new meter has no off-switch

[karaman]

hallo,

electric co. changed my meter a while back. i didnt notice at the time that the old one had an on/off switch, new one does not.

how do i switch this one off? for the past 25 years i have always done my own simple electric jobs around the house and am not about to start paying some individual 100 an hour to sort it out.

so how do i switch off the new meter? i played until i discovered the top thing can come out and all the electrics went off. i put it back in. so instead of throwing the switch one now has to yank out the thinggy, do the job and put it back in? or is there an old-type switch and i've missed it?

thanks

karaman

 

[pjcomp]

Meters don't have an on-off switch. If you yanked something out and then put it back, that was probably the supply cut-out fuse - apart from being illegal to "yank it out" you can cause problems for yourself if you do it wrong. The fact you're even asking thse questions suggest you're either a troll having a laugh, or you've been very lucky doing your own little jobs and haven't discovered your fuse box/consumer unit.

PJ

 

[Wontdothatagain]

Meters don't have an on-off switch.

Yes they do. There are several meters in use that have an isolator built in that allows the customer/electrician access to the outgoing meter tails but the incoming tails are still sealed.

 

[Taylortwocities]

The main switch on your consumer unit will do all the isolation that you need.

A competent electrician is needed for anything more complicated. And that is not you, given your use of recognised definitions:

the thinggy

 

[plugwash]

Do you have a picture of what exactly you "pulled out"?

Most meters aren't designed to provide isolation but a few types are. Whether they get fitted seems to depend on local policies at the time.

Provided your CU is wired competantly the main switch of the CU should be sufficient isolation.

 

[kai]

The Ampy Automation meters, and Siemens isolation series meters both have built-in isolation facilities.
The Ampy's has a round isolation disc, operated with an electrician's screwdriver - push and turn in the direct of the arrow, until Zero is displayed in the little window above the disc.
The Siemens has a isolator switch behind a little detachable flap above the outgoing tails connections.

 

[EFLImpudence]

The Ampy Automation meters, and Siemens isolation series meters both have built-in isolation facilities.

Very useful they are, too.

Saves having to arrange two visits from the supplier so that we can do our job safely.

I can't believe we've never had a discussion about it.

 

[Guitarguy]

This is one thing i don't understand- My meter order form at work has various types of meters on it and there is a few single phase ones and one says '1 ph adaptive with isolator' and theres '1 ph 1 rate' both essentially do exactly the same thing but one type has a built in isolator- the ampy one. Metering go round doing meter changes and fit the type without an isolator. I don't understand why they don't just fit the ampy one with an isolator built in!

 

[EFLImpudence]

They probably cost more.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Saves having to arrange two visits from the supplier so that we can do our job safely.

Single-pole isolation.

N is a live conductor.

 

[EFLImpudence]

N is a live conductor.

Correct, of course.

 

[JohnW2]

Single-pole isolation.

Do we know that none of the meters with output isolators/switches aren't DP? I haven't seen many, but the one which one of my daughters has certainly has the output tails arising somewhere very close to the 'switch', so it would be quite possible that they were coming from a DP switch.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[RF Lighting]

I only know of the ampy and seimens meters with isolators built in, and they are both single pole.

 

[JohnW2]

I only know of the ampy and seimens meters with isolators built in, and they are both single pole.

Thanks. I can't remember (maybe never knew!) what make my daughter's is - I'll have a look next time I'm over there.

However, this discussion rather begs a question. When EFLI wrote "Saves having to arrange two visits from the supplier so that we can do our job safely", do you think that, if he did arrange those two visits, he would actually ask the 'supplier' to disconnect the neutral as well as pulling the fuse? ... or maybe he should answer!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[EFLImpudence]

However, this discussion rather begs a question. When EFLI wrote "Saves having to arrange two visits from the supplier so that we can do our job safely", do you think that, if he did arrange those two visits, he would actually ask the 'supplier' to disconnect the neutral as well as pulling the fuse? ... or maybe he should answer!

Maybe he should.

What do you mean "If he did"?

If he did, he would.

If I didn't know better, I would think you were just being mischievous.