Loop electrics changed by national grid but left with consumer unit issues?

[laneycakes]

I would hazard a guess, that it's an accumulation of leakages, tripping the RCD, and that it has always been a problem - except it has gone unnoticed because their has never been a need for the supply to be turned off before. Turning them back on, one at a time, simply works around the tripping issue.

All the OP can do is tollerate the problem, or install a new consumer unit, supporting individual RCBO's for each circuit. None of which is the DNO's problem. I do agree there ought to have been an isolator installed on those tails, but they have been over-generous in running those tails in readiness for a new, repositioned consumer unit.

Possibly the reason for the 'unlooping' of the supply, is because the neighbour who the supply is shared with, is getting an EV, or a ASHP system?

In terms of neighbours-nope they aren’t having anything installed. In fact they weren’t keen to allow the works to go ahead on their property. It’s all happened as a result of the original smart meter installation. That engineer broke a seal or something and when national grid came to fix whatever he’d done they said it was a loop system and it had to be changed - wether they liked it or not.

National grid and their contractors then spent a couple of days laying cables in the field behind the houses from the pole, dug up part of the tarmac at my folks (back yard/garden) and put a big white box on the outside wall. Then put the new cables from that white box into the house.

 

[laneycakes]

Not sure why you have this View attachment 333212 but it is likely the length of the neutral tail why this problem has shown its self. Likely there has always been a small problem, but length of cable has made it worse.

But real problem is whole house on one type AC 30 mA RCD. Yes we have caravans and narrow boats on one RCD, but they are smaller than a house, and do have 12 volt lighting. Not got the up to date version of the regulations, but it has said the supply should be divided into circuits to for years, we may have got away with it when using 100 mA RCD's but with 30 mA it is asking for problems.

I would guess there is a neutral to earth fault, easy for me to find, I have the tools, but for the normal house holder we would tell them to move items around between the two or more RCD's to try to work out what is causing the trip, but with only one RCD that is not possible.

Best answer is a new consumer unit with all RCBO's, but clearly there is a cost, so unless they can afford the change, then need to find the earth leakage, need to find it anyway really, but it will need a tool of some sort to find it. In the mean time, all one can do is unplug anything not in use.

I do not understand why this View attachment 333212 has been done? It just seems some one has too many henley blocks and wanted to use some up. And yet not an isolator in sight.

Wait for more replies, as I would not put up with a job like that.

It’s really odd. Until this work took place and my dad then had to manually switch off the electricity using the main trip switch (to test the UPS) there’s been no issues with appliances tripping the electric. They do have regular power outages because they are semi rural, and I guess the original supply was overhead until these works were done.

The disabled adaptations are being done by the local council but the budget is tight and all the conversations so far have been around moving -not changing-that consumer unit. Would replacing it for a new one cost a lot more than moving the existing one? It has to be moved as the area it currently sits will become a wet room/bathroom

 

[laneycakes]

Thanks for all of your replies. As you can tell I’m not that au fait with electrics…so in conclusion…

It’s not dangerous - but not ideal and could cause problems down the line if not replaced.?

The work done by national grid is appropriate? And despite the fact this issue has only started since these works I don’t need them to come back and do or change anything?

When the disabled adaptations are done the consumer unit needs replacing and updating, and there needs to be an isolater installed on the stuff national grid have done?

Is that basically it? I’m happy to tackle national grid if needs be but it seems to be the general consensus is that their work has highlighted an existing hidden fault rather than creating a new one?. Oh and that this unlooping didn’t have to happen at all despite what they told my parents!

Thanks

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

When the disabled adaptations are done the consumer unit needs replacing and updating, and there needs to be an isolater installed on the stuff national grid have done?

Is that basically it? I’m happy to tackle national grid if needs be but it seems to be the general consensus is that their work has highlighted an existing hidden fault rather than creating a new one?. Oh and that this unlooping didn’t have to happen at all despite what they told my parents!

Yep, that seems to be about correct, from what can be interpreted from a distance. They will not be able to just move the existing consumer unit, a new one will need to be installed, complete with individual RCBO's to replace the MCB's and single RCD.
.

 

[Rodders53]

There will (almost) certainly be an isolator switch in the external big white box along with the DNO cutout fuse and smart meter. They fit them as a matter of routine nowadays to isolate the supply from meter to Consumer Unit(s) --- i.e. those tails going to the new location and from there to the existing CU, via henley blocks.

Take a pic, if unsure, inside that white meter cabinet for people here to confirm.

 

[flameport]

It’s not dangerous - but not ideal and could cause problems down the line if not replaced.?

It could cause problems today - the problem being that if a fault occurs they may not be able to switch the RCD back on until the fault is located and repaired.
However that has been the situation from the day that consumer unit was installed.

The work done by national grid is appropriate?

Looped supplies are leftovers from a long time ago where low cost was the primary concern, and should not have been installed in the first place.
If you or your neighbours want an EV charger or any other high load like electric heating, the unlooping would have to be done anyway - but that could have caused weeks or months of delay and additional costs.
By doing it now, none of those future problems exist.

When the disabled adaptations are done the consumer unit needs replacing and updating,

Exactly.
No one should be relocating 30+ year old consumer units which wouldn't comply if installed new today.

, and there needs to be an isolater installed on the stuff national grid have done?

Not required but they are often installed.

 

[Ragnar_AT]

Having grown up in an area that user to have a TT supply (outside the UK) I can‘t confirm that whole-house 30 mA RCDs are a substantial problem. They‘ve been the norm for 30 years, only very recently there‘s been a trend of fitting one RCBO alongside the main RCD to keep some of the lights on. By very recently I mean for the last three years. In my experience random RCD trips are almost always cause by faults rather than the sum of acceptable leakage currents. Of course all-RCBO boards are much nicer but single RCDs aren‘t nearly as bad as they‘re often thought to be.