This could be tricky to upgrade...

[Octopus]

Been doing a partial EICR today due to a muppet changing a fuseboard, no certs, no invoice, very shoddy installation flagged by a visiting air conditioning engineer!

This is a picture of the service head ............. the main earth needs upgrading to 10 or preferably 16mm - but is it possible?



This is the CU end of the gas bonding!




Thoughts?

 

[The Ghost]

Can you take that panel out or cut a bit out at the side? Then reinstate set in rather on the edge.

 

[westward10]

You could if you can get one of those round solid copper bars some CUs use to link the neutral bar to the rcd. Form it nicely, sleeve it and fit another terminal. Alternatively get the DNO to fit another terminal.

 

[Dave OCD]

Just unscrew the entire cutout, connect the new 16mm earth in and refix.

 

[Marvo]

Maybe remove one or two of the existing screws, drill one of the existing holes out to a 5mm hole all the way through the block and tap a 6mm thread. Crimp a 16x6 lug onto a piece of 16mm earth wire and bolt it into the newly made hole. Then just mount a new earth bar in a more accessible place.

 

[Marvo]

If you're hesitant to get involved with dentistry type work of drilling and tapping holes I guess you could also remove the earth wires that are in the termination block, fit 3x new 6mm wires into it and use them in parallel to supply a new, more accessible termination block into which you connect the two wires you removed.

 

[davesparks]

Maybe remove one or two of the existing screws, drill one of the existing holes out to a 5mm hole all the way through the block and tap a 6mm thread. Crimp a 16x6 lug onto a piece of 16mm earth wire and bolt it into the newly made hole. Then just mount a new earth bar in a more accessible place.

Sounds like a pretty good plan!

 

[Richard Burns]

In a similar vein to Marvo, it looks like you have a 10mm² and a 6mm² in the block at the moment so if you were to use those two and cut them and reterminate into a new earth block you would have a 16mm² from earth block to head and could then terminate your new conductors earthing and bonding into the new earth block.

Then again someone managed to get that later cable in place, but possibly at change of service head.

 

[Dave OCD]

And in another similar vein you could also connect a lugged 16mm to an existing terminal screw on the block, with a washer if necessary.

 

[Octopus]

In a similar vein to Marvo, it looks like you have a 10mm² and a 6mm² in the block at the moment so if you were to use those two and cut them and reterminate into a new earth block you would have a 16mm² from earth block to head and could then terminate your new conductors earthing and bonding into the new earth block.

Then again someone managed to get that later cable in place, but possibly at change of service head.

Sadly they are 6 & 2.5mm

 

[westward10]

I very much doubt you could lug a conductor onto the block even if you drill and retap it and hope it remains secure without movement unless the lug has two termination holes. It is also ad hoc and not the recommended means for terminating a conductor at that style of block.

 

[Flanders]

I like the idea of the three 6mm in parallel , but im not sure how you work out that it would be the equivalent to a 16mm , i don't think you can just say 3 x 6 =18mm

 

[westward10]

Mmm.

 

[Richard Burns]

If the wooden panel, on which the service head is mounted, could be released, and without, of course, putting any strain on the incoming service cable could the panel be lifted enough to winkle a conductor into the terminal?

 

[Octopus]

If the wooden panel, on which the service head is mounted, could be released, and without, of course, putting any strain on the incoming service cable could the panel be lifted enough to winkle a conductor into the terminal?

Quite possible - not been asked to quote for remedials as yet .... so not really thinking about it..

 

[Rpa07]

I'm with @Richard Burns, if it can be 'winkled' it should be 'winkled'!

 

[Adj]

I like the idea of the three 6mm in parallel , but im not sure how you work out that it would be the equivalent to a 16mm , i don't think you can just say 3 x 6 =18mm

Why?

 

[westward10]

You can just times it by three, the calculation for csa only changes by adding n which is number of conductors.

 

[westward10]

I done a pic because can't find all the symbols. Diameter of a 6.0 conductor approximately 2.764mm

 

[Rpa07]

That is great and much appreciated - the main question though Westward10 is, how did you spell 'bunch' the first time to get it wrong enough to need tippex!