Henley overheated

[JohnW2]

A decent meter operative would remove the block if the tails from the CU are long enough. There wouldn't be a charge for it either.

Presumably only if asked to? It could well be that the Henley had deliberately been put there with a view to a(known or possible) future need to split the tails - in which case the customer might be none too pleased if someone removed it!

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Or it could well be that there was once a multi-tariff supply.

Is the mark on the board above the meter from one which has been removed, or from an older one which was just larger?

 

[JohnW2]

Or it could well be that there was once a multi-tariff supply. ... Is the mark on the board above the meter from one which has been removed, or from an older one which was just larger?

I could be wrong, but it looks as if the Henley actually slightly overlays the position of whatever used to be up there, suggesting that the Henley might post-date removal of whatever it was.

One thing which hasn't been mentioned/suggested. If that were my installation, rather than have someone just remove the Henley, I'd probably want it to be replaced with an isolator.

Kind Regards, John

 

[bernardgreen]

Cool Henley

Sorry, couldn't resist

 

[RF Lighting]

If that were my installation, rather than have someone just remove the Henley, I'd probably want it to be replaced with an isolator.

Isolators (and henleys) fail. An unbroken length of meter tail doesn't. Besides there's a perfectly good one in the consumer unit which isolates everything.

 

[JohnW2]

Isolators (and henleys) fail. An unbroken length of meter tail doesn't. Besides there's a perfectly good one in the consumer unit which isolates everything.

Everything other than the tails and the Main Switch itself (which, like isolators and Henleys can fail).

I realise that (as we often see here) there is a dichotomy of views about isolators. I certainly don't see them as significantly necessary as a 'safety measure' - it's really only a matter of convenience if one wants to change the CU, change its main switch or split the tails - if one is happy to get the DNO out to pull/replace the cutout fuse, remove/replace it oneself, or (hopefully not) work live in such situations, then I agree that having additional ('unnecessary') possible points of failure is an argument against isolators.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Steve]

All sorted now lads. Thanks to a little Diynot generosity on the part of a member of the forum. . . . The henley block is no more, and neither are the scratty melted tails.

The DNO also turned up to isolate and reseal the meter . . .

I have a feeling the house once had storage heaters (at least 20 years ago as the old boiler was 20 years old, replaced about 2 years ago) and the henley was a throwback to then. Slightly alarming was the fact that the neutral outgoing tail from the henley only had one screw on the terminal. You'd think the electrician from 4 years ago who fitted the new CU would have used another terminal or taken another screw from another terminal. Perversely it was the other neutral that had melted, the one with 2 screws in it.

 

[Steve]

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A little blurry, but you get the picture.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Cool Henley

Sorry, couldn't resist

Thanks, that's my home town. Looks like the planned BBQ for tomorrow can go ahead after all

 

[JohnW2]

All sorted now lads. Thanks to a little Diynot generosity on the part of a member of the forum. . . . The henley block is no more, and neither are the scratty melted tails.

That's great. There are still some decent folk left in the world!

The DNO also turned up to isolate and reseal the meter . . .

I'm pleased to hear that - an amazing service you get from your DNO up in Yorkshire

You'd think the electrician from 4 years ago who fitted the new CU would have used another terminal or taken another screw from another terminal. Perversely it was the other neutral that had melted, the one with 2 screws in it.

Indeed - it's not as if there was any lack of spare screws there! ... and why is it nearly always the neutrals that give trouble - is it a psychological thing, with people not feeling (maybe subconsciously) the need to apply quite so much wellie when tightening screws in neutral terminals?

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

And here's the autopsy...

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[Steve]

Thought you'd slung that lol.

 

[RF Lighting]

I can't help it. It's like a disease. I have to take every bit of failed equipment to bits and post it on here....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

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That's more than a tad alarming.

Basically the DNO guy took that damaged and probably dangerous cable end and just put it back into the service connector block.

WESTIE - if you're there - are they not trained to inspect the ends of overheated cables, and to cut back if necessary?

 

[Steve]

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That's more than a tad alarming.

Basically the DNO guy took that damaged and probably dangerous cable end and just put it back into the service connector block.

WESTIE - if you're there - are they not trained to inspect the ends of overheated cables, and to cut back if necessary?

a couple of things that may have stopped him doing so: this cable was my side of the meter therefore he wasn't forced to do anything and the cable wouldn't have reached if he had cut it back to clean metal. There wasn't enough length. I'm not saying he should have left it in that situation without a strong advisory to me but just understanding why he did leave it.