Your best guesses please...

[sparkinlee]

Had a call tonight from someone whose shower had blown its fuse. Haven't been to look yet, but I've been sent this picture:



The shower is apparently supplied from the switch-fuse to the left of the main box, and I gather that when the fuse first blew he replaced it with the biggest one B&Q had. I think that was a 30A and not surprisingly the 9.5kW shower has now blown that too.

I suspect that the original dead fuse is what is sitting on top of the meter, and the replacement in the switch fuse appears significantly smaller.

But my question is (I know that I will find out when I go to to look, but...) what size do you reckon the T&E is coming out the bottom of the switch-fuse? I think it looks like 6mm, but I can't compare the photo to samples in the back of the van!

 

[rugbynick]

Doesn't look bigger than 6mm

 

[Plonker 3]

I wouldn't be surprised if that was 4mm.

 

[Lofty]

Looks very much like 4mm or as Nick says no bigger than 6mm.

 

[stuart569]

Looks like a 4mm to me also.Could be a 6mm tho.Hard to tell.Mind and let us know!

 

[kathwilcox]

looks like a diy job to me! also why is there a cut out fuse sitting on top of the meter?

 

[GLENNSPARK]

i`l tell you what,...judging by the 22mm pipes on the left of the picture (to give it scale)..its a 4mm is that.....its too bloody small whatever it is......

 

[i=p/u]

i say its 2.5mm

 

[Marvo]

Lol, I'm not sure this game is going to be a big seller but 4mm would be my guess. I'm more worried by the size of the earth wire flying loose under the CU. I hope that's not what I think it is.

 

[sparkinlee]

...and the answer is... I'm still not sure!

I went to have a look today, and took sample of 4 and 6mm T&E for comparison. The cable in question (in the picture in the OP) is an old imperial cable and externally it's slightly larger than the 4mm and slightly smaller than the 6mm.

I've looked up a table of old cable sizes and I think it's either 7/.036 or 7/.044. I didn't have a micrometer with me so I couldn't measure the core size. Does anyone with more lengthy experience than me know which of these would appear to be between 4 and 6 mm in size.

Thanks

 

[Richard Burns]

7/.044 looks bigger than 6mm so I would say it is 7/.036, this matches with most of the estimates of 4mm on this thread! Compare the cores if you can, gives you a better idea.

 

[sparkinlee]

7/.044 looks bigger than 6mm so I would say it is 7/.036, this matches with most of the estimates of 4mm on this thread! Compare the cores if you can, gives you a better idea.

Yes, thanks for that - I think you're right. I was just trying to be optimistic!

It means though that it's not got the current capacity for the 9.5kW shower that it's been supplying for some time.

Another happy client when I tell them I can't simply reconnect it... ! (Obviously having replaced the dead switch-fuse)