Old Electric Meter

[Deleted member 142255]

That 2nd fuse in looks damaged at the bottom right corner.

Switch off the main switch before pulling or inserting fuses.

 

[ebee]

and after inserting/replacing fusewire and with the fuse cover on before switching back to on. A flash bang fling of hot lumps of fusewire closing into a fault can splatter all over and can get in yer eyes.

A 30A fusewire going BANG into a dead short fault can make a noise you tend to remember, there are plenty who have tried it.

 

[Deleted member 142255]

and after inserting/replacing fusewire and with the fuse cover on before switching back to on. A flash bang fling of hot lumps of fusewire closing into a fault can splatter all over and can get in yer eyes.

A 30A fusewire going BANG into a dead short fault can make a noise you tend to remember, there are plenty who have tried it.

Got that tee shirt many times lol. You soon learn to look away before switching on.

 

[crystal ball]

However In my experience a fuse blowing has always been perfectly normal when a bulb blows.

One of my first jobs on the side was for my mothers friend, 5 amp fuse had blown when a bulb popped, replaced the fuse wire, circuit still dead, took about an hour to spot a tiny blob on the fuse carrier caused by arcing which was preventing contact somehow

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Got that tee shirt many times lol. You soon learn to look away before switching on.

Nowt like switching on a thousand amps

 

[crystal ball]

Working in Africa I had to switch in an 11kV substation on an airforce base , chief engineer & the contractor gave the ok, switched the RMU and the substation lights went out, whoopsie

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

In my inexperienced youth, I was working in the back of a panel, connecting a temporary, bare earth wire. The back was just a large, plain, completely empty space of paxolin, apart from screw heads scattered around it, for equipment on the far side. Unknown to me, and it seems everyone else, the screw heads were all live, with 3ph. Bare 7/044, or something similar, was to run from top to bottom of the panel. Well, the wire caught on one screw head, welded itself, and tracked up to several more, protected by 100amp fuses. The flash lit the place up, and I was completely blind for several hours.

 

[AdrianUK]

Meter manufactured 1971 , but may not have been installed that year , have seen thousands older than that .

From the second & third digits of the serial number? I'll have to go look at our Sangamo meter...

 

[securespark]

However In my experience a fuse blowing has always been perfectly normal when a bulb blows.

Me too.

Been to hundreds of calls outs for just that.

Quality lamps (the old tungsten halogen type) had Ballotini fuses built in which would pop to stop the circuit protective device going, but cheap ones didn't.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Me too.

Been to hundreds of calls outs for just that.

I've never known an actual fuse-wire go, due to a lamp failing, I have numerous times had MCB's trip, when they have. The reason is fuse wire has much more inertia, to fault currents, than an MCB.

 

[SUNRAY]

I've never known an actual fuse-wire go, due to a lamp failing, I have numerous times had MCB's trip, when they have. The reason is fuse wire has much more inertia, to fault currents, than an MCB.

My recollection is completely different, AFAIC blowing a fuse was completely normal. Originally I assumed it was the break in the element shorting across to the other support wire. I tended to store spare carriers by the fusebox.

 

[SUNRAY]

Not as long ago as that Harry

Indeed. The Wylex boxes were available well into the 1990's, I purchased an 8 way to upgrade the installation in my home and Mrs Sunray points out we moved in November 1994.

 

[securespark]

Snap! I fitted 3036 boards in 94 too.

 

[SUNRAY]

Snap! I fitted 3036 boards in 94 too.

Bearing in mind we moved 6 weeks before Christmas and also there was lots to do to the place the fusebox wouldn't have been a high priority to would have been well into the following year and possibly the year after but I have no way of telling now.

EDIT: Except of course the photos and May 1996 seems to be the time we altered the hall which included reconfiguring the under stairs cupboard and that predated the fusebox change.

 

[ebee]

My recollection is completely different, AFAIC blowing a fuse was completely normal. Originally I assumed it was the break in the element shorting across to the other support wire. I tended to store spare carriers by the fusebox.

I’d say fuse blowing if a filament lamp blows was less common than an MCB tripping but both could occur on occasions anyway. Whatever the ratio it is usually noticeable but not exclusive.