Head-scratcher

[Rockingit]

Doing an EICR that’s ‘interesting’.... found this. Installed by a solar outfit, it’s the first thing in circuit after the supply meter, feeds back into a pair of Henley’s doing the rest of the mess. L & N terminals are wired incorrectly - can anyone think of a legit reason for doing this this way? And so no... there’s also no protection to it or means of isolation.

 

[littlespark]

Am I right in thinking it should be L in and N in at the top?
Are the colours right? 2 Lives at top and 2 neutrals bottom.

I’m surprised it’s working at all.

 

[Rockingit]

Am I right in thinking it should be L in and N in at the top?
Are the colours right? 2 Lives at top and 2 neutrals bottom.

I’m surprised it’s working at all.

The conductors themselves are correct - those are two neutrals etc, but it should be L/N top and L/N bottom (I checked online). So A) I'm not entirely sure exactly what it's been measuring anyway and B) the entire mess of an installation is in some way passing through it. When I get a minute I'll draw out and post the circuit.

The customer said to me (his words, not mine so please don't think me abrasive....) "It was a Polish sparks, at the end of a day, in a hurry to leave". Country of origin is irrelevant, but the rest I can absolutely see!!

 

[pc1966]

The conductors themselves are correct - those are two neutrals etc, but it should be L/N top and L/N bottom (I checked online).

Also, I presume, the earth terminals should be used?

 

[Rockingit]

Also, I presume, the earth terminals should be used?

It's a metal box with a device in it protected solely by the DNO fuse.... I think an earth is the least we can do!!!

 

[Vortigern]

The terminals are correct it is NN one end and LL the other end. Just fitted one of them.

 

[DPG]

I don't like how those thin signal wires are so close to live terminals without any restraint.

 

[Rockingit]

The terminals are correct it is NN one end and LL the other end. Just fitted one of them.

Yep - I looked that up as well. The terminals are numbered on the casing as 1-2, 3-4, not 1-3, 2-4

 

[littlespark]

I looked up the wrong one, then.

 

[pc1966]

I don't like how those thin signal wires are so close to live terminals without any restraint.

Very much so.
Normally there would be plastic shrouds over the main terminals of a billing style of meter, not sure if this one is different in some (dumb) way for protection.

 

[Rockingit]

Wow...... that's a confusingly close error to make between the two almost identical units! One is as Vortigern says - LL, NN and the other is LN, LN.

 

[Vortigern]

Actually it is the V1 Modbus version which is wired LL + NN V2 is LN LN

 

[Rockingit]

OK, so we'll keep that one for FI on my next visit (pretty sure it's a V2 wired as a V1). In the meantime, it still seems to be in a useless and dangerous position in the circuit.

 

[littlespark]

You think they got so confused as to where to put the L's and the N's, they completely forgot about the E?
(or B... or cpc.... you know what i mean)

 

[Dartlec]

Other (big) issues aside, at least it looks like it's rated to 19kA breaking capactiy (is that a common rating, 6 and 10 are the only ones I usually see in domestic?) So it shouldn't explode before the DNO fuse goes!

What are standard meters rated at?

 

[Msitekkie]

That is a meter, probably for measuring the power exported to the grid from the solar installation.
Listed for sale here:
Eastron SDM230-Modbus-MID Single Phase 100A Direct Connected Energy Meter - Meter Market
I guess the same tends to be true of the supplier's meter in terms of no means of isolation or protection.

 

[Vortigern]

V2 wired as a V1)

It is marked V1 in your picture