Dangerous reverse polarity on meter tails

[bluestar]

yes would be intrested to see what the dno did
last time i used them they left the premises with the same dangerous fault as they were called out for as he told me" my responsibility stops at the cut out "

 

[SirKit Breaker]

The last time i came across this a few years ago i banged my head against a wall for a while on the phone to the meter fitting company, whilst they tried to decide who should come and sort it out as it had only been fitted about 3 weeks earlier. So i swapped the tails over myself at the meter to make it all safe, and balls to the DNO etc. I would rather take my chance in court for cutting seals on a dangerous install and making it safe, over leaving it as it was and getting the blame for death or injury. It was also LNLN instead of LNNL.

Cheers..........Howard

 

[Geoffsd]

There is a switch-fuse in the installation in question and I have been wondering why the out-going tails were not swapped and marked, at least temporarily.

 

[telectrix]

There is a switch-fuse in the installation in question and I have been wondering why the out-going tails were not swapped and marked, at least temporarily.

but , if that were to be done, then DNO or supplier came and put the original fault right, the installation would then be back to reverse polarity! i'm with sir kit on this cut and be damned. safety of lives overrides petty rules.

 

[nikmet]

How can peoples lives be at risk , and how can the electrician who discovers this fault be blamed for death or injury if they isolate the installation and lock it off? A call to arrange for a DNO repair and all is well again.

 

[Geoffsd]

Fair enough, tel, but I assumed spark would be there when DNO/supplier came.

 

[Mark F]

How can peoples lives be at risk , and how can the electrician who discovers this fault be blamed for death or injury if they isolate the installation and lock it off? A call to arrange for a DNO repair and all is well again.

This is what i would do too, maybe inconveniant for the customer, but it's the safest, with no comebacks, and the inconvenience for the customer should be sorted by the DNO.

 

[Knobhead]

I got caught out removing meter seals years ago by the North Western EB as it was then. Just got a ticking off by a senior engineer. Mind you he was trying to get his head round a bigger problem at the time.

 

[nikmet]

I think the issue that seems to be being discussed here, with a differance of opinion, is more to do with customer inconvienience and very little if anything to do with safety?

 

[telectrix]

I think the issue that seems to be being discussed here, with a differance of opinion, is more to do with customer inconvienience and very little if anything to do with safety?

totally agree, but as said on a previous post, since the de-nationalisation, DNO's responsibility ends at the cut-out, or maybe the supply side of the meter. it's then the supplier's responsibility. known in the trade as "buck-passing". IF DNO or whoever will come out in a resonable space of time and correct the fault, fair enough, but you can't expect the customer to accept a freezer full of rotten food as an "inconvenience".