100a Isolation Switch Cost

[Cid]

Change your energy supplier. Npower do it for free

 

[Lister1987]

Then the SSE are wrong we cannot legally pull main fuses. Only the DNO’s and power supplier companies can do that.

What's the reg/SI to back this as I'm sure it was removed in the latest edition

We as electricians are not legally allowed to pull the main incoming fuse.

As above, do we actually have it chapter & verse like they do with gas meters and The Gas Act?

 

[Wilko]

Hi - as you’ve found, the provision of a service isolator between the Meter and the Consumer Unit can be a bit confused. The fuse is owned by your DNO (SSE in your case). The meter is owned by your Supplier (folks who send you the bill). The meter tails linking the meter to the consumer unit are your property and responsibility but you are not permitted to touch the meter. So if the cables out of the meter need changing (insulation damaged, current rating too low for a new load etc) then usually your electricity supplier will need to be involved.

Depending on who is your electricity supplier this can be fast and cheap, or slow and expensive. I work in an area where SSE is the DNO and I get first rate assistance from their metering guys for Customers that buy electricity from them. The other suppliers make their own arrangements and so charges and delays are variable. Just my experience.

If you’d like to post a pic of your meter and cables I may be able to be more specific .

 

[Deleted account]

What's the reg/SI to back this as I'm sure it was removed in the latest edition


As above, do we actually have it chapter & verse like they do with gas meters and The Gas Act?

It’s not in our regs as our regs don’t cover that part of the installation. It’s part of the supplier regs.

The suppliers have there own set of regs that I am not privy to and not familiar with.

 

[davesparks]

Hello Everyone

Despite buying electricians gloves, other ppe, 25mm tails and the switch itself I'd still rather it be done by someone a/ qualified and b/ has done it many times before. Only worse case would I consider c/ ....

Anyway, I guess there are some variables so maybe hard to get an approximate price but I'd have thought on my board surely it would be less than an hour's work to pull the main fuse and fit an isolator after the meter? Assuming there was no issue with the DNO (sse) which I think there wouldn't be for a NICEIC etc electrician, and assuming the existing tail lengths are plenty long enough out of the meter, how much would I be looking at? £200 ?

Also, since the work might involve taking the tails out of the existing CU and routing them to the new isolator, could the electrician we hired be obliged to shut down everything if he thought the CU was unsafe? That is actually my biggest fear with hiring anyone rather than doing myself.

Why do you want this isolator in the first place?
Are you planning on a DIY consumer unit replacement? If so I would strongly recommend not doing this but having a qualified electrician who is registered with a part P scheme do this work for you. Otherwise you may be placing your life at risk along with the lives of everyone else in the property.

 

[Deleted member 112675]

Hi - as you’ve found, the provision of a service isolator between the Meter and the Consumer Unit can be a bit confused. The fuse is owned by your DNO (SSE in your case). The meter is owned by your Supplier (folks who send you the bill). The meter tails linking the meter to the consumer unit are your property and responsibility but you are not permitted to touch the meter. So if the cables out of the meter need changing (insulation damaged, current rating too low for a new load etc) then usually your electricity supplier will need to be involved.

Depending on who is your electricity supplier this can be fast and cheap, or slow and expensive. I work in an area where SSE is the DNO and I get first rate assistance from their metering guys for Customers that buy electricity from them. The other suppliers make their own arrangements and so charges and delays are variable. Just my experience.

If you’d like to post a pic of your meter and cables I may be able to be more specific .

Thanks. Very informative. Pic attached.

My DNO is SSE but my supplier is pretty awful about everything - TogetherEnergy. The existing cables out of the meter are in good condition and the load will not be increasing. They look the same size as my 25mm tails and the ones into the meter look bigger but I could be wrong.

I might look into NPower from the advice above - thanks whoever suggested that.

I also understand why you couldn't possibly engage with a random diyer on the internet on how to perform notifiable jobs and I wasn't expecting that. I did hope to get a ballpark price for fitting the isolator or at least to have it confirmed that nobody would take on such work.

(mcb on one of the 5a, 1mm circuits was removed at the time as I was changing a lightbulb....

 

[Cbuk2k2]

There's a contractor up our way approved by the DNO who will come out and fit a double pole isolator for about £60. Your completely legal and above board then. I've even had a DNO come out and do it for free in the past but they messed me about a fair but.

 

[Des 56]

What a palaver about fitting a isolator
Just as a comparison,if this were my job it would probably have been done in ten to twenty minutes
Maybe,make a decent offer on here with a price you are willing to pay and maybe some kind soul living local will oblige

 

[Cbuk2k2]

What a palaver about fitting a isolator
Just as a comparison,if this were my job it would probably have been done in ten to twenty minutes
Maybe,make a decent offer on here with a price you are willing to pay and maybe some kind soul living local will oblige

If you read the DNO terms of service its normally beach of contract to touch their equipment. Its also actually illegal interfere with DNO equipment. Why put yourself in the firing line if the customer can pay £60 and have an idolator fitted before you arive?

 

[Des 56]

If you read the DNO terms of service its normally beach of contract to touch their equipment. Its also actually illegal interfere with DNO equipment. Why put yourself in the firing line if the customer can pay £60 and have an idolator fitted before you arive?

I agreed with the £60 job when it was posted, but for me and regarding the suppliers equipment

I have fitted and will likely do so in the future scores of isolators without touching or interfering with any suppliers equipment
Its known as working live,it was once a task that did not cause consternation and anguish to those in the trade

 

[Cbuk2k2]

I agreed with the £60 job when it was posted, but for me and regarding the suppliers equipment

I have fitted and will likely do so in the future scores of isolators without touching or interfering with any suppliers equipment
Its known as working live,it was once a task that did not cause consternation and anguish to those in the trade

You could say the same about asbestos and driving a car without a seat belt.

 

[Des 56]

You could say the same about asbestos and driving a car without a seat belt.

Thats a poor response and a comparison that is irrelevant

 

[davesparks]

You could say the same about asbestos and driving a car without a seat belt.

You can't really compare it to either of those things, they can be deadly without any action or mistake from yourself.

 

[Cbuk2k2]

You can't really compare it to either of those things, they can be deadly without any action or mistake from yourself.

Live working, asbestos and driving without a seatbelt are all risks that should be avoided wherever possible so I'd say they are directly comparable.

 

[Deleted member 112675]

SSE have told me that any competent scheme member electrician can do it and they just need to call a number that they gave me when they arrive to site. I assume this is the implementation of the procedure someone kindly linked to up thread.

I would bite the hand off of someone who could do it for £60 with SSEs blessing and didn't start insisting on other upgrades. As I said above I'd consider anything less than £200.

 

[Cbuk2k2]

SSE have told me that any competent scheme member electrician can do it and they just need to call a number that they gave me when they arrive to site. I assume this is the implementation of the procedure someone kindly linked to up thread.

I would bite the hand off of someone who could do it for £60 with SSEs blessing and didn't start insisting on other upgrades. As I said above I'd consider anything less than £200.

The joys of living in London, I guess that comes with it costing them half a day to get anywhere and £20 in congestion charges + parking.

 

[Deleted member 112675]

I'm actually near Bracknell. (Admin has decided every post needs to be more than five words so here are the additionals).

 

[Cbuk2k2]

I'm actually near Bracknell. (Admin has decided every post needs to be more than five words so here are the additionals).

Try putting it on Rated People. Domestic sparks have some strange rules where if you alter an installation you become responsible for anything downstream of where your working.

Listen to what the sparks quoting have to say because it’s probably for the safety of you/family that changes are required.

 

[Deleted member 112675]

Try putting it on Rated People. Domestic sparks have some strange rules where if you alter an installation you become responsible for anything downstream of where your working.

Listen to what the sparks quoting have to say because it’s probably for the safety of you/family that changes are required.

I feel I should be more open. I am not a member of a relevant professional body and I'm not an electrician. I have a close friend who is but he doesn't live close so can't do the work. He does not condone what I'm doing but he reluctantly agrees to help.

I have a multifuntion tester and know which tests are required and how to conduct them. So if any work I do ends up with an installation that passes all tests specified in the wiring regulations it would be safe. I appreciate that the vast majority of DIYers would not have access to that kit nor how to use it nor would they typically have access to a good electrician friend willing to offer advise. I also believe that the vast majority of DIYers who attempted most notifiable work would probably not complete it to a satisfactory standard because there are so many "gotchas" and ways to go wrong.

My motivation with this is to have an isolator fitted that is agreed by SSE who would presumably re-seal the carrier. Once that is in place my motivation is only to fit a board that can accept RCDs. i.e. something that would make the installation a lot safer than it is currently. I am not interested in having a tick at building control but I am interested in ensuring it meets the wiring regulations. My on site guide is 19th so that will do ( I don't have the full copy so rely on my mate ).

I do hope this thread doesn't seem like "trolling". I am not wishing to annoy any professional electrician and I am certainly grateful and interested in your views. Would you fit a 100a isolator inbetween the meter and the CU and how much for?

I am frustrated however, that an electrician would apparently not be able to do this job without being responsible for every strand of cable downstream of the DNO's fuse. That is what I feared and one reason I started to accumulate the ppe required for the job. In simple terms, I'm told £60 is reasonable and I say I'm willing to pay up to £200 but apparently that isn't enough? I need get ready to pay for a full re-wire? Or perhaps I missunderstood ?

 

[Lister1987]

I feel I should be more open. I am not a member of a relevant professional body and I'm not an electrician. I have a close friend who is but he doesn't live close so can't do the work. He does not condone what I'm doing but he reluctantly agrees to help.

I have a multifuntion tester and know which tests are required and how to conduct them. So if any work I do ends up with an installation that passes all tests specified in the wiring regulations it would be safe. I appreciate that the vast majority of DIYers would not have access to that kit nor how to use it nor would they typically have access to a good electrician friend willing to offer advise. I also believe that the vast majority of DIYers who attempted most notifiable work would probably not complete it to a satisfactory standard because there are so many "gotchas" and ways to go wrong.

My motivation with this is to have an isolator fitted that is agreed by SSE who would presumably re-seal the carrier. Once that is in place my motivation is only to fit a board that can accept RCDs. i.e. something that would make the installation a lot safer than it is currently. I am not interested in having a tick at building control but I am interested in ensuring it meets the wiring regulations. My on site guide is 19th so that will do ( I don't have the full copy so rely on my mate ).

I do hope this thread doesn't seem like "trolling". I am not wishing to annoy any professional electrician and I am certainly grateful and interested in your views. Would you fit a 100a isolator inbetween the meter and the CU and how much for?

I am frustrated however, that an electrician would apparently not be able to do this job without being responsible for every strand of cable downstream of the DNO's fuse. That is what I feared and one reason I started to accumulate the ppe required for the job. In simple terms, I'm told £60 is reasonable and I say I'm willing to pay up to £200 but apparently that isn't enough? I need get ready to pay for a full re-wire? Or perhaps I missunderstood ?

Feel free to correct me here but you're looking to fit an isolator with the further intent of a fuseboard replacement? The latter is notifiable and while you may be able to fit an isolator I would strongly advise you get a spark in to do the board change and deal with building control etc.

Why not ask the spark to do it all? I'm guessing cost plays a factor but you could always be cheeky and haggle at the price if they do both jobs together?