isolate manes

[Irina Nistor]

I want to change my Consumer unit inside my flat ( I live in a 8o flats court) and in the image is the meter and a switch. AM i allowed to operate this switch on my own off to change my consumer unit and on after. or will I have to inform DNO or other authorities? thank you

 

[Darkwood]

is a site for pretenders, no one said anything about practical impact of these tests just intimidations: dont do it, youre not allowed, you re not supposed to, you are not qualified, you are not this you are not that... just what always happened in my career, no one would share smoething because of competition, to show me , to intimidate me they know something I dont know. Dont worry Ill manage save your knowledge guys Ill find all I need , Ill pay for it dont worry

Irina - you are a new member here and we have little to no knowledge of your level and experience, by the very nature of your question and replies it is clear you are out of your comfort zone and lack experience in this area, please do not take this as a reflection on you as a whole, you may be well experienced and competent in others areas. We have to make a judgement call and from your replies it does come across (correct me If I'm wrong) that your not fully confident doing a full testing of the existing installation on your own, if this is the case then my advice remains, you need to get someone competent, not to do the work and test for you but to assist you so you learn.
It would be impractical to try do this through a forum and your approach, testing sequence and interpretation of the reading need to be viewed on site to ensure any guidance can be given there and then, this is the best approach to gain experience and confidence hence my recommendation.

Responding in this manner will win you no favours and will only lead to abrasive replies and possible action from a staff member.

As a forum we need to ensure the advice given is the best we can for the circumstances and where we have uncertainty regarding the competence or experience of a member to do work to which (s)he is enquiring about then we have to air on the side of caution unless it is shown otherwise, we apologise if you feel you competence has been undermined or belittled in anyway as that was not the intention.

Please refrain from abrasive responses and if you feel a member has offended you then press the report option at the bottom of the post you have issues with.

 

[Irina Nistor]

yes thats what I thought myself as well. activate the switch and see wht happens. But some people told me there are parts of the installation I might not be allowed to touch. SO my question is this switch (in the picture) that is in the basement allocated to my flat that is at 1st floor , so is this switch a switched designed and with a clear purpose to be operated by electricians without the need to inform DNO?

 

[Irina Nistor]

All I ask was if I can, If ai may, if I am allowed to operate this switch in the image, nothing else, the other words explained the purpose of operating the switch.
DO I need a special training to find out if I can operate the switch in the figure? do I need to address or to inform authorities to operate this switch in the picture? thats the question.

 

[Octopus]

yes thats what I thought myself as well. activate the switch and see wht happens. But some people told me there are parts of the installation I might not be allowed to touch. SO my question is this switch (in the picture) that is in the basement allocated to my flat that is at 1st floor , so is this switch a switched designed and with a clear purpose to be operated by electricians without the need to inform DNO?

Are you 100% sure you are a UK Level 3 sparky?

 

[Irina Nistor]

Are you 100% sure your question make sense?

 

[Octopus]

Are you 100% sure your question make sense?

100%

..

and some bedtime reading for you:

http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/find-an-electrician/part-p/

http://webarchive.nationalarchives....portal.gov.uk/uploads/br/br_pdf_ad_p_2013.pdf

 

[LankyWill]

Chancer alert!!!!

 

[Irina Nistor]

I am not trying to to change my CU through a forum
I am not trying to do my testing through a forum
through a forum I lounched a simple question:
is the switch in the picture to be operated by an electrician without the need to inform and ask the DNO permision? yes or no. thats the only question I put on this site. rest is just speaking about why I want to do this

 

[Irina Nistor]

Yes, where can I find these mentors, please, until now I ve got mainly bitching not mentoring

 

[Irina Nistor]

and still, out of so many brilliant worthy to be praised electrician minds that are putting me down here on this forum , no one said as yet:
*hey you, by its construction this switch is designed and put there to be operated
or
*no, you re not supposed to touch it because this and this that shows in the figure
so none of you , much more experienced is 100% sure and confident what is the purpose and who is allowed to operate it in case I might not be allowed

 

[Darkwood]

I have asked the OP to tone down responses and this applies to all other members too, if you are not posting to help the OP or asking for more info then please don't post, we do not appreciate negative comments that add nothing to the thread other than to rub the OP up the wrong way.


Irina - if you are confident this Isolator is only for your flat then switch it off, if you need to confirm the order of the meter and isolator then removing the trunking lid may help you follow the tails to do so.

 

[ruston]

Well ok. First you must make sure that the switch that you isolate is only isolating your supply. Switching it Off and on again , especially if there is a delay could cause someone else inconvenience or even danger.

To slow lol.

 

[Irina Nistor]

That makes so much sense. Thank you very much I learned a great thing: I am allowed to open the lead of the trunking to see if wires from switch go to feed the flat or enter the meter.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Very kind of you.
My best wishes and warm regards

 

[Andy78]

Does the communal equipment belong to you as a flat owner or does it remain the property of the building owner ? As such do you have permission to take off trunking lids and operate isolators ? Is there anything stated in any agreements between building owners and the flat owners as to work of this type and prior notification and permission ?

 

[Marvo]

Hi Irena.

.....Would you be interested to assist me (via internet) with the testing? I have my 1653B Fluke tester and I will find somewhere some papers to write the resaults.

Unfortunately testing of circuits cannot be done without being hands-on, Remote assistance isn't a safe option, there's too many variables involved.

So, to take the valuable advice that I shouldnt guess if that big sxitch is in between the supply and meter or between the meter and the feed to my flat. How I should prove myself where it sits? as long as all I can see is a switch to be operated and a meter. AM I allowed to open this box called switch and see which wires goes where? or how would you more experienced guys do?

The isolator switch in your picture could be performing any one of many functions. It could be serving several premises or it could even be redundant or not serving your premises. Unless you can assess correctly how any system or circuit is configured it's not safe to be working on it.

....I am confident to change a consumer unit but I have no idea what is a EIC. Please reveal to me about this enigmatic term : EIC. Thank you

There's a legal requirement to perform a schedule of tests and submit appropriate paperwork and notify the work.

I dont ask anhyone to take responsability for what I intend to do
I dont expect others to take responsability for what I want to doI.......

If you are so concerned why you dont give me some technical advice not some avoidance advice? and it is a wise man who ignores the advice of wise man fooled by their own selfishness

It's not about secret knowledge, you're asking people to assist you in something that can end with tragic consequences when it sounds like you're not going to do it legally and are unlikely to be able to do it safely.

I am not trying to to change my CU through a forum
I am not trying to do my testing through a forum
through a forum I lounched a simple question:
is the switch in the picture to be operated by an electrician without the need to inform and ask the DNO permision? yes or no. thats the only question I put on this site. rest is just speaking about why I want to do this

Yes, your question is simple enough but your overall intent is questionable.

I'm going to close this thread because I'm worried your not experienced enough to do the work safely and I'm also concerned about how you would or whether you would notify the CU change which is a firm legal requirement.

My best advice is to consult with one of the experienced sparkies you've worked with or worked for in the past. Get him/her to assess the best way to go forward with the job. You could then do the bulk of the work yourself and then they could give you some guidance with the final testing and notification of the work.