Dangerous reverse polarity on meter tails

[sidekick]

I have today come accross my first polarity problem.
while checking a socket i found it was showing reverse polarity with L and N.
After checkig behind the socket and all other sockets on the same ring all were correctly wired.
I checked the polarity of L and N at the consumer unit and although also wired correctly this also showed reverse polarity. The job was in one of three flats so were sub mains from the basement where the meters are. In the basement each flat has its own main fused switch from its own meter. On checking this main fuse switch it also showed reverse polarity but was correctly wired.
When i say correctly wired in all cases i mean all Neutrals were black sheathed and all line conductors red sheathed.
However, the tails from the meter to the main fused switch pass via a 100A connector block. In this block both black neutral conductors correctly go into th front connector and both line red conductors go into the rear connector block.
I am assuming the problem is then at the exit from the meter where Line and Neutral must incorrectly wired.
The only identification at the meter is the colour of the sheath so I can do no other check.

Leaving the meter I believe the Neutrals are always side by side in the middle and the two lines are on either side ( L-N-N-L ) but in this case they are ( L-N-L-N).
Is this just a straight case of contacting the supplier to rectify a dangerous situation asap or am I missing something?

 

[1shortcircuit]

bluestar, how you conduct your business is entirely up to you my friend but remember that this is a public forum that a lot of inexperienced members/onlookers have access to. I personally don't think ANYONE should be advising to tamper with meter seals, as said though, if you do it then that is your problem to deal with if it ever goes belly up

Pulling a fuse is not allowed but many do it in order to achieve safe isolation. By calling the DNO it means that they can rectify the problem and even investigate who how or why this was done and possibly check other properties - doubtful I know but it's still a possibility.

:d

:thumbsup

 

[1shortcircuit]

I BEG YOUR PARDON Sorry I have cut seals on main fuses but with AUTHORITY AND TRAINING I Never advise this option specialy NOT on the forum as
1 you dont know how competant the person your advising is
2 you have no knowlage about the cable head type
3 you cant see the condition of head bakalite broken ect ect ect FFS I WISH GUYS WOULD STOP saying PULL IT willy nilly

Quicker fingers :cool

 

[nikmet]

there are sparks or people who have near misses every day ,its just a fuse
i replace fuses every day sometimes under load, most times off load most fuses blow due to a fault condition there is not one here just a polarity reversal
iv`e been involved in cu changes for councils and we always pulled our own fuses iv`e also had my apprentice wire from the meter to cu exactly the same way as this resulting in the smoke detector blowing up but you learn to get on with it
you cant isolate a customers premises then wait for dno to come out
your a spark get on with it

Why cant you?............its the correct and sensible thing to do

 

[hoover]

I wonder how the guy got on with the reverse polarity and dno?

 

[Knobhead]

I wonder how the guy got on with the reverse polarity and dno?

Would be interesting to know.

Just hope Mrs. X didn’t get a neutral / earth fault on her iron in the mean time, 100A cut out fuse backing up a bit of flex doesn’t bear thinking about!

 

[bluestar]

yes would be intrested to see what the dno did
last time i used them they left the premises with the same dangerous fault as they were called out for as he told me" my responsibility stops at the cut out "

 

[SirKit Breaker]

The last time i came across this a few years ago i banged my head against a wall for a while on the phone to the meter fitting company, whilst they tried to decide who should come and sort it out as it had only been fitted about 3 weeks earlier. So i swapped the tails over myself at the meter to make it all safe, and balls to the DNO etc. I would rather take my chance in court for cutting seals on a dangerous install and making it safe, over leaving it as it was and getting the blame for death or injury. It was also LNLN instead of LNNL.

Cheers..........Howard

 

[Geoffsd]

There is a switch-fuse in the installation in question and I have been wondering why the out-going tails were not swapped and marked, at least temporarily.

 

[telectrix]

There is a switch-fuse in the installation in question and I have been wondering why the out-going tails were not swapped and marked, at least temporarily.

but , if that were to be done, then DNO or supplier came and put the original fault right, the installation would then be back to reverse polarity! i'm with sir kit on this cut and be damned. safety of lives overrides petty rules.

 

[nikmet]

How can peoples lives be at risk , and how can the electrician who discovers this fault be blamed for death or injury if they isolate the installation and lock it off? A call to arrange for a DNO repair and all is well again.

 

[Geoffsd]

Fair enough, tel, but I assumed spark would be there when DNO/supplier came.

 

[Mark F]

How can peoples lives be at risk , and how can the electrician who discovers this fault be blamed for death or injury if they isolate the installation and lock it off? A call to arrange for a DNO repair and all is well again.

This is what i would do too, maybe inconveniant for the customer, but it's the safest, with no comebacks, and the inconvenience for the customer should be sorted by the DNO.

 

[Knobhead]

I got caught out removing meter seals years ago by the North Western EB as it was then. Just got a ticking off by a senior engineer. Mind you he was trying to get his head round a bigger problem at the time.

 

[nikmet]

I think the issue that seems to be being discussed here, with a differance of opinion, is more to do with customer inconvienience and very little if anything to do with safety?

 

[telectrix]

I think the issue that seems to be being discussed here, with a differance of opinion, is more to do with customer inconvienience and very little if anything to do with safety?

totally agree, but as said on a previous post, since the de-nationalisation, DNO's responsibility ends at the cut-out, or maybe the supply side of the meter. it's then the supplier's responsibility. known in the trade as "buck-passing". IF DNO or whoever will come out in a resonable space of time and correct the fault, fair enough, but you can't expect the customer to accept a freezer full of rotten food as an "inconvenience".