Wiring help

[Stewy1984]

Looking for some help with the dodgy wiring in the lockup i rent. I'm looking to wire 1 or 2 16amp sockets for the welder and theres already to much running off the wiring.

At the minute it runs 2 x double sockets and 4 x double strip lights.

Any way i can upgrade the cable from the meter (doesnt work) and add more to the breaker to run more sockets off? and tidy it all up?

thanks

 

[Premiershipman]

Anything to do with your meter is the local electricity company's responsibility so they would have to upgrade the meter cabling.

You could get them to fit a double pole isolation switch after the meter, this way you could shut off the supply and look to fit a decent consumer unit with appropriate mcbs or rcbos and get a decent safe electricity supply.

 

[sparky_col]

Kin ell.... thats about as dodgy looking as ive seen and im a sparky, arctic cable as meter tails. you could cut the fuse seals, pull em all out and then cut the meter seals and replace the tails with a min of 16mm ones into a new consumer unit as a start, just deny all knowledge of it if anything comes of it, its always been like that...fuse seals missing are not such a crime but they dont like it when they find meter seals cut, but then again with that arctic cable coming out of there, they have probably already been cut.

 

[Stewy1984]

Both fuse and meter seals already cut, so thats not a problem. Believe it or not i had to pay to have that all fitted when i first started renting the place.

 

[brightspark]

just forget the lot and start again [PROPERLY ] new / rcd consumer unit with 16mm mains tails and 16mm mains earth wire feeding it and rewire the rest ive seen worse

 

[sparky_col]

Looks like the old "temporary turned into permanant" situation to me, temp board which has been added to. start with new tails into a consumer unit and take it from there, if your not confident, get someone in to do it.

 

[Stewy1984]

Yeah start again, its been left like this for to long. So if i pull the main fuses out that will isolate the power?

Also what size cable should i use to run the new 16amp sockets, 2.5?

 

[Robotstar5]

Is it a 3 phase supply?

 

[brightspark]

Is it a 3 phase supply?

the mains cutout and the meter are but only single phase used

 

[madkayaker]

start again! looks like a 3ph meter as well so with a decent spark you could end up with a very usefull service

 

[tigler]

Also, if it's still as damp as it looks, stand everything off the wall on a treated wooden board.

 

[Stewy1984]

Thanks for all the help so far. Ive picked up a consumer unit from a friend. Will this be suitable for me?

 

[madkayaker]

i wouldn't use that for a workshop as its plastic so not that strong or easy to fit SWA cables into (all i use in workshops unless using metal trunking and conduit) and its only single phase!

 

[madkayaker]

plus any circuits not on the RCD side should really be RCBO'S

 

[Robotstar5]

start again! looks like a 3ph meter as well so with a decent spark you could end up with a very usefull service

Cheap welders, lathes, drills etc.

 

[Stewy1984]

Any ideas what a decent sparky would charge to sort it out?

 

[brightspark]

Any ideas what a decent sparky would charge to sort it out?

£ 25 to30 an hour or get someone on the fiddle that works for someone else .and get it done on a weekend cash in hand cheaper

 

[madkayaker]

cash is always good! especialy this time of year