Pulling the main fuse :/

[liambaker996]

Hi guys i have been asked to change a consumer unit.
I have been told that pulling the fuse is not illegal as the Yorkshire Electricity Board just don't have the men to come out and pull everybody fuses who need it doing anymore.
i know this may cause debate and i will get the answer of "it was already off when you arrived" which yes it probably will be
just wondered if anybody had any conformation on this as all the other threads seem to be from a year to 3 ago.
Liam

 

[alanl]

Ring them and ask?
Have you done it before? Have you seen it done?
If not, then I wouldnt even attempt it.
What safety measures will you have in place when / if you do it?

Ring them, and ask them to do it for you. Most DNOs dont charge for this now, and will fit an isolator for you if you supply the parts.

 

[amlu]

there is always a little sweet spot in the middle between legal and illegal

 

[7029 dave]

The bottom line is you should not be pulling the main fuse out of the cut out.Ring the energy supplier to fit a double pole isolator between cut out and cu,some charge some don't.

 

[D Skelton]

If it is safe to do so then it is NOT illegal to pull the main fuse! Only illegal to cut the seals. No seals no crime.

Take note of the critical part of that sentence 'If it is safe to do so'!

 

[NJG28]

I always get customer to arrange with DNO or Billing Company to fit double pole isolation switch before CU change. Quite a difference in lead-in times & prices : 4 days to 21 days! Free to £87!

 

[jeremy]

if you belong to NICEIC, SSE (down this neck of the woods anyway) say you can cut the seal yourself and ring them when you're finished to re seal. Why aren't they all as simple as that?

 

[nickblake]

When you ring them arrange a day your there they don't turn up so its seals cut do the job , I am now putting the isolators every time I have to do this and I re seal , this is where those nice little people in blue vans have the advantage they have the seals and guns that stamp BG on them nice eh and were not to do it it wrong

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

I went up to Scottish power training for a day course so I can now legally remove and re seal fuses on the highway and buildings. Well worth doing.

 

[SPARTYKUS]

if you belong to NICEIC, SSE (down this neck of the woods anyway) say you can cut the seal yourself and ring them when you're finished to re seal. Why aren't they all as simple as that?

<sigh> it doesn't matter which robber-I mean scheme you've paid to belong to.

 

[Guest111]

If it is safe to do so then it is NOT illegal to pull the main fuse! Only illegal to cut the seals. No seals no crime.

Take note of the critical part of that sentence 'If it is safe to do so'!

I'm going to change a board on Friday for a mate,small shop,now I noticed there was a seal in place but I had a quiet word with it and it assures me it will have moved on by Friday,all it takes is a little politeness lol:seeya:

 

[7029 dave]

If it is safe to do so then it is NOT illegal to pull the main fuse! Only illegal to cut the seals. No seals no crime.

Take note of the critical part of that sentence 'If it is safe to do so'!

wrong you need mocopa certificate to pull main fuse out of cut out or do any work their.

 

[Guest55]

I'm going to change a board on Friday for a mate,small shop,now I noticed there was a seal in place but I had a quiet word with it and it assures me it will have moved on by Friday,all it takes is a little politeness lol:seeya:

last seal i found was served with an eviction notice and court injunction........
issued by a set of ck snips
;-)

 

[Guest111]

last seal i found was served with an eviction notice and court injunction........
issued by a set of ck snips
;-)

I take it the polite request didn't work then lol

 

[Bugsalone]

Hi, I am new to the forum. I am now retired and many years ago worked as a DI. I have been reading a post regards main fuses from back in 2010 where D Skelton had an input. I see you are involved in this discussion Mr Skelton and I agree that to pull a fuse is not illegal. I worked in Hackney and it would be hard to find a seal intact anywhere. Mind you back then no one cared about such things.
The question I would like answered is when pulling a main fuse with an economy 7 clock installed does this affect the clock etc, as I am not aware these can be set by an DI.

 

[Tridentsystems]

Engineers from western power told me today they are happy for me to pull main fuses and have given me a handful of seals

 

[shocking_eg]

jeeze, is this question really being asked again !? FFS

 

[D Skelton]

wrong you need mocopa certificate to pull main fuse out of cut out or do any work their.

No you don't, you haven't a clue what you're on about with all due respect.

 

[telectrix]

i got a cocopops badge out of a packet. will that do?

 

[Des 56]

i got a cocopops badge out of a packet. will that do?

Did you reseal the packet ?

 

[Guest111]

I asked the spark from DNO today about breaking seals and he said as far as they are concerned if a spark does it they don,t mind,its whed it's diy dave does it that they get upset,he even asked if I wanted it resealed today or send someone back next week.

 

[SKY]

UK Power Networks in my area seem ok with it - I have pulled hundreds of fuses and always reseal using the old seal but twist it with a pair of longnose - after the change I ring them up and tell them what I have done and they send a guy over to reseal.

Could not give a monkeys if its not the right thing to do and to be honest whats the worse they can do!!! it will never go to court ever.

Spoken to loads of DNO maintenance chaps onsite who also say if they are at a property with a new CU they actually expect the seals to be absent and just reseal as a natural reaction.
You get some of the young DNO lads just out of training who make a scene of it but they soon get told the "rules" by the experienced DNO fitters as they understand that Mr Sparks has a job to do and working live would be plain stupid.

 

[Andy78]

I asked the spark from DNO today about breaking seals and he said as far as they are concerned if a spark does it they don,t mind,its whed it's diy dave does it that they get upset,he even asked if I wanted it resealed today or send someone back next week.

This is what I have been told on many occasion by DNO and meter sparks. They generally don't give a hoot if you are withdrawing the fuse to isolate, so snips the seals if you need to.
Cutting the seals on a meter however can be another matter entirely.

 

[telectrix]

so how are we supposed to fit new tails into the meter? henley block into the old tails and wait 3 weeks for DNO or supplier to decide who's going to come out.

 

[SKY]

This is what I have been told on many occasion by DNO and meter sparks. They generally don't give a hoot if you are withdrawing the fuse to isolate, so snips the seals if you need to.
Cutting the seals on a meter however can be another matter entirely.

Sometimes that may also have to be done so that uprated tails can be installed to comply with 7671!

 

[Andy78]

I appreciate that. It's not something I do myself, if I can help it, but understand the neccessity some others may feel regards them getting cracked on.

 

[telectrix]

there's a lot of meters and cut-outs out there with ebay seals on them.

 

[micknew]

Should be mentioned that a DIYer should not pull the main fuse as without proper care and knowledge the cutout could blow up.
Wouldn't be the 1st time (just incase they're reading this).

 

[Jay Sparks]

there's a lot of meters and cut-outs out there with ebay seals on them.

And I bet I've fit alot of em....!!! I bought a load of seals from ebay for next to nowt!!!
Don't withdraw the fuse my ---!!!lol

 

[sparkdog]

Its been going on a long time this fuse thing.Even when I was an apprentice in the 1960s the boss used to cut the strands of the seal wire at different lengths and then twist them back when we were finished,to make it look like it hadn't been cut.

 

[Engineer54]

The thing wrong with encouraging to cut seals and pull cut out fuses, is that we have so many fast track wannabe's out there, that won't have a clue when and more importantly when not to pull a cut out fuse!!

An old cast iron cut out, with one or more rewireable ceramic fuses, sort of springs to mind here!! Some of those even i would be more than a little hesitant to pull, especially if you can visually see any damage or tiny/hairline cracks in the fuse or it's holder!! Next fuse up the line, can be anything from 400 to 600A and well and truly loaded too!! lol!!

 

[D Skelton]

Out come the marigolds

 

[Engineer54]

Out come the marigolds

Last thing you would want to use, some of those kitchen gloves are known to be semi-conductive!!!

 

[D Skelton]

That was a joke Eng, c'mon, seriously?! Lol

 

[sparkdog]

Pair of welding gloves for me.

 

[Gazthesparky]

I've got a job coming up to replace the consumer unit and theres a white electronic key meter the ones you put in the blue and orange plastic key in fitted

Does anyone know if you remove power to it does it keep a record of the credit that's on the meter ? I'm guessing its got a battery backup memory so if there's a power cut it then rembers the credit/debt.

can anyone confirm this is the case ?

Cheers

 

[Jay Sparks]

I've got a job coming up to replace the consumer unit and theres a white electronic key meter the ones you put in the blue and orange plastic key in fitted

Does anyone know if you remove power to it does it keep a record of the credit that's on the meter ? I'm guessing its got a battery backup memory so if there's a power cut it then rembers the credit/debt.

can anyone confirm this is the case ?

Cheers

Think you have answered your own question there.

 

[SKY]

They have a little lithium battery is from memory.

 

[Jay Sparks]

The thing wrong with encouraging to cut seals and pull cut out fuses, is that we have so many fast track wannabe's out there, that won't have a clue when and more importantly when not to pull a cut out fuse!!

An old cast iron cut out, with one or more rewireable ceramic fuses, sort of springs to mind here!! Some of those even i would be more than a little hesitant to pull, especially if you can visually see any damage or tiny/hairline cracks in the fuse or it's holder!! Next fuse up the line, can be anything from 400 to 600A and well and truly loaded too!! lol!!

I came across one of these last year, in a factory. It was, I think a 100A, big thing it was. It was completely cracked in half and someone had written on it, in black marker, "Do not remove"...lol I strongly suggested they have the whole place EICR'd because there were 6 or 7 DB's and they all had porcelain fuses in em.

They politely said no to the EICR, as they didnt have the money for it.lol

 

[7029 dave]

No you don't, you haven't a clue what you're on about with all due respect.

Is that so? considering I work for the DNO!!

 

[D Skelton]

Is that so? considering I work for the DNO!!

I don't care who you work for, that is irrelevant, it might be the case that you need this cocopops certificate thingie to pull the fuse in your job (probably a H&S thing), but by law, no matter who you work for or what you do, you don't need anything to pull a fuse whether that be one in your DB or the main suppliers one, it is not illegal, it does not contravene any statutory or non statutory regulation nor do you breach any by-law. You commit no crime whatsoever by pulling an unsealed suppliers fuse!!!!

 

[7029 dave]

Nothing to do with h&s, You have to be authorised to work on dno's cutout by holding a MOCOPA certificate which is renewable every 3years.It is the dno's equipment solely,and it is only them who can withdraw the main fuse and reinstate weather sealed or unsealed end of.

 

[D Skelton]

You're talking out of your rear end. Yes you are correct that you need to have authorisation to work on their equipment and/or make alterations to their equipment as it is their property, this is even mentioned in the ESQCRs however removing a fuse is not working on their equipment nor is it altering it!!

Shame, I guess from now on all firemen have got to hold cocopops certification to pull main fuses too, if they don't they've just got to watch the property set alight and burn to the ground

 

[Des 56]

You're talking out of your rear end. Yes you are correct that you need to have authorisation to work on their equipment and/or make alterations to their equipment as it is their property, this is even mentioned in the ESQCRs however removing a fuse is not working on their equipment nor is it altering it!!

Shame, I guess from now on all firemen have got to hold cocopops certification to pull main fuses too, if they don't they've just got to watch the property set alight and burn to the ground

If it is an high level mains,that situation could only arise if the fireman has his cocopops smoke alarm certificate for climbing his steps in the first instance



Be careful out there,the H+S brigade may be waiting to pounce on this thread (if they have the correct "thread writing" certificate of course)we all know how obsessive they can be

 

[Daniel Cotter]

I can honestly say no one gives two ..... about cut seals unless there is suspicions of theft.

 

[telectrix]

but is it worth stealing the seals once you've cut them and rendered them useless? :35:

 

[Daniel Cotter]

No just leave them there

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Nothing to do with h&s, You have to be authorised to work on dno's cutout by holding a MOCOPA certificate which is renewable every 3years.It is the dno's equipment solely,and it is only them who can withdraw the main fuse and reinstate weather sealed or unsealed end of.

Are you being certificatavist? :dizzy2:

 

[Knobhead]

Last thing you would want to use, some of those kitchen gloves are known to be semi-conductive!!!

They make gloves for 11KV. Pity you can't bend you're fingers in them.

 

[Knobhead]

Nothing to do with h&s, You have to be authorised to work on dno's cutout by holding a MOCOPA certificate which is renewable every 3years.It is the dno's equipment solely,and it is only them who can withdraw the main fuse and reinstate weather sealed or unsealed end of.

Funny how I've had a UKPN engineer stood next to me while I opperated 11KV switches for them.