Ancient Supply Cable and Fuse

[Svenedin]

Haha. Yes I did think it was a rather large fuse! The whole house is built on a massively over-engineered scale. The joists are 9" by 3 1/2 (some 4") and I'm sure they don't need to be. The roof members look like they could hold up a church spire (and as a church bellringer I've seen the inside of many church spires). I've no idea why they did things that way. It's quite a big detached house but not a mansion.

I'll try to take some pictures of an intact (but dead) run of old cable. The trouble is, I can't remember which floor board to lift to find a good bit.

 

[dan86]

proper job!

 

[Engineer54]

Haha. Yes I did think it was a rather large fuse! The whole house is built on a massively over-engineered scale. The joists are 9" by 3 1/2 (some 4") and I'm sure they don't need to be. The roof members look like they could hold up a church spire (and as a church bellringer I've seen the inside of many church spires). I've no idea why they did things that way. It's quite a big detached house but not a mansion.

It's just that they knew how to build a house in those days. It's the modern house's that are now built to a cost, using the bare minimum in structural area's. And few will out live the house you have, even if it is neigh on a 100 years old!! lol!!

 

[Svenedin]

Yes very true but there can be nasty surprises in old houses. As well as having almost all the water pipes in lead there are gas pipes all over the place for the gas lighting. The fittings on the walls were removed long ago and they were capped off (with a square that can be removed with a spanner). I thought they must be dead and loosened one (very carefully) because I wanted to put a longcase clock flush against the wall and the plug was sticking out. It was still connected! Did that up again pretty quickly. I'll have to get my gas man to cut the gas off under the floor.

 

[Fin170]

Have to rummage around all the floor boards now I'm afraid, not sure what goodies you might find (and donate to your local 'nutters like us' museum )

 

[Engineer54]

Yes very true but there can be nasty surprises in old houses. As well as having almost all the water pipes in lead there are gas pipes all over the place for the gas lighting. The fittings on the walls were removed long ago and they were capped off (with a square that can be removed with a spanner). I thought they must be dead and loosened one (very carefully) because I wanted to put a longcase clock flush against the wall and the plug was sticking out. It was still connected! Did that up again pretty quickly. I'll have to get my gas man to cut the gas off under the floor.

They are all just services that can be permanently removed or renewed!! At least those older houses have decent sized floorboards, and not chipboard sheets...lol!!

Going back to your electrical installation, make sure that all your metallic services (gas/water) are bonded back to the MET, (Main Earthing Terminal) with 10mm earth conductors!! Ideally within 60 cm of entry point into the house, in the case of water, and within 60cm of the meter on the output side for the gas. Alternatively before any of the two service's pipes branches/splits off in various directions...

 

[Geordie Spark]

I’ve come across a couple of glass fronted cut outs before. Buxton Derbyshire. They were in buildings supplied from the old three wire DC system.
Would be nice to see a couple of photographs, could you put them on PhotoBucket and link to here?

Hah!!! ............ I thought you wouldn't be far away from this one, knowing your interest in the good old stuff.

 

[Svenedin]

They are all just services that can be permanently removed or renewed!! At least those older houses have decent sized floorboards, and not chipboard sheets...lol!!

Going back to your electrical installation, make sure that all your metallic services (gas/water) are bonded back to the MET, (Main Earthing Terminal) with 10mm earth conductors!! Ideally within 60 cm of entry point into the house, in the case of water, and within 60cm of the meter on the output side for the gas. Alternatively before any of the two service's pipes branches/splits off in various directions...

Thank you. I have checked this. The gas (copper) and water pipe (lead) are earth bonded as soon as they enter my cellar.

 

[decolad69]

proper job!

Do you think it's possible that the supply was originally DC ? The last time I saw supply like that was on a private estate in Scotland which had its own generator for the lighting which was installed in the early 1920s.

 

[Svenedin]

Do you think it's possible that the supply was originally DC ? The last time I saw supply like that was on a private estate in Scotland which had its own generator for the lighting which was installed in the early 1920s.

I defer to the experts here. All I can say is the house is in South Croydon, Surrey. The engineer told me that the area had electricity very early, 1896 I think he said. I don't know when the house was connected but it was built 1901/1902.

 

[Guest111]

have a look at this
Main Page

 

[ipf]

Very interesting. Sounds as if much of the wiring is done in 'capping and casing', so likely to be old vir cable. Little chance of earthing involved with lighting circuits, at least.

 

[Svenedin]

Very interesting. Sounds as if much of the wiring is done in 'capping and casing', so likely to be old vir cable. Little chance of earthing involved with lighting circuits, at least.

Yes I've found capping and casing run in notches in the joists. Sometimes a red and a black wire, sometimes just black wires. No earth and insulation looks a bit like the braided cloth type seen on some steam irons and the like.

 

[Marvo]

Soundslike the old cotton insulated wiring. We have lots of it still in my area, the general rule of thumb here is if it passes an IR test leave it but as soon as you need to disturb it or work on a circuit then it's a rewire job.

 

[Knobhead]

Do you think it's possible that the supply was originally DC ? The last time I saw supply like that was on a private estate in Scotland which had its own generator for the lighting which was installed in the early 1920s.

Every chance it was DC. The few I've seen like these were on DC up until the end of the war.

 

[grantr37]

Bloody hell, .... by the look of that fuse wire your up in the 100's of Amps!! lol!! Your fuse and tails look as if they could supply the street!! lol!!

there's still a lot of these in old tenemant buildings in Glasgow, very few in use but they got left there inside the front passage doors on the wall above head height just cut off and no longer in use....