How do I isolate the meter tails to change a CU?

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

OK then peoples... (serious post & thread).
put your beer one one sideGuiness Drink.
& put your sensible head on for this one...:|


on several occasions the question has been asked about about...
how to isolate the meter tails, so as to undertake a CU replacement.

Although some may make suggestions as to how access the main isolation fuse....
it must be clear that, whatever opinions you may get from various threads..

1/ THIS IS NOT A LEGAL PRACTICE.

and I am confident that...

2/ NO PERSON ON THIS FORUM WOULD RECOMMENDED INTERFERING IN ANY WAY WITH THE SUPPLIERS SEALS/CUT-OUT FUSE/METER.

Along with the legal issues,
there are also health & safety & Electricity at work obligations and issues that must be considered by the person undertaking the work...

The risks of messing around with a suppliers main fuse carry some VERY serious consequences!

and IMO no-one one who is a competent electrically trained person..
would ever recommend that any other person starts messing around with the incoming supply/fuse/meter connections..

Unless they have written permission from the relevant supply company stating that they can!


The method for obtaining an isolation of supply may differ between the various electrical network areas..

to assist with understanding the correct procedures / contact details etc..
I have included two links as follows:-

E-ON "Central Networks"
http://www.eon-uk.com/distribution/605.aspx

E.D.F.
http://www.edfenergy.com/hold/regulatory/downloads/informationforelectricians20060605.pdf



If any others know of links for other regions, then please post them on this thread...
or if there are any more up-to date links..
please keep the thread posted with the latest information that anyone obtains..

:)

you can go and pick up your beer now!!:DGuiness Drin



Ammendments November 2009 Thanks to Apache!
See post #50 onwards
EDF new link http://www.edfenergy.com/products-se...ns20060605.pdf

E.ON new link http://www.eon-uk.com/distribution/electricians.aspx

[Apache]

Nice thread specs - very public spirited of you. Is anyone alowed to dish out these 'scoobs'?

[ABC Technical]

You raised a good point there Specloc, had our PIR last week & the "Sparky" said that a new CU was needed & that he would have to isolate the meter from the incoming supply?

You can imagine what came out of my mouth at this point cant you?

Needless to say we did not have a new CU fitted as this one is only 3 years old & I have made a report, of which I am sending a copies to my solicitor, the HSE & the IEE.
Where oh where did this guy think he could even get away with what he suggessted, god only knows, especially as when he was round all of my instruments were on the kitchen table ready to be picked up for their periodical calibration.


*Shakeshead in disbelief*

[Admin]

Is anyone alowed to dish out these 'scoobs'?


Yes, Mate.

[Apache]

Yes, Mate.

I discovered so and gave him one :D

[Stevie h]

I might be wrong in saying this SO BE GENTLE , but i cut the seals WHEN I HAVE NO OPTION, i work for myself and have bills to pay and cannot walk away from a job or wait for manweb for a month or so ..

Once the job is done i ring the supplier and tell them there is no seal or isolator sw on the mains ... they normally send someone out it there own good time to rectify ..


A friend works for manweb and said he will try an get me the tools to reseal main fuses, but until then i have no option .

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

For a couple of years, up here in London the leccky board fitted meters that had the bottom connection terminal cover split in two. Only the incoming left hand side was sealed. The right side cover could be unscrewed and there was a slide switch to isolate and expose the outgoing cable terminals.

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

I might be wrong in saying this SO BE GENTLE , but i cut the seals WHEN I HAVE NO OPTION, i work for myself and have bills to pay and cannot walk away from a job or wait for manweb for a month or so ..

Once the job is done i ring the supplier and tell them there is no seal or isolator sw on the mains ... they normally send someone out it there own good time to rectify ..


A friend works for manweb and said he will try an get me the tools to reseal main fuses, but until then i have no option .


Gentle! Phtt! I only do arrogant don't you know!:x:)

Hello Stevie

I would imagine that the Scenario you describe is quite often considered as one of the possible solutions to an average hypothetical domestic installtion...

And quite probably, may even have been carried, or still carried out, by various electricians around the country....?
But obviously on open forum discussing options and possible solutions is different from recommending a formal course of action for others to follow.

I am sure, Stevie H, whereas you would asses the risks relating to the particular installation you can see, You would have no hesitation in recommending that others should follow the formal guidance for their particular electricity region, in the best interests of there own Heath & Safety on installations we have no specific knowledge about?

Do you know of any links for MANWEB procures m8?:)

[betty swollocks]

look on ebay for crimping tools,
i bought one many years ago and you can also get the seals too

[sparkyork]

for a start i dont see anything wrong with pulling the main fuse and cutting the seal (if it has one!!)

a simple phone call the other week on a board change on a job in leeds and the supplier said carry out your works and we'll send some one out to reseal it. i put a small black tie rap in its place until they came to put a proper crimp on it

my nic inspector also said how do you verify the size of the fuse without pulling/cutting the seals etc?

so what is exactly the problem with pulling the main fuse? suppliers are accomodating this day and age as they understand that work still needs to be done etc. they dont supply a dp isolator to make the tails safe so again what you supposed to do.

i say pull away, cut away, do your board change, ring supplier and tell them the seals need replacing on the fuse.

[batty]

for a start i dont see anything wrong with pulling the main fuse and cutting the seal (if it has one!!)

a simple phone call the other week on a board change on a job in leeds and the supplier said carry out your works and we'll send some one out to reseal it. i put a small black tie rap in its place until they came to put a proper crimp on it

my nic inspector also said how do you verify the size of the fuse without pulling/cutting the seals etc?

so what is exactly the problem with pulling the main fuse? suppliers are accomodating this day and age as they understand that work still needs to be done etc. they dont supply a dp isolator to make the tails safe so again what you supposed to do.

i say pull away, cut away, do your board change, ring supplier and tell them the seals need replacing on the fuse.

All depends who supplier is if you read the EDF link they say you cannot remove main fuse Etc. But I am in EDF area and one of there guys on an emergency callout I went to asked me to take main fuse out. But I think if anything where to go wrong you would be in the S..T
Batty

[sparkyork]

what s*it can you be in? what supplier is going to take you to court for pulling the main fuse in the interests of not blowing yourself across the room? non is the answer, unless there gonna get you on criminal damage, ie the bit of paper thats prob allready ripped and the crimp/tie.

the system doesnt work, half the time they dont even turn up to pull fuse for you, and in most cases its cheaper to get them to just come and fit a dp isolator for peanuts.

what can possibly go wrong with pulling the main fuse, your protecting your self from electricution to carry out remedial works on what is probably a crap installation as well. if your stupid enough to pull the fuse and leave it out and let a little kid have access to the live terminal then yeah you deserve shooting but we sparks arnt likely to do that cos we are the top trade, cut it, pull it, do the work, temp seal it (if it had a seal anyway!), phone dno and arrance a dp iso fitting. job done

[batty]

what s*it can you be in? what supplier is going to take you to court for pulling the main fuse in the interests of not blowing yourself across the room? non is the answer, unless there gonna get you on criminal damage, ie the bit of paper thats prob allready ripped and the crimp/tie.

the system doesnt work, half the time they dont even turn up to pull fuse for you, and in most cases its cheaper to get them to just come and fit a dp isolator for peanuts.

what can possibly go wrong with pulling the main fuse, your protecting your self from electricution to carry out remedial works on what is probably a crap installation as well. if your stupid enough to pull the fuse and leave it out and let a little kid have access to the live terminal then yeah you deserve shooting but we sparks arnt likely to do that cos we are the top trade, cut it, pull it, do the work, temp seal it (if it had a seal anyway!), phone dno and arrance a dp iso fitting. job done

As said if something did go wrong you would be in the S..T. A company the size of EDF has a lot more power than you and I don't think they would not use it in court.
Batty

[sparkyork]

what can go wrong? nothing is the answer if your a good/compotent sparky which is also how a rate myself. dno's arnt bothered, they appreciate a call to say they need to replace the seals, whixh they can often charge the custome £30 for the privilledge.

something is only gonna go wrong if your a useless sparky, ive pulled hundreds o fuses and prob only 20 percent even had a seal.

who wants to wait around all day for someone to waltz in with no ppe at all and simply cut the seal and pull the fuse.

no problems with doing this at all

[Theorysparky]

went to a job today to replace a shower cable

opened cu up (old wylex) not cover on the incoming tail terminations

pulled the fuse and re sealed it afterwards..


had a garage built in the last few weeks the builders went through the incoming

guys came out,,repaired it and used a blue tie wrap to seal the fuse !


on my gravestone it will not read...

'he should have pulled the fuse'

[sparkyork]

exactly theory, they arnt bothered, its all about money for dno's any excuse to charge for something and theyll be there in a couple of weeks sometime between 9 and 5!
i mean using blue tie raps! they aint even trying are they!

if you dont know what you are doing then leave it alone, if you do no what your doing and cause some serious accident then you will burn, same as anything in any other cicrumstance, you injure someone you get punished, competancy is the key and personal safe work procedures, common sence, and prob not a crate of carling the night before!!

[tony.towa]

In this area "the board" (showing my age I know) will install an inline double pole isolator free of charge but often it's the time scale and they can't get there when you want them. If you book an isolator installation and explain that the fuse needs to be pulled for a cu upgrade they will normally accept this.
There have been times when seals "do not appear to have been installed" which has made life easier and also if the seal points are broken then a printed sellotape is put over the fuse. I am told that if cut very carefully with a Stanley knife it reseals with an invisible joint; that's what I'm told anyway.

In the days of the real Electricity Boards we would ring them, say we were going to change a cu and they would come and remove the fuse and disconnect the tails. They would return to reinstall the tails and witness your live testing, having first checked your dead test results.
There was also the opportunity for electricians to become qualified to remove and replace seals and you would be issued with seals and crimps, don't EDF do a similar thing now?

At the end of the day I want and need to be safe when I am working - need I say more!

[batty]

In this area "the board" (showing my age I know) will install an inline double pole isolator free of charge but often it's the time scale and they can't get there when you want them. If you book an isolator installation and explain that the fuse needs to be pulled for a cu upgrade they will normally accept this.
There have been times when seals "do not appear to have been installed" which has made life easier and also if the seal points are broken then a printed sellotape is put over the fuse. I am told that if cut very carefully with a Stanley knife it reseals with an invisible joint; that's what I'm told anyway.

In the days of the real Electricity Boards we would ring them, say we were going to change a cu and they would come and remove the fuse and disconnect the tails. They would return to reinstall the tails and witness your live testing, having first checked your dead test results.
There was also the opportunity for electricians to become qualified to remove and replace seals and you would be issued with seals and crimps, don't EDF do a similar thing now?

At the end of the day I want and need to be safe when I am working - need I say more!

Tony read the link for EDF at beginning of thread.
Batty

[sparkyork]

small clipping from the above mentioned link.

Primarily, EDF Energy has a duty under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to protect persons from danger from its undertakings. EDF Energy does not believe it can discharge its duty of care if it allows uncontracted parties to operate the cut-out fuse, exit point isolation devices, or any other distribution or metering equipment owned or operated by EDF Energy.

if they are that concerned they would supply a dp isolator to every house that is part of edf. it doesnt count for jack they are simply covering there own backsides with these document. there hardly gonna announce that anyone who's read readers digest home diy can cut seals remove fuses etc are they. of course there gonna rant on about only this person and only that.

and edf is french so b**locks!! lol

compotency is the key, we dont have time to wait for dno to eventually come out, unless you can get them to fit a isolator before doing the works. but in most situations this doesnt and wont happen

pull that fuse and crack on!

[heathelect]

Health & Safety Always Applies, So If The Tails Need Replacing Or You Need To Isolate To Change Consumer Unit, Cut The Seals And Disconnect From Meter, Reconnect New Tails When Finished, Re-seal From Your Stock Of Seals (available From E Bay). Ive Got No Problem With This, If The Electricity Provider Finds Out And Complains, You Only Gotta Say Old Tails Were In A Bad Way, Insulation Was Falling Off, No Provider Is Going To Prosecute For Cutting Seals As Health & Safety Is Paramount.:d:d:d

[sparkyork]

Health & Safety Always Applies, So If The Tails Need Replacing Or You Need To Isolate To Change Consumer Unit, Cut The Seals And Disconnect From Meter, Reconnect New Tails When Finished, Re-seal From Your Stock Of Seals (available From E Bay). Ive Got No Problem With This, If The Electricity Provider Finds Out And Complains, You Only Gotta Say Old Tails Were In A Bad Way, Insulation Was Falling Off, No Provider Is Going To Prosecute For Cutting Seals As Health & Safety Is Paramount.:d:d:d

exactly heath, its just scare mongery, as ive said in earlier posts it would only ever get serious if you did something really stupid, and if you do then thats your own fault for been a clown.

[heathelect]

exactly heath, its just scare mongery, as ive said in earlier posts it would only ever get serious if you did something really stupid, and if you do then thats your own fault for been a clown.

CORRECT, CORRECT AND ONCE AGAIN CORRECTGuiness Drink

[kme]

If I may be "devils advocate" here,

I have seen a HED fuse carrier break apart while being pulled. Luckily, the DNO were pulling it, and he DID have his PPE gauntlets on.

I have also seen a few fuse carriers that I simply wouldn`t look at too hard, in case they gave way.

IF, and it`s a big if, in my opinion, you can provide good reason for pulling the HED fuse, then at the bare minimum, you should have gloves/gauntlets on.

Your thoughts gents?

[Theorysparky]

Spoke to a couple of Eon guys yesterdays while they were moving a supply..

On the subject of fuses .....

they were not concerned with us pulling the fuses to carry out cu changes tails etc,,,,if we had seals replace them if not just phone in...

he was more concerned with people tampering with the supply for to get free electricity then he had a very dim view....


safe working was his point

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Spoke to a couple of Eon guys yesterdays while they were moving a supply..

On the subject of fuses .....

they were not concerned with us pulling the fuses to carry out cu changes tails etc,,,,if we had seals replace them if not just phone in...

he was more concerned with people tampering with the supply for to get free electricity then he had a very dim view....

safe working was his point

Indeed, I think we all know how to work safe....:);)

And IMHO it is pretty obvious if some dodgy connection has been made to a supply, as compared to some professional, neat, polarity correctly identified, tails being connected, with all relevant insulation & protection in place.

And I think in most cases common sense applies, some nice new healthy 25mm tails, correctly and securely terminated with a temporary seal applied are better and safer all round, than some old 16mm tails with termination screws maybe working a little loose and NO seal present?

However it is just ensuring awareness that there are recommended procedures.. and if the brown stuff did hit the round spinning thing.... I think you could be one leg short of something to stand on!

As KME says... There ARE times when things aren't quite as straight forward, and real hazards are present... :|
Just need to make sure we all risk assess the situation and are prepares for consequences if we cross the line to far.;)

[Evans Electric]

All this shows up the total ineptitude of governing bodies, H&S etc for never tackling the most in-your- face cock up in domestic supplies ever. No method of downstream isolation for domestic consumer units is and always has been , an absolute disgrace.
It dates way back to when " The Electricity Board" did all the domestic work .

I reported a damaged cut-out showing live parts, once, children's toys piled over it, stuck tape over it, took 'em 8 weeks to turn up.

[Chris_81]

Very interesting reading all of this. I've spoken to a few people about this as once I've got my part p I'll be hoping to do a few cu changes. They all agreed to disagree about which was the correct method. Spoke to a bloke I know who works for the niceic and he pointed me in the direction of the kits on ebay...

[sparkyork]

my nic inspector actually said how do you know what size fuse is in the carrier without visually checking it? so i will always pull the fuse whilst working safely and compotently.

[M107]

Good post specs.

Here in the SSE region I give a call to SSE before undertaking any cu swapout work just for them to say "thanks ok", they take my company details & make a note on the customers file that a cu change & equip bonding install is in the offing at the address (normly only give post code & house number) & service fuse will need re-sealing at next visit by themselves.
I take the SSE persons name (usualy some girl that doesnt have a clue what I'm on about) & put it on the reverse side of the EIC.

As for the actual art of tugging the service fuse, it's on with the gauntlets a quick visual check, snip the seal pull the carrier, remove the fuse from carrier & reseat the carrier.

BE SAFE NOT DEAD is the motto of the day.;)

[M107]

my nic inspector actually said how do you know what size fuse is in the carrier without visually checking it? so i will always pull the fuse whilst working safely and compotently.


And your answer should have been
"I write info unobtainable from fuse carrier on the cert"
Thats what I told my assessor when asked the same question....he was more than happy with that.

[sparkyork]

it wasnt a question he said how do you know what size it is, i said i dont, he said pull the carrier and check it. so all these sparkies that fill out a dic for example ARE presuming its a IIa 60a for example?? when in some horrific circumstances there could be a nail in there!

also youve just said in your post above that your gloves on, check this pull that sorted etc? so why are you saying

"And your answer should have been
"I write info unobtainable from fuse carrier on the cert"

its all about working safely imo, i do give a call to dno before doing work and i always carry on with the job after the phone call. if it looks like the cutout is a bit iffy then ill leave it, but there all in pretty good condition usually!

[Apache]

I think the problem is what some of you are suggesting is illegal. I'm not even sure the board can grant permission over the phone?

IF something went wrong you havn't got a leg to stand on.

[sparkyork]

they do grant permission over the phone, they then come out when they can be bothered and reseal the fuse, if something went wrong then yeah you would be up the creek but that applies to everything you do, a simple health and safety method of doing work and everything is ok.

[sivoodoo]

Hi guys, what class of Gaulnlets/gloves do you carry, thinking of buying some but the price is crazy for a pair of gloves, but I suppose they save your ass!

[spark-doctor]

Hi guys, what class of Gaulnlets/gloves do you carry, thinking of buying some but the price is crazy for a pair of gloves, but I suppose they save your ass!

I get mine from here

http://www.boddingtons-electrical.com/

Yes they are expensive, but as you say, they save your ass.

I think the problem is what some of you are suggesting is illegal. I'm not even sure the board can grant permission over the phone?


IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO PULL THE FUSE, it is against the law to leave a electrical installation in a unsafe condition, so if you cut the seals you must seal it back up or ensure a tool is required to remove it.

As others have said, in my area if you phone the DNO and explain what you are doing, they will take your details, give you a brief safety lecture advise you of correct PPE and let you get on.

Forgot to add, if you buy a pair of gloves, buy the case and the little pump for testing them. Every time i go on the DNO re-assessment course they show us a video of a pair of gloves with a pin ***** hole in them. It is frightening

[kme]

I get mine from here

http://www.boddingtons-electrical.com/

Yes they are expensive, but as you say, they save your ass.



IT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO PULL THE FUSE, it is against the law to leave a electrical installation in a unsafe condition, so if you cut the seals you must seal it back up or ensure a tool is required to remove it.

As others have said, in my area if you phone the DNO and explain what you are doing, they will take your details, give you a brief safety lecture advise you of correct PPE and let you get on.

Forgot to add, if you buy a pair of gloves, buy the case and the little pump for testing them. Every time i go on the DNO re-assessment course they show us a video of a pair of gloves with a pin ***** hole in them. It is frightening

In many areas, and under many DNO,s it is, and they can prosecute!

Which would be why the seals say:
"It is dangerous, AND AN OFFENCE, to interfere with this equipment"

I agree with you on the gloves, but AFAIAC, the legality issue is cut & dried. If it is an offence, then it is illegal.

KME

[sparkyork]

i think peeps are just gonna have to agree to disagree on this one, going round and round and round in circles!

my area of work simply requires a phone call by myself to the dno, then i get on with the job, i reseal and they come out leter on and reseal it with there own tag.
therefore it isnt illegal in this situation, unless there gonna prosecute for criminal damage of there tag!!
its time this country moved on and all this scaremongering was banished about "pulling fuses" and offeness etc. its utter nonsense, in the aids of an electrician getting on and doing probably quite urgent remedial works, what dno is gonna prosecute if you ring them first. and also even if you didnt ring em, so long as you resealed it afterwards, what are they gonna prosecute you on??? working safely??

[spark-doctor]

Hi guys, what class of Gaulnlets/gloves do you carry, thinking of buying some but the price is crazy for a pair of gloves, but I suppose they save your ass!

In many areas, and under many DNO,s it is, and they can prosecute!

Which would be why the seals say:
"It is dangerous, AND AN OFFENSE, to interfere with this equipment"

I agree with you on the gloves, but AFAIAC, the legality issue is cut & dried. If it is an offense, then it is illegal.
KME

All DNO's follow the ESQCR so you cant say that that some do prosecute and some don't.

As you say,if an offense has been committed then an act has been broken. Can you provide information on what act??????

I have to go on assessment's every 6 months and every time this topic comes up from people on the course. The trainer's throw down the ESQCR, HSAWA, EAWA and several other documents and ask "where does it say you cant cut and remove the seals".

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

All DNO's follow the ESQCR so you cant say that that some do prosecute and some don't.

As you say,if an offense has been committed then an act has been broken. Can you provide information on what act??????

I have to go on assessment's every 6 months and every time this topic comes up from people on the course. The trainer's throw down the ESQCR, HSAWA, EAWA and several other documents and ask "where does it say you cant cut and remove the seals".


Could it be trespass, where the meter is somebody else's property perhaps..
and it could be alleged, with intent to steal electricity...?

This is where the first links I posted on POST #1 come in.

say for example if you were in the e-on region... their guidance from their website states:-

and I quote:-
To have an isolator fitted or the cut-out fuses removed
The customer will need to contact the supply company that sells electricity to the premises. Each supply company has its own procedures for providing isolation. Normally they will put you or the customer in touch with their preferred meter operator who will have the authority to remove the cut-out fuses, meter terminal covers and install isolators. The supply company or meter operator may charge for this service.

Which part of that quote says you can?

IF there was an urgent safety issue you can ring e-on and they do have engineers who can attend in a emergency situation,
so safety is not an excuse you could reasonably use IMHO?


Although as it says some operators do permit isolation by engineers
To contact a meter operator directly
Some meter operators may accept requests for isolation and isolator installation directly from customers and electrical contractors. The Association of Meter Operators web site link above contains a list of meter operators together with their contact numbers and web sites.
This does not mean that ALL do.

So if you have guidance that states it is OK.. then please post a link to it on this thread...

Otherwise we all take the risks & hazards that we perceive and make our own judgements, lets hope no one has to justify there decisions if they do not have clear authority to remove seals.



Additionally to replace the meter tails, you need to cut the meter seals as well as the cut out fuse...
Who's property are these items...? not the homeowner.:):|
Central Networks cannot authorise electricians to remove and replace cut-out fuses.

As a Distribution Network Operator, Central Networks does not have meter access rights. We are not permitted to remove meter terminal covers without the permission of the supply company.


Probably the easiest way to resolve this debate is to post links or all of the regions so well can all know what is & isn't permitted.

[Apache]

Very diplomatic specs!

[sparkyork]

when i do cu changes in yorkshire i dont have any problems with dno not allowing me to carry on (as allready posted), dont have any links to this etc. was just a case of a simple phone call.

other parts of the country fair enough may have differing methods, if your comtemplating a cu swap then ring your own dno and see what they say, and if your compotent to do so then even better!

this thread is never gonna get resolved i feel. because of the fact that differnt regions have different ideas.

as stated it isnt a problem for me gaining permission but that could well be differnt in other parts of the uk.

the fuse SHOULD be considered open territory to qualified sparkies, it is an aboslubte joke, gas engineers have a valve so there ok so to be honest if i were in antoher part of the uk faced with a cu change id say bullocks to the dno, if they cant provide a isolator then stuff em.

think you would be hard pushed to find a "conviction" for remeoving seals and fuse for consumer upgrades, TOTAL scaremongerry and just another farsical load of crap to do with this god forsaken country

[AH Electrical]

Hi all, I'm based in Sheffield, I've been told by various suppliers that I should not cut any seals as this is regarded as interfering with the suppliers equipment and as has been previously commented, they can and will proscecute. However, a phone call to Yorkshire Isolators on 0113 2325818 or email to YorkshireIsolators@npower.com and you can arrange for them to come and fit an isolator (I beleive anywhere in Yorkshire), they do charge, but I simply pass this onto the customer.

[batty]

SSE Fit isolators on new installs but Edf won't so you are stuck as to what you do with Edf.
Batty

[jdmjrmdam]

If you ask Scottish Power for a temp disconnection they fit a DP ISO but charge £150 for the privilege

http://www.spenergynetworks.com/NewConnections/temporary.asp

[batty]

If you ask Scottish Power for a temp disconnection they fit a DP ISO but charge £150 for the privilege

http://www.spenergynetworks.com/NewConnections/temporary.asp

Could make it an expensive cu change.

[spinlondon]

Who says it's not legal to pull the suppliers fuse?
The HSE would take a dim view on anybody working live, when there is no need.
You have 3 choices as far as I can see.
Ask the supplier to pull the fuse.
Tell the supplier when the work is completed that the fuse has been pulled and the seals need replacing.
Pull the fuse and tell nobody.

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Who says it's not legal to pull the suppliers fuse?
The HSE would take a dim view on anybody working live, when there is no need.
You have 3 choices as far as I can see.
Ask the supplier to pull the fuse.
Tell the supplier when the work is completed that the fuse has been pulled and the seals need replacing.
Pull the fuse and tell nobody.


The nub of the problem is:-
The supply company do not employ you or me who are independent companies not part of their heath & safety training.

they have no record that you or me have had any proper heath & safety or safe working practise training. (just your word for it)

When a suppliers fuse it pulled..
there is a live un fused feed, (unfused locally. in property that is!!) coming in to the property.

IF you decided to be an idjut and stick something metal into the perm live contact at the bottom of the fuse and grab hold of it... or short it to earth... etc.. there could be some serious health issues!

So for fear of supply company taking any risk of being liable for your incompetence, many do NOT allow any access to their main fuse.

ALSO

If you have isolated the supply...
there is a risk you may tamper with the meter which belongs to the meter company, not the supply company...


HSE would say the correct procedure is to ask the supplier to do it.



Real world...
If there are no seals on the supply and you put some seals on to make it safer, supply company can then put "proper" seals on during their next visit!;);\

[Admin]

Swalec - Which is now owned by SSE charge £25 to fit an ISO.

[matt.leung]

save ur self some money and pull the main fuse....

[ktguk]

E-ON "Central Networks"
http://www.eon-uk.com/distribution/605.aspx

E.D.F.
http://www.edfenergy.com/hold/regulatory/downloads/informationforelectricians20060605.pdf





links dead now ]:)

[Doc Hudson]

links dead now ]:)


Indeed they are Ktguk, That is one of the hazards of older posts on a forum, and a limitation of Internet web pages that are themselves a variable media. I suppose October 2008 is a bit of a gap?

Doc H.

[Apache]

EDF new link http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/networks/pdf/informationforelectricians20060605.pdf

E.ON new link http://www.eon-uk.com/distribution/electricians.aspx

:D

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

EDF new link http://www.edfenergy.com/products-services/networks/pdf/informationforelectricians20060605.pdf

E.ON new link http://www.eon-uk.com/distribution/electricians.aspx

:D



VET???????


my ar5e!!!!!:O]:)


Somewhere in the bowels of your family tree you have "LIBRARIAN GENES" hiding!


Captain Search & Retrieve rides again!

Applaud SmileyApplaud SmileyApplaud Smiley
:xROTFWLROTFWLROTFWL

[Apache]

VET???????


my ar5e!!!!!:O]:)


Somewhere in the bowels of your family tree you have "LIBRARIAN GENES" hiding!


Captain Search & Retrieve rides again!

Applaud SmileyApplaud SmileyApplaud Smiley
:xROTFWLROTFWLROTFWL

Blushing

you gonna edit them in the OP?

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Blushing

you gonna edit them in the OP?



ffs! you givin me work to do as well!!!


you are worse than Mrs Special & all me customers...


do this do that.. do bloomin everything....


{Broom, Ar5e, Floor, Stick. My, A, Up, The, Ruddy, Clean, Will, I, And}

Tonights Quiz.. anagram phrase!!!:^O]:)ROTFWLROTFWLROTFWL

[sparkatus]

I think its time for a test case regarding the main fuse confusion to clarify the situation, when all is said and done surely you can say you need to pull the fuse immediately to properly investigate the installation...and no you cant wait 6 weeks until they send someone because there is a chance the installation is unsafe and may need immediate rectification.So whoever wants to face up to e-on in this landmark test case...i'm right behind you

[Badger]

ffs! you givin me work to do as well!!!


you are worse than Mrs Special & all me customers...


do this do that.. do bloomin everything....


{Broom, Ar5e, Floor, Stick. My, A, Up, The, Ruddy, Clean, Will, I, And}

Tonights Quiz.. anagram phrase!!!:^O]:)ROTFWLROTFWLROTFWL

I will stick a ruddy broom up my ar$e and clean the floor :P :^O