Breaking Main Fuse Seal..

[whazza22]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure this topic has been risen plenty of times.

I'm a qualified electrician and I am going to replace a consumer unit for a relative. I am not registered with NICEIC or NAPIT so will be getting it tested by the council.

Can anyone explain the procedure for removing the main fuse as it is sealed?

I know it will never be checked but would just like to know what everyone does. It's absolutely crazy that a qualified electrician is meant to call western power to remove the seal or replace the seal, especially if they have a business to run!!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Plonker 3]

Power off at 10 pm, you turn up pull fuse, on here at 8 AM looking for fuse, that 10 hours without power. Someone else said the DNO will turn up within 4 hours of turning up and change fuse thats at least 6 hours quicker than you were. So a few hours charged by you, compared to maybe 2 hours max fault finding.


The DNO also would probably not charged for the fuse unlike yourself.

 

[Knobhead]

I didn't rip anyone off. I went and found the fault. That's what they paid for. I just saved the dno a visit at the same time. No more cost involved because I stuck a fuse in.

Be interesting to compare the DNO's charge to yours.

 

[Hawk81]

How often do you have seal number inspections in Ireland?

They not That regular over here

Firstly it's Northern Ireland not Ireland I was talking about. when a meter is being read they are supposed to check the seals. Not saying its always done but its supposed to be done.

 

[Robert Turnbull]

Power off at 10 pm, you turn up pull fuse, on here at 8 AM looking for fuse, that 10 hours without power. Someone else said the DNO will turn up within 4 hours of turning up and change fuse thats at least 6 hours quicker than you were. So a few hours charged by you, compared to maybe 2 hours max fault finding.


The DNO also would probably not charged for the fuse unlike yourself.

They still wouldn't of had power if the dno had come because they had a fault!

why do u not under stand that???? I stopped looking for a fault after 45 mins of looking because they were been charged a lot of money, and 2 I couldn't be certain it was fixed till the supply was back.

When a house is pitch black other than torches and loads of stuff plugged in lamps in situ and appliances wired in it. You can't say just how long the fault will take to find.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

same here hawk....
meterman told me this one the other day....i had asked him just off the cuff how he would react if he saw a meter seal had been removed
say if:
a) the seal had been removed but there had been evidence of recent work carried out....such as a new board

or

b)seals removed but no evidence of works having been carried out..

his response to both?

well i have to report them anyway regardless.

 

[Plonker 3]

They still wouldn't of had power if the dno had come because they had a fault!

why do u not under stand that???? I stopped looking for a fault after 45 mins of looking because they were been charged a lot of money, and 2 I couldn't be certain it was fixed till the supply was back.

When a house is pitch black other than torches and loads of stuff plugged in lamps in situ and appliances wired in it. You can't say just how long the fault will take to find.

I understand there was a fault, read my post and you will see I never mentioned anything about fault finding being overcharged.

10 hours without power compared to a maximum of 4 with DNO being informed is just stupid, now justify your logic there.

Then justify charging for a service that will almost certainly of been provided for FREE by the ONLY people allowed to change the fuse.

Once you can do this I will believe you didn't rip anyone off.

 

[Robert Turnbull]

I understand there was a fault, read my post and you will see I never mentioned anything about fault finding being overcharged.

10 hours without power compared to a maximum of 4 with DNO being informed is just stupid, now justify your logic there.

Then justify charging for a service that will almost certainly of been provided for FREE by the ONLY people allowed to change the fuse.

Once you can do this I will believe you didn't rip anyone off.

they paid no extra a fuse that's how I justify that if the dno had come with a fuse and fitted it. It would have gone pop!! If they had changed the fuse and left it out (which they wouldn't have) it still wouldn't have been on till the morning.

i found the fault in the morning. So they had called the dno then, they would of had to wait another 4 hours.

If I'd sat for 2-4 hours waiting for the dno at 11pm then obviously going to be a waste of my time, and their time. I think they were happy to go to bed and wake up to me knocking on the door and sorting it out.

 

[Plonker 3]

Why did you go fault finding and then not carry out a simple IR test which would have shown the faulty circuit, isolate faulty circuit, call DNO then return to find fault following day.

Why would you have to wait for the DNO to turn up?

 

[Robert Turnbull]

Why did you go fault finding and then not carry out a simple IR test which would have shown the faulty circuit, isolate faulty circuit, call DNO then return to find fault following day.

Why would you have to wait for the DNO to turn up?

I could have done, and maybe should have, and maybe would do in the future,
but as it was late and the customer was fairly old I though it would be easier and less disruption to not have to wait up. Also he had to work in the morning.

Looking back I just could have turned all the fuse boards off.

But all still equates to the same time on the job and the same bill. So please don't say I rip people off. If I changed a fuse for no charge that's my bad.

 

[MDJ]

My argument here with fixit was the fact he was giving out advise to a spark about cutting the thingy as he called it when he didn't have a clue what he was talking about, whether a fuse if pulled or not is down to the individual tradesman, not a flyby night giving out advise which they haven't done themselves, I don't like DIYers telling tradesmen what to do LMAO.

 

[Guest111]

Explain the difference between the voltage at the fuse and the voltage in a light fitting ?

If your worried about the lack of fuse
It only takes 3 milliamps to kill.
So by the time any rated breaker trips your 100 times over that.

But we talking amps not volts
Current kills

Anyway Don't touch the fuse
I've heard bad things happen

Well thats me educated then,the only question is if it takes only 3 milliamps to kill then why have 30 milliamp rcd's ?I think you will find it's actually 50 milliamps or above that can kill.I have put the figures up before but this time I cannot be bothered,seems like we have another Electrical Trainee amongst us.

 

[Sparkyphill]

Well thats me educated then,the only question is if it takes only 3 milliamps to kill then why have 30 milliamp rcd's ?I think you will find it's actually 50 milliamps or above that can kill.I have put the figures up before but this time I cannot be bothered,seems like we have another Electrical Trainee amongst us.

:iagree:

 

[Guest111]

:iagree:

tried to pm you,empty your inbox.

- - - Updated - - -

:iagree:

tried to pm you,empty your inbox.

 

[Knobhead]

:iagree:

:iagree:

 

[Robert Turnbull]

Well thats me educated then,the only question is if it takes only 3 milliamps to kill then why have 30 milliamp rcd's ?I think you will find it's actually 50 milliamps or above that can kill.I have put the figures up before but this time I cannot be bothered,seems like we have another Electrical Trainee amongst us.

:iagree:

Not every install as a rcd!

And I'm no Electrical Trainee, I did my years at college. And have 10 years on the tools.

30-50 would be a better number, I missed a 0 off. But my point was its not the voltage it's the current. And you shouldn't be any less worried about the supply in a install than the supply at the main fuse.

I'm not pretending I know everything

That's why I joined here. Plenty to learn from u guys.