cup semi-final when man utd played Juventus. He said all of a sudden there was a big bang but not as big as you would imagine, then sparks started coming out of the ground like a gigantic roman candle for a few seconds and then his whole local estate went black.
He had hit the main feeder cables coming across the field to feed the local substation, think they were either 33kV or 11kV. Not really sure what happened in the end as he was adamant they shouldn't have been crossing his land at all, no covenants or anything like that for them.

My brother did the same sort of thing with a digger, he rang me to if ask could I come and join it back up as all the lights on that part of the M4 had gone out

I asked him how thick the cable was he said about the same as his arm, My reply to him was “not as thick as you then” and told him to call the Dno.
It took a fair chunk out of the bucket and the kids must have thought it was bonfire night.

Nothing on plans etc they repaired it the same evening.