DNO Attendance

[shazbutz]

Hi
Newbie here returning to the trade after years off the tools, requalified and wondering why I bothered. I called a DNO this morning to enquire if the supply to a property was TT or TN-S as there apppeared to be a 30 year old DIY modification to the earthing arrangement. The customer was adamanet that no electrical work had been done since the place was rewired 30 years ago.
I'd upgraded the C/U to split load, dual RCD and completed all the dead tests [all radial circuits and all surprisingly good] and started Zs and got whacky results all between 12.8 AND 13.5 ohms.
Back to the basics as I looked at what I'd taken as TN-S pulled apart various earth cables to discover that a cunningly hidded earth clamp attached a cable to the armour of the incomer mascarading as the DNO earth taking a tortuous and hidden route to the MET and the cable to the earth rod left unconnected and buried in the garden!
To the point, rather than send out an engineer under flashing amber lights why couldn't they confirm the original supply details? Don't they keep records anymore? all I wanted to do was to make sure that it wasn't a poor TN-S and by the time they arrived a new rod was in and connected!
Anyway hello!

 

[Knobhead]

Last time I wanted information their records office had burnt down.
If you want information:
1/ unroll your prayer mat
2/ check the direction it's pointing in with you're pocket compass. (E)
3/ drop to you're knees and pray to Mecca!

 

[Engineer54]

Why the hell didn't you ask about the possibility of a PME connection?? So what did you bung in for the new earth rod, a 1m twig?? I bet that really upped your Ze/Ra value?? lol!!

 

[bugsy]

last time I called the DNO was because a cut out had caught fire, took them two hours ! by which time Id buried it in foam

 

[shazbutz]

Why the hell didn't you ask about the possibility of a PME connection?? So what did you bung in for the new earth rod, a 1m twig?? I bet that really upped your Ze/Ra value?? lol!!

once the nice chap in the call centre had convinced me there was no chance of a record of the installation I banged in a request for PME, which quote "will be reviewed and passed to the approriate team who will attend the address to discuss the request with the home owner". I took that as "stop meddling and go and belt a lump of copper coated rubbish into the ground and fasten it to something".

 

[Geordie Spark]

Last time I wanted information their records office had burnt down.
If you want information:
1/ unroll your prayer mat
2/ check the direction it's pointing in with you're pocket compass. (E)
3/ drop to you're knees and pray to Mecca!

Probably an electrical fire.

 

[Silly Sausage]

Probably an electrical fire.

Probably Tony's last job there.

 

[Knobhead]

Funny, the office in question was near you!

 

[bigbaddave]

No disrespect to any any body that works for the DNO, but I have had the misfortune of having to ring them twice

1) First time i was pricing a DB and noticed the main service fuse was missing a carrier and was exposing live parts.. i leave the scene and when i return they have sealed with tape and told the customer to wait for a letter and they will come and repair

2) Conducting a EICR, first box - Services Cut out.. C1... There was a big gaping hole in the cut out and to my discused live parts.. At first thought these things happen. When i informed the customer they were shocked as they had only had a guy out the day before changing the meter.. Why on earth would he leave it in that condition????

 

[sparks1973]

Hi
Newbie here returning to the trade after years off the tools, requalified and wondering why I bothered. I called a DNO this morning to enquire if the supply to a property was TT or TN-S as there apppeared to be a 30 year old DIY modification to the earthing arrangement. The customer was adamanet that no electrical work had been done since the place was rewired 30 years ago.
I'd upgraded the C/U to split load, dual RCD and completed all the dead tests [all radial circuits and all surprisingly good] and started Zs and got whacky results all between 12.8 AND 13.5 ohms.
Back to the basics as I looked at what I'd taken as TN-S pulled apart various earth cables to discover that a cunningly hidded earth clamp attached a cable to the armour of the incomer mascarading as the DNO earth taking a tortuous and hidden route to the MET and the cable to the earth rod left unconnected and buried in the garden!
To the point, rather than send out an engineer under flashing amber lights why couldn't they confirm the original supply details? Don't they keep records anymore? all I wanted to do was to make sure that it wasn't a poor TN-S and by the time they arrived a new rod was in and connected!
Anyway hello!

well if the mod was 30 years ago.....
then just get yoursen a Ze....(visuals first of course)..the usual (tug test n stuff)....if the external is good.....
happy days..

 

[Toonlad]

Was doing some council work on landlords CU upgrades, arranged for the dno to hook up my tails, out of the 5 jobs , 2 ended up reverse polarity. only saving grace i was energising my side after them. So i took photos , cut his seals off and pulled the bullet and swapped them around. Then my company gets a snotty letter of complaint about cutting seals off......... photos sent before during and after, resulted in no further action for some reason lol.

 

[sparks1973]

Was doing some council work on landlords CU upgrades, arranged for the dno to hook up my tails, out of the 5 jobs , 2 ended up reverse polarity. only saving grace i was energising my side after them. So i took photos , cut his seals off and pulled the bullet and swapped them around. Then my company gets a snotty letter of complaint about cutting seals off......... photos sent before during and after, resulted in no further action for some reason lol.

i hope you let slip that pics were to be retained by yoursel for `future reference`...lol...

 

[sparks1973]

look....sometimes the DNOs are a law unto themselves....time amd time again we come across poor standards by them....
but were to conform ....right?..
lol...

 

[steve_morrison]

you get more info from a brick than most DNO's

 

[Engineer54]

As far as i'm aware the DNO do not install meters, this work is contracted out to a meter installing company. Most of the guy's working for these companies are lucky if they get a couple of days training, ....They are NOT electricians as they used to be!! Yet another area of our Industry that has been thoroughly de-skilled and let go of, without even a whimper!!!!

 

[shazbutz]

I know that you'll all be surprised to hear this but their attendance has been. First attempt - missed the time slot given by the home owner. Second attempt - missed the time slot given by the home owner. Third booking - no show. Well it has been raining. Any takers on if they'll find the enthuisam to run in a PME? No, me neither!!!

 

[Engineer54]

I know that you'll all be surprised to hear this but their attendance has been. First attempt - missed the time slot given by the home owner. Second attempt - missed the time slot given by the home owner. Third booking - no show. Well it has been raining. Any takers on if they'll find the enthuisam to run in a PME? No, me neither!!!

If it's available at the consumers service head (eg, ....Main distribution network cable is/has been PME'd) they won't need to run anything. A 10 minute job at the service head, or about an hours work, if they change the service head at the same time to a pucker PME head!!!

 

[shazbutz]

They finally turned up yesterday. Dug a hole in the pavement and verge and left leaving the following message with my customer "tell 'im it's fixed, we tested it and it's now 0.2, OK" and left leaving the hole filling crew to arrive at some vague future point. They chose not to upgrade the head leaving the crappy one as in their words " there are worse, Missus"!