*Disconnecting a temporary Meter*

[kathleenbilly]

Helllo to those looking in,

I doing a small site job which has a temporary meter fitted to get an idea of the electric the site is using it's very little not a big site (shop).

I need to remove this meter maybe in the morning.

Looking at it the line goes into a 40 amp MCB alongside all the other circuits( its a small shop) about 10 breakers in the DB , the neutral into the neutral bar and CPC into the earth bar.


Now i don't want to turn off the main power as the other circuits on the db are still being used, so my question is this can i turn off the 40 amp breaker, disconnect the line of the meter going into it, then the neutral and then CPC, ???

I have never done this before so i'm just checking as the line would be clearly dead because i've opened the breaker but the neutral bar with it's neutral connected to the bar can i just dis-connect that without any issues as i said never done one or worked live on a board so i'll ask first!! any replies appreciated got to do this tomorrow the way its looking...''

 

[michaelw6]

as far as i can understand from what you have wrote,
if the neutral is still connected to a live supply its clased as a live wire.
there will be potential between this and earth. can you disconnect the other end of the neutral b4 commencing work?

 

[kathleenbilly]

Yes that's my question if i ask the question in another way,

Can you disconnect on a fuse board a curcuit a lighting circuit for example,

So by not disconnect the board or turning the main switch off which isolates the DB and all circuits.

So working live basically can i turn off the breaker of the individual circuit i want disconnect the live, then the neutral then the earth, can this be done and is it safe to do so ???

 

[Modernelectric]

its only going to take a few minutes to disconnect it so why not just turn it all of and work safely?

 

[kathleenbilly]

It was a question i know the obvious better solution,

again i really believed it was a straight forward question,

does anybody on the forum work live who could maybe explain if this can be done safely,

If it is not possible or can't be done just say so and i will move on and educate everybody else that you can never work live ever....

thanks

KB

 

[Gravid]

KathleenBilly, I don't think your going to get any one on this forum giving you the go ahead to work on a live dis board. If your able enough to do the job you should know this, one of the most important things is safe isolation which gets hammered home all the time. Was for me any way.

I'm not saying its not possible or isn't done.

I have never done this before so i'm just checking as the line would be clearly dead because i've opened the breaker but the neutral bar with it's neutral connected to the bar can i just dis-connect that without any issues as i said never done one or worked live on a board so i'll ask first!! any replies appreciated got to do this tomorrow the way its looking...''

What do you mean by issues? getting a shock, borrowed neutrals, somebody shouting "BANG" behind you just as you put your driver in the mains board.......etc. IMO theres loads of things to consider.

 

[michaelw6]

yes you can work live safely taking precautions always have two people there have a broom wooden close to hand incase of electric shock, alwasy preferable the one not working live knows cpr. ware rubber gloves and rubber soled shoes always stand on an insulated rubber mat. i think thats about it.
but all thats is not always possable especialy on a small consumer unit. so it is advisable not to work live, but if you have to take as much care as possable.never use alluminium ladders and always corner off where your working. and yes always take the earth cable out last.

 

[wigan]

KathleenBilly,

You only work live if there is no option (probably a life support system)and you have been trained and are competent in live working. Just do it the way you were trained and carry out safe isolation. I know of 3 sparks that have had belts due to working in live boards 2 on the same board 6 yrs apart, 1 elswhere all because they wanted to get done quicker. 4 th spark working on a job when operators ****ing about knocked him into board, he had isolated it. He packed his kit and went home, line down for 7 hrs.

Forget James Bond, you only live once,

Regards,

Kev

 

[kathleenbilly]

Thank you good answers,

So yes it can be done but at potential risk of electric shock because you have still have a live neutral bar although the breaker of the individual circuit can be opened. So the sequence of dis-connection if done live would be live neutral then earth.

That said i will isolate the board completely and work safe for the few minutes required to dis-connect the temp meter.

I just need to know what can or can't be done and fully the reasons for it. Yes safe isolation was hammered into me also so i am fully aware to always work where your risks of shock are keep to an absolute minimum.

Thanks for the replies appreciate it and it's a massive help for me, thanks again. KB

 

[wattsup]

More people are injured or even killed each year working on what they thought was a harmless neutral, rather than a known hazard live. Neutrals are very dodgy. I hate the mother fckers, cos you never know who borrows them!