three phase supply?

[LewisT]

Really storm the other day and the cover to our electrical meter blew open and it has three 100amp fuses of which only one is connected camera lens is scratched hence hazy photo
View media item 9268

 

[Robotstar5]

Wait for the next storm to blow the seals (available from ebay) off the fuses so you can check with a meter what's available?

 

[LewisT]

never had any reason too, still flapping about in the wind dont have a key to lock it, the guy who lived here when the house was built in the 80s did work for one of the power companies

 

[123hotchef]

You don't go and read your meter on a weekly basis and enter the figures into your energy usage spreadsheet to track usage/billing and provide the readings to your provider?

I thought everyone did that...

that is what the smart meters are for!

 

[123hotchef]

Ah, but our way we get to choose what and how much information to share with them

lol don't say anymore! lol

 

[hermetic]

That is a three phase cut out, and the earth appears to be a "cable sheath" earth on a lead sheathed or armoured cable, so a fairly old install, cant really see from the picture, but there is no reason to suspect that they are not connected, the cable looks old, and once installed, it would always be upgraded as a three phase service. They usually take the fuses out of the fuseholders on unused phases, but they will almost certainly be live in the cut out, in other words, you have three phase available! Incidentally, I have just bought a three phase (actually two phase, but whos counting) tig welder from a guy who was using it on a generator because he has no three phase in his workshop, although the 11kv three phase line passes right next to his workshop. He had just spent £1700 on a brand new single phase R-tech welder because the supply authority has quoted £33000 for a transformer and a three phase connection!!! I suppose this is because, given that Power Grid, who run the network, do not actually sell electricity, so there is no incentive for them to subsidise the price of a connection upgrade on the basis that they will make the money back in electricity sales. Thats privatisation for you!
Phil

 

[sparkysy]

Yeah they will be live to the fuse holder, they were usually installed where the contractor who built the estate had their yard to supply equipment during construction. My mate has the same set up and changed his to 3phase so he can get bigger kit for his workshop! Lucky git! We live in the middle of nowhere and only have single phase

 

[Kayos]

I wouldn't be so sure, that cable looks a bit thin for 3 phase

This is single phase, the 2 fuses connect to the same live (it's a back to back shared supply)

 

[dobbslc]

They don't often put a 3 phase cut out in unless there's phases available.

 

[Kayos]

I've seen it many times if I'm honest, some DNO's seem to prefer it to using sub fuses on shared supplies

 

[WorkshopChris]

DNO's seam to fit whatever they have closest to the van door and takes up as much space as possible in there box or space.

 

[Spark plug]

I wouldn't be so sure, that cable looks a bit thin for 3 phase

View attachment 92030

This is single phase, the 2 fuses connect to the same live (it's a back to back shared supply)

My 3~ supply cable ain't very fat.

 

[brightspark]

probably 25mm if its fitted with 100amp cut-out fuses

 

[dobbslc]

The dno supply cables are always much smaller than the sizes they demand we fit after the meter!

 

[Spark plug]

The dno supply cables are always much smaller than the sizes they demand we fit after the meter!

The DNO play by different rules, when they don't just do what they want. If memory served my supply cable is something like 10 or 16mm solid aluminium.

 

[Kayos]

The dno supply cables are always much smaller than the sizes they demand we fit after the meter!

I got to the stage where for one company it had to be 25mm, so what do we do with flats that have a remote cut out, fed on 10mm in conduit?

 

[brightspark]

I got to the stage where for one company it had to be 25mm, so what do we do with flats that have a remote cut out, fed on 10mm in conduit?

if there flats they should be fitted with a switch fuse back at the meter cupboard and fuse down rated for the 10mm supply . so there's no problem putting 25mm tails in between the 2 .any db supplies longer than 3m need a switch fuse fitting not just a double pole isolator

 

[Kayos]

if there flats they should be fitted with a switch fuse back at the meter cupboard and fuse down rated for the 10mm supply . so there's no problem putting 25mm tails in between the 2 .any db supplies longer than 3m need a switch fuse fitting not just a double pole isolator

The newer stuff was like that, I'm talking old flats in Sheffield, big shared 3 phase cutouts, I think they had 40a fuses tho. The meter was at the flat door so the top floor was a pain pulling the fuse

 

[LewisT]

Bumping my own thread but the seals were missing on the two other phases so pulled the fuses its very much live 3 phases.

 

[dobbslc]

The seals are always missing...