Mains fuse concealed in wall cavity

[Mickey81]

Hi all.
I have a question i'm hoping some of you can advise on.
A long story short my main fuse has been hidden in the wall cavity(by the previous owners - which was not picked up on my survey before buying the house) and after pulling off the wall tiles recently to retile my kitchen I've stumbled across the access panel to this mains fuse(pictures attached).
After arranging a smart meter fitting with octopus energy the engineer came out today and won't touch it. I did think he wouldn't once he saw it.

The mains fuse is above my cooker and on the other side of the mains is the electric meter and cut off(pictures attached).

My question is.
Re-tile over it and put it back to how it has been for the last 10 years.
Report to Northern Power Grid. By reporting it I'm making them aware of this and a really am not willing or can afford to pay for this moving.
Or anyone had a similar experience could offer some advice I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks.

 

[westward10]

That is where your consumer unit used to be known as a Mantel consumer unit but it has been moved and I doubt that is the original location for the meter, it would have all been in the same place.

 

[snowhead]

You can't tile over it, it needs to be accessible.
You'll either have to tile around it and make a decorative removable panel or
Tile round it and then tile the removable panel to match the wall, untill you can afford to have it moved.

It may be worth checking with Northern Power to see how much they want to move it or if they maybe will move it for free as it's a looped supply (to one of your neighbours)
At least the external box is there ready.
They can't force you to pay to move it, even if they'd found it tiled over they'd have just asked for it to be made accessible.

The Smart meter installer has to have a reason for refusing to connect, as far as I can see it could only be having to reach over the cooker to pull the fuse.
It can't be that the meter and cutout fuse are separate, as that's not unusual.

 

[littlespark]

We’ve never been allowed to put sockets etc above a cooker hob, so maybe meter fitter is using that reasoning.

 

[Mickey81]

That is where your consumer unit used to be known as a Mantel consumer unit but it has been moved and I doubt that is the original location for the meter, it would have all been in the same place.

The consumer unit is located just out of the picture I've taken on image one. It's above the cooker over to the left side at ceiling height.

 

[Mickey81]

You can't tile over it, it needs to be accessible.
You'll either have to tile around it and make a decorative removable panel or
Tile round it and then tile the removable panel to match the wall, untill you can afford to have it moved.

It may be worth checking with Northern Power to see how much they want to move it or if they maybe will move it for free as it's a looped supply (to one of your neighbours)
At least the external box is there ready.
They can't force you to pay to move it, even if they'd found it tiled over they'd have just asked for it to be made accessible.

The Smart meter installer has to have a reason for refusing to connect, as far as I can see it could only be having to reach over the cooker to pull the fuse.
It can't be that the meter and cutout fuse are separate, as that's not unusual.

View attachment 100037

Tiling around and cutting out the access panel is looking the likely option at the moment.

I didn't want to just phone NPG to enquire as I wasn't sure if it would of then been mandatory to move it once they're aware. I might call them to see what the advise.

The engineer wouldn't fit the smart meter as he wasn't sure he could get a secure fixing for the install. He phoned a friend/gaffer who also said not to do it as it's separate from the outside meter and would only fit it after it was moved.

 

[davesparks]

The engineer wouldn't fit the smart meter as he wasn't sure he could get a secure fixing for the install.

That makes sense, the wooden board that should be in the external meter box is missing and as far as I know they aren't allowed to fit a meter to anything else.

 

[westward10]

I doubt the DNO moved that meter it was done when the old Mantel panel was replaced/relocated and the head was then concealed. The lower terminal cover seal is missing.

 

[baldelectrician]

There is also tar leaking out from it

Call the DNO up and report it and the funny smell (if there is one), that should speed them up in the visit

 

[Mickey81]

There is also tar leaking out from it

Call the DNO up and report it and the funny smell (if there is one), that should speed them up in the visit

The tar has set. It just looks wet. A few people have said to say there's a smell to speed them up. Thanks

 

[davesparks]

There is also tar leaking out from it

Call the DNO up and report it and the funny smell (if there is one), that should speed them up in the visit

To what end? At the very best that will result in them replacing the cutout where it is, they aren't going to sort the problems here out as an emergency call out

 

[brianmoooore]

Would enquiring about an EV charge point produce the desired result?

 

[davesparks]

Would enquiring about an EV charge point produce the desired result?

I'm not following your logic here?

 

[brianmoooore]

I'm not following your logic here?

Don't they have an obligation to unloop supplies for EV points?

 

[davesparks]

Don't they have an obligation to unloop supplies for EV points?

Not as far as I know, if the installer notifies the DNO prior to the installation the DNO should visit and assess the existing supply. They will then advise on whether any work is required to the DNO supply and give the customer a quote for the required work.

 

[westward10]

I don't touch EV points but I am sure @brianmoooore is correct a looped service will have to be changed something to do with load sharing.
@Gavin John Hyde will probably know more.

 

[timhoward]

Western Power have been known to un-loop for free. No idea about others.

 

[Baddegg]

I had the same thing last week bizarrely, main cut out was behind a floor corner cupboard in the kitchen, back panel screwed in and behind that a stud wall plastered with the main fuse within….what really baffled me, I was called in as the owners had just bought the place and couldn’t find the main fuse, was they (previous owners) had had a smart meter fitted but there was no way the meter monkey had been near the main fuse….

 

[Markyd]

Western Power have been known to un-loop for free. No idea about others.

SSE also

 

[UNG]

Tiling around and cutting out the access panel is looking the likely option at the moment.

I think the service head needs moving or you need to redesign the kitchen, the tar leaking from the service head could be down to a build up of heat in the void when using the cooker if you make an access panel that isn't completely sealed any steam or water vapour could build up in the void when cooking and cause a failure of the supply

 

[telectrix]

we're doomed. we're doomed.

 

[Vortigern]

Maybe you could get the cut-out replaced and upgraded to PME. If so, Then you could turn it around to face to the outside wall and move the outside cabinet to give access that way and provdie a heatproof sheild on the inside. Anyway off the top of my head that is all I can think of. Otherwise it is move the range over and provide access inside. Wow, what a headache!
P.S. perhaps they could even move it into the cabinet outside and the isolator to the inside.