Magic switch

Newbyspark · Jan 29, 2014

Has anyone else come across what the police called a magic switch. A friend who rented out his flat found one when he evicted tenant who was growing special plants. I won't say how they done it, but they bypassed the meter and put in a normal light switch in between meter and cu so could choose when to have meter reading electric. Until you took front off the cu you wouldn't even notice it.

Pete999 · Jan 29, 2014

Pictures?

Newbyspark · Jan 29, 2014

Mate took some, I'll get them off him.

Corpy76 · Jan 29, 2014

When you say a light switch do you mean a 6 amp switch? On a full flat with grow lights etc!

Corpy76 · Jan 29, 2014

I have seen one at a farm that previous tenant had used for growing it was on a 3 phase and about 10m of 25mm tails going to a single phase cu with 2 main switches one at each end! Turn one off and the other one on and bingo at the other end it came out do a block before the distributor cut out and was difficult to spot. The thing is the doggy supply and the real supply where on different phases so if both where switched on at the same time bang!

KAS1 · Jan 29, 2014

Magic mushrooms, I think they need magic switches

Guest111 · Jan 29, 2014

I've seen several ways of doing it,but won't go into the hows and whys on here.

Newbyspark · Jan 29, 2014

As far as I could see from the pictures he showed me yep a normal switch. The earth bar was connected to the neutral at main switch, then only a 2.5 mm cable was going to switch with main neutral also going to switch. Didn't get to see it first hand. Don't know how it didn't blow.

PEG · Jan 30, 2014

Round our way,they just come off tails by self-tapping a link direct to cable,presumably with an insulated cordless...Also the dudes in the "plant" job,don't switch meter as if the meter reader is in the building,the meter is NOT what he will be noticing...

Newbyspark · Jan 31, 2014

Finally got picture

telectrix · Jan 31, 2014

wonder what muppet fitted that. it's a bloody abortion. and i don't mean the bypass, the whole CU is a mess.

jimjimjim · Jan 31, 2014

Jesus, that looks dodgy as hell.

Jim

Richard Burns · Jan 31, 2014

Another accident waiting to happen

Geordie Spark · Jan 31, 2014

telectrix said:
wonder what muppet fitted that. It's a bloody abortion. And i don't mean the bypass, the whole cu is a mess.

electrical trainee??

MDJ · Jan 31, 2014

I have seen much worse than that, okay it is pretty carp, especially as all cabling is crimped with yellow lugs regardless of the conductor size lol, but although tatty, I would say it was just carp and no more, I am suprised you guys have not seen anything worse than that, one board I looked at once had 18" of slack on every conductor and the cover would bearly fit lol, this comment does not include the appalling neutral conductor crimped from a 25 mm2 down to a 2.5 though lmao hilarious