Found this on my travels

[Guitarguy]

House was in a timewarp and that included the electrics,
Wooden MEM fusebox, vir tails, no doubt vir wiring throughout and round pin sockets. I came to change the cutout and am thankful that our responsibility ends at the meter and i didn't need to even touch anything after! They have had a spark add outside lights and he's thought 'sod that' when seeing the electrics so added a small consumer unit instead!

The cutout was a pain to change at that! crammed into the corner!

 

[riveralt]

Is that a TNS and a TNCS earthing system?

 

[Guitarguy]

Is that a TNS and a TNCS earthing system?

Well, it looks like in the past someone has decided to convert in to 'PME' by bonding the lead sheath to the neutral and sticking a pme lable in there by the earth block, not sure why this was done as the EFLI test on the sheath returned 0.41 ohms. I can only assume that at one time it was worse because the lead service cable goes up a pole to an old polebox and overheads which have at some point in the last few years been replaced with ABC conductors replacing the old open wire

 

[westie101]

The cutout was a pain to change at that! crammed into the corner!

Yes one of the more challenging ones!!

 

[Guitarguy]

Yeah good fun it was!

 

[kai]

What was wrong with the cutout unit? _Why did it need changing? - just curious.

 

[Guitarguy]

What was wrong with the cutout unit? _Why did it need changing? - just curious.

Well It had a 60A fuse which blew and got changed and got put in for an upgrade to 100A. I Changed it because it was leaking pitch out the bottom and the terminals were too small to accept 25mm tails so putting a 100A fuseholder on it wouldn't of gained much

 

[efiste2]

GuitarGuyIm sure being a Jointer you will no doubt know but for those who dont I would estimate that 75% of your local HV and LV electricity network is as dated as this setup.....If not older

 

[ricicle]

If the system has been converted to PME then the incoming cable sheath will be MPB'd as it becomes an extraneous conductive part.

 

[Guitarguy]

GuitarGuyIm sure being a Jointer you will no doubt know but for those who dont I would estimate that 75% of your local HV and LV electricity network is as dated as this setup.....If not older

Yes, it is. The old PILC cables are infact much better than the cheap plastic cr*p we put in today and it shows. It's only really the joints that cause faults. I've worked on plenty of cables that must date back to the 30's and they are in as good condition under the lead as the day they were put in. Its the LV stuff they put in between 1969/70 and 1989/90 that causes the problems! CONSAC it's called! mind you... it's good for overtime!

Last year We replaced an old open busbar type distribution s/s which was put in in 1952 give or take a year and it was all proper cast iron pitch filled cable boxes and cast iron frame with heavy copper busbars and gert heavy porcelain fuseholders. It definately did its time and was a shame to rip it all out!

 

[westie101]

CONSAC it's called! mind you... it's good for overtime

Ah you're in one of the other "boards" to get that stuff. We've started overlaying it in places especialy where it's combined with the early resin joints we had. Rubbish Cable + Rubbsh Joints = mayhem

 

[efiste2]

Westie.....your in the same "Board" as me arnt you mate...owned by the Spaniards and run by the Scots

 

[Guitarguy]

CONSAC it's called! mind you... it's good for overtime

Ah you're in one of the other "boards" to get that stuff. We've started overlaying it in places especialy where it's combined with the early resin joints we had. Rubbish Cable + Rubbsh Joints = mayhem

Well they did have an overlay program going where they were going to overlay the lot but it kinda fizzled out for one reason or another but they did get some done- mainly in a few known problem areas. Yes those old grey shelled resin joints- it just goes porous.