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Can you give me your comments on the attached pictures.

I have been asked to carry out remedial works in an old mill but disagree with a lot of the codes given to the distribution boards. The company who carried out the inspection described the boards as having reached the end off their serviceable
lives but then giving them a code 4. What are your comments Old Mill Electrical Installation IMG_1404 - EletriciansForums.netOld Mill Electrical Installation IMG_1381 - EletriciansForums.netOld Mill Electrical Installation IMG_1393 - EletriciansForums.netOld Mill Electrical Installation IMG_1395 - EletriciansForums.net
 
No such thing as a code 4 anymore I thought, I was under the impression C1 C2 and C3 where in place now.

As for the boards They are pretty archaic. I would be recommending upgrading if it was me.
 
No such thing as a code 4 anymore I thought, I was under the impression C1 C2 and C3 where in place now.

As for the boards They are pretty archaic. I would be recommending upgrading if it was me.

Archaic !!!
I served my time on boards like that...............wheres me pipe and slippers :(
 
bit of a tidy up and a coat of paint required. where's tony?
 
Not that old yet lol
Is there no zimmer frame shops on the high street next to all the bookies and payday loan shops:)

Could do with one with a built in commode too. And somewhere to strap a very powerful magnifying glass. And the government thinks I need to work for another 20 years before I retire! Yeah right
 
So you think the exposed live connections are ok? Code 4? Is the report quite old then?
I also served my time working on boards like that, and still have the scars to prove it... :)
 
So you think the exposed live connections are ok? Code 4? Is the report quite old then?
I also served my time working on boards like that, and still have the scars to prove it... :)

I can still see some of the old sparks going in with bare hands and pulling the wires to one side .......still live !!
Makes me shiver to think about it.
 
If these DB's have lost the paxoline (or whatever) shields, then they can certainly be classed as being dangerous... lol!! That aside, i would also deem these fuse boards as being way past there serviceable live and should be renewed. Going by the main supply cable method, this would also include the cabling too, as they look very much like potted heads!! Similar system to the older cable raising mains....

These aren't going to be a cheap board/ CU changes, that's for sure!! lol!!
 
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An old feed mill I worked in for a while had similar issues and all cabling was in galv trunking. When a safety ordit was carried out by the powers-that-be within the Company, they decided that it all had to be replaced at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds. This was part of the decision to eventually close the place. (I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the site occupied prime waterfront land valued in the millions :) )
 
Those pics made me chuckle,When I was an apprentice we had loads of them at work and for some strange reason one was mounted upside down,now this presented an interesting situation.A lot of the machines were wired in the old varnished cambric inside flexible metal conduit,and due to it's age there would be a short every now and again,this was cured by removing the offending piece of cable individually(the boss was too tight to rewire the machine)now every so often the contact in the fuse holder would need a touch up with a contact file to clean them up.
One day a machine had gone bang as per usual and it was fed from the inverted board now this meant that the top contacts were live instead of the bottom ones.I pointed this out to our fitter as he headed off to file the contacts,at this point I was left to repair the machine.He gave his usual sarcastic reply about me being a lowly apprentice and teaching others to suck eggs,well about 5 minutes later there was a loud bang and a blue flash,followed by the appearence of a rather shaken fitter holding what was left of my file.Luckily for him as he put the file in the slot it was resting on a piece of earthed metal,so with the exception of a severely bruised ego and a change of underwear he suffered no permenant damage.His attitude towards me did change however and whenever contacts needed filing he would fetch the file and hand it to me saying "there you go mate let the expert do it"
 
Same here, brought up on such DB's, ...lol!! Only difference is, that all our DB's / Switch fuses and the like etc, were regularly maintained and cleaned. This was done every factory shutdown. Fuses pulled and re-wired (3036) flash protection changed regularly and cartridge fuses replaced every second shutdown, all shielding cleaned and all connections checked for tightness etc!!. Internally most looked as good as new, unlike those shown in the photo's above!! lol!!
 
Dont get me wrong they deffo recommend for change but if the doors are secured by wing nut fasteners then access can be gained without a tool and the exposed live parts are then a issue for you to make good temp' as anyone on site could put themselves in danger i would take a few minor steps like fitting a padlock and giving the key to the foreman/boss while you file your report and send it in..... if anyone gains access in the mean time you have taken steps to limit this so keeps you in the clear.... it also heightens the need to replace them to the client.

Because you can close the doors i would recommend at a minimum you fit an appropriate warning label warning of the dangers in access to the board.

If you found accessable exposed live parts in a domestic install it would be down to you to make this immediate danger safe whether a temp measure or not while you file your inspection report.
 
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Same here, brought up on such DB's, ...lol!! Only difference is, that all our DB's / Switch fuses and the like etc, were regularly maintained and cleaned. This was done every factory shutdown. Fuses pulled and re-wired (3036) flash protection changed regularly and cartridge fuses replaced every second shutdown, all shielding cleaned and all connections checked for tightness etc!!. Internally most looked as good as new, unlike those shown in the photo's above!! lol!!

Remember those shutdowns well. We also had to paint it orange. Whether it was a fuse board, trunking, conduit, or a motor, any electrical equipment was orange.

You knew how everything worked though because you had stripped it down and rebuilt it. I would of not dreamed of asking my Forman for a new contractor knowing I could refurbish it.

Good times.
 
Phil d

I remember one board that did not have all bus bars at the top. From memory the red phase was fed at the top, yellow from the bottom and blue again from the top. The idea was around safety that when you were connecting to a fuse way you were not in close contact to an uninsulated bar.

The first enclosed busbar board I can remember was the red spot range.
 
The first enclosed busbar board I can remember was the red spot range.​




One of the best ranges of fuse boards ever marketed in my opinion. Many of the older fuse boards i used to work on as an apprentice were changed for Red Spot boards...
 

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