Overtightening Meter Terminals

[Pete999]

I always do this on consumers unit main switch connections

A new test "the wiggle test" is that in BS 7671 ? lol

 

[Flipsy]

More details would be nice, don't want to pry, but was that an in house course run by the company you work for? if you are unsure of any aspects of your role then I would have expected some sort of employee advice centre you could call on, to be honest with you I do find it odd, regarding the sort of work you are employed to do, and yet not much information or engineering equipment provided, please don't think I'm being dismissive of your role, just seems an odd question seeing as you have had training etc, anyway ask for information on torque setting and tooling for the equipment you are installing, good luck.

In house qualification, I don’t want to mention company but apparently they are the highest rated at training for meter installations. It’s just the little things really that come from experience and such. And probably my own worry and anxiety about whether I think a connection is tight enough. A torque screwdriver would alleviate that worry.

 

[Flipsy]

Out of interest are the tails you use 7 strand or 19 strand ?

7 strand. We aren’t aloud to put 19 strand into a meter. Have to be blocked or replaced if we find those.

 

[Flipsy]

Are you a smart meter installer? I always wondered whats the business plan once everyone has a smart meter?

We get the sack lol. No honestly most of our contracts end In 2020 end of.

 

[Flipsy]

Out of interest do you have targets ie you have to do so many meters in a day?

Yes we have stupid targets. On average we get 4 to 5 dual fuel jobs a day with the timing being 50 mins for electric and about half an hour for the gas. Bonus is paid on installs so you can see why people will rush jobs to try and hit bonus.

 

[SparkyAndGeorge]

Yes we have stupid targets. On average we get 4 to 5 dual fuel jobs a day with the timing being 50 mins for electric and about half an hour for the gas. Bonus is paid on installs so you can see why people will rush jobs to try and hit bonus.

Wow

 

[James]

WOW. Don’t fancy those targets.

 

[Flipsy]

WOW. Don’t fancy those targets.

They are harsh, and you are screwed if you have to do any plumbing.

 

[SparkyAndGeorge]

Wouldnt fancy that gig, bearing in mind if you do cause a fire due to a loose connection, you could be responsible for wiping out an entire family and end up in court on corporate manslaughter.

 

[Flipsy]

Wouldnt fancy that gig, bearing in mind if you do cause a fire due to a loose connection, you could be responsible for wiping out an entire family and end up in court on corporate manslaughter.

Yup it’s why I don’t rush as much as they moan at me for not hitting the targets. My problem isn’t loose connections though I just worry about over tightening

 

[littlespark]

I’d be doing my 5, then going round them again to double check they haven’t worked loose.

Agree with what’s been said above. Many terminals now come with a recommended torque value.
If we overtighten a mainswitch or something, you can be left with a shattered device.
I guess meter terminals are more sturdy.

The trouble here is a lot of your colleagues won’t have the thought of “am I doing this right?” Just hit the targets and get paid.
If you bring up the issue to management above you, you may not get any back up from fellow workers.

 

[Flipsy]

I’d be doing my 5, then going round them again to double check they haven’t worked loose.

Agree with what’s been said above. Many terminals now come with a recommended torque value.
If we overtighten a mainswitch or something, you can be left with a shattered device.
I guess meter terminals are more sturdy.

The trouble here is a lot of your colleagues won’t have the thought of “am I doing this right?” Just hit the targets and get paid.
If you bring up the issue to management above you, you may not get any back up from fellow workers.

This exactly, meter terminals are very sturdy a bit too sturdy as I think the cable will give out more then the terminal.
I understand all companies have targets but I think it’s irresponsible to promote people on speed of an installation rather then workmanship

 

[pirate]

Targets! Don't get me started!
The target system has caused more damage to this country than you will ever know...
Targets result in poor quality, anxiety for the workforce and more greed by the employers.
In my experience, if you tell your staff what would be a good turnover, but don't insist on it, they always perform better, go the extra mile, and don't try to hide shoddy performance because there rarely is shoddy work...they are relaxed, do a good job and customer feedback is positive.
Targets?
NO!!!!

 

[westward10]

I always wrap the conductors and they rarely need retightening as conductors don't shift.

 

[Pete999]

I always wrap the conductors and they rarely need retightening as conductors don't shift.View attachment 49740

very old school Mate, as did I