Just plunged Boots(the chemist) into darkness...whoops

[LlandrilloSpark]

Whoops

Was working in a very small shop fitting downlighters, the shop is next to an equally small outlet of Boots the chemist, Whilst doing the paperwork I needed to find the cut out fuse type and rating, the head was an old crabtree cast iron with a hinged door, the cut out is a rewirable with a porcelain carrier, the head cover was held shut by a screw so thought right i'll just have a quick look to determine the rating, I isolated the installation and then noticed another set of tails AFTER the cut out which led upstairs so i knocked on the door of the upstairs flat and asked if she minded if she flicked her main switch whilst i removed and replaced the fuse to prevent any arcing, she did.
So i went back downstairs and pulled the fuse carefully from the head, had a quick look under torchlight and noted the 60A rating on the paperwork, As i went to replace it there was a good old crack and flash from the head, WTF i thought, About 1 minute later the manager from Boots came in and said "has your power gone off!", turns out the whole of Boots is also on this 60A rewirable and the good old flash was the the current from his shop arcing over the fuse contacts.
A bit red faced i went into boots, isolated the huge big singing and dancing 25 circuit board(on a 60a rewirable ) and then slotted the fuse back in next door before re powering up boots.

Turns out many years ago before conversion it was one big corner shop and the supply arrangement wasn't altered or split, I wonder how the sparks who certified boots logged it?

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

If I've pulled a fuse for whatever reason I never ever leave it un sealed, I stop short at phoning the DNO to seal it but I seal it with some brake cable or steel wire and a red crimp, ok it's not ideal but it stops a child pulling an unsealed cut out in an accessible location like under the stairs

 

[Superspark23]

Connaught had a dead with the suppliers where i worked where, we were alloud to pull the main fuse prior to starting work as long as we informed them that we would be isolating the supply. Then one of their engineers would come round and reinstate the supply the same day. That system worked well, if you felt that the fuse would cause problems then you would also get the supplier to isolate the supply. And they would install an main isolater.

 

[067256]

Reminds me of the time when i plunged National Express coach station in Digbeth into darkness many years ago.
What a day that was. Working on a small scaffold drilling a hole for a swa earth tag on a main busbar chamber. Sweaty palm time. The 10mm drill bit when thru a bit too hard and BOOM, FLASH.
Good bye drill bit. I can laugh about it now though. Even the pigeons in the depot roof s**t themselves and flew off.