Strange Neutral in Armoured from Meter to Henley.

[AGreg]

Hey Everyone,

I'm in the process of rebuilding a house in the highlands of Scotland that suffered a significant escape of water in the attic, place is trashed.

So my question on the mains in. The mains comes into a 100amp fuse then into the meter. Out of the meter is an armoured that runs about 30feet to a 100amp henley then out into the old CU.

The armoured as a 10mil live but the earth an neutral are made up of multiple individually insulated cables.

Spark I spoke to didn't like the look of It, I'm thinking about having the supplier come for an isolator just out the meter

Thoughts on the cable?

 

[AJshep]

That's a PME cable it's not an armoured cable what did the Sparks say ?

 

[AGreg]

Sparky said he had never seen that before and thought the neutral and earth were one in the same.

Thanks for your help.

 

[AJshep]

I'm suprised he hasn't seen it before it's the same cable that feeds 70% of houses in the UK.
It would have been installed and supplied by the local Electricity board, it is poorly terminated so I'd report it to them.

 

[AGreg]

Googling PME

 

[AGreg]

Thanks for the advice, I will and maybe find a new sparky!

May I ask, what tells you it' poorly terminated?

 

[Dave OCD]

It's a split concentric cable normally used on TNS supplies, but in this case it looks like PME/TNCS at the main cutout, with the length of this cable it's not best suited to current regs and should be properly terminated in a switch fuse adjacent to the meter , also depending on how it's installed it may need RCD protection or replacing with SWA. [I'd also say the cable is more likely to be 16mm than 10 from the picture].

 

[westward10]

That is a poorly connected split concentric cable.

 

[Spoon]

I'm suprised he hasn't seen it before it's the same cable that feeds 70% of houses in the UK.
It would have been installed and supplied by the local Electricity board, it is poorly terminated so I'd report it to them.

Isn't the cable coming out of the meter nothing to do with the 'local Electricity board'? I thought that their responsibility stopped at the meter or does it stop at the CU?

 

[Pete999]

Hey Everyone,

I'm in the process of rebuilding a house in the highlands of Scotland that suffered a significant escape of water in the attic, place is trashed.

So my question on the mains in. The mains comes into a 100amp fuse then into the meter. Out of the meter is an armoured that runs about 30feet to a 100amp henley then out into the old CU.

The armoured as a 10mil live but the earth an neutral are made up of multiple individually insulated cables.

Spark I spoke to didn't like the look of It, I'm thinking about having the supplier come for an isolator just out the meter

Thoughts on the cable?

View attachment 39944

View attachment 39945

A Split Concentric incomer, not odd at all.

 

[AGreg]

I should add there is a second identical 100amp before the CU.

 

[ferg]

It's possible the meter was moved and the original split con left in place.

It's not ideal if the cable run requires RCD protection or earthed armouring.

 

[AGreg]

Think I need to get someone out from Oban for a look.

 

[telectrix]

or a relocatoin of CU and someone just happened to have a few metres of split con lying about.

 

[ferg]

Sounds like you are a bit to far south for me.

 

[AGreg]

Ha ha ha, aye almost a southerner

 

[Dave OCD]

Definitely a bit too far from me.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

I see quite a bit of split concentric these days, it seems eon who are doing the installs on most new developments around here are using split concentric to run from switched fuses to the consumer units in flats. the run is often several meters from a shared meter cupboard above fire rated panels then into each flat.
the switched fuse itself is supplied by normal tails cables though. the concentric is generally well terminated though.
Western power the dno often seem to be a bit random though and use whatever they seem to have to hand!

 

[MJPD29]

Split concentric cable, if your spark doesnt' know what it is it's time to find a new one

 

[ipf]

A Split Concentric incomer, not odd at all.

Used as an outgoer, Pete, instead of tails?
Replace with tails to an isolator.....then out to the CU.