Judging imperial submain T&E cable

[telectrix]

What busbar shroud? Not sure if these boards are supposed to have one, but it's often a luxury that isn't supplied in my experience, particularly in flat CUs. In this situation the flat was empty and the CU about 6 inches off the floor in a cupboard, so I have to admit that I didn't put the board cover back on every time while live testing.....

let you off then . .

 

[Dartlec]

sorry am I being totally stupid again but I can only see one Red and Black cable and it doesn't look T&E ?

Sorry, the pic isn't that clear - the incoming Red and Black cables are indeed part of a supplying T&E - the earth can be seen going into the right hand earth bar terminal. If indeed the cable is 7/0.64 then that suggests the earth is 7/0.52, so equivalent about 9.4mm.

Just out of interest, this is the switch fuse on the other end. It's still not entirely clear, but exiting it is the other end of the twin and earth that ends up at the consumer unit. (And yes that adds a whole new can of worms, but not all relevant to the flat in question....)

 

[Lucien Nunes]

The line conductor insulation looks a bit melty, quite apart from the lack of anything around the outside of it.

 

[R-fur]

Don't know if this helps, it shows the relative relationship between metric and imperial cables. Sorry about the quality of the picture.

 

[Dartlec]

Don't know if this helps, it shows the relative relationship between metric and imperial cables. Sorry about the quality of the picture.

View attachment 59280

Thanks, that's actually a really useful way of showing it - will be saving that to my folder of useful info!

Seems like info that should be much more widely available, given how mujch imperial stuff is out there. I suspect a lot of EICRs are going to be incorrectly filled in over the next few years with the new letting requirements and people who don't bother to follow up when they run into something that is outside their experience.
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The line conductor insulation looks a bit melty, quite apart from the lack of anything around the outside of it.

Agreed - I don't think it's recent to be honest, and seems very stable now. Fortunately the landlords are in the process of obtaining the freehold for all 3 flats, and I'll be redoing the whole lot I imagine - the feed from the meter is the lovely braided stuff you can see in the foreground and the DNO's tails look undersized to me (though who knows if they will change it when asked...)

 

[David Prosser]

Whats powering the LHS RCD?

 

[Mark Wright]

when was imperial cable last in use?

 

[R-fur]

I think imperial cables were last made about 1970. When I started in 76 it was all metric and had been for a while.

 

[Mark Wright]

I think imperial cables were last made about 1970. When I started in 76 it was all metric and had been for a while.

Ok Thanks, When was the rubber insulated stuff last used?

 

[R-fur]

Rubber disappeared a bit earlier, you can get imperial PVC cables but no metric rubber as far as I know.
The give away is the conductors, tinned and stranded = imperial, solid with no tin = metric.
You also got Imperial PVC twin with no earth.