Pulling cutout fuses

[Dustydazzler]

Seen this been done aswell. Not a fan.

I once saw a time served sparks showing a 15 year old apprentice how to remove tails from a live meter...

 

[pc1966]

The DNO folk seem to pull/insert fuses on load, but rather them than me!

As said above, at the very least make sure the load is off. Worst thing you can do on accidentally inserting a fuse carrier on high load is to brick yourself and try to pull it out.

Most of the time folk don't think too much about clothing unless facing a real threat needing PPE, and for that you get proper arc-flash tops/trousers/etc. But one thing you ought to do anyway all the time you are working with possibly live systems is to wear natural materials such as cotton - yes it will burn under serious heat, but it won't melt and stick to your skin which makes any injuries much worse. Those polyester high-vis tops are a BAD idea here!

I have no idea what the DNO use in the way of PPE as it is not my area of work. In my case I have this for general head/face protection and it has some arc-flash rating:

TC42ESBJ | Penta White Safety Helmet with Chin Strap, Adjustable | RS

uk.rs-online.com

Most gloves for arc-flash are leather over a rubber insulating type, but you do get insulating gloves that have mechanical strength and arc-flash rating, mine are:

CATU CGM-00 Mechanical Insulated Gloves (500V) - Choice of Size

Insulated below 500V Work without leather overgloves Several sizes available

www.tester.co.uk

[automerge]1598293082[/automerge]
If you are getting overalls but don't need the full arc-flash rating that some jobs demand at the very least you can look at flame-retardant ones. Some are suitable for welding, etc, and go a long way to protecting you from small incidents, for example:

Men's Dungarees - Denim Dungarees & Overalls | Dickies® UK

Shop men's dungarees, overalls, boilersuits and coveralls. Browse a range of styles in denim or canvas with fully-functional features for casual or work wear.

www.dickiesworkwear.com

But of course if your job actually means PPE is needed then you should make damn sure the correct ratings of PPE are provided for you and they are looked after!

 

[freddo]

as much as I like fuse distribution boards like the MEM EXEL for their electrical protection I don't like pulling the fuses out.

I do miss the MEM boards with the red spot-finger shock fuses, so many have been replaced now. I don't miss the Kantark stuff so much, cool to look at but it's anyones guess if the old jammed in ceramic carrier will pull out without breaking.

 

[7029 dave]

Pulling fuses on any type of cutout, without the correct ppe is dangerous, the risk is even higher with industrial/commercial cutouts with j type fuses.
Please dont do it.!!

 

[littlespark]

Pulling fuses on any type of cutout, without the correct ppe is dangerous, the risk is even higher with industrial/commercial cutouts with j type fuses.
Please dont do it.!!

We dont....

Its the fairies

 

[Grant1987]

How bright is bright? Light can be measured in units known as lux, which is a measurement of illuminance and equal to 1 lumen per square meter. To put it into perspective, a typical overcast day is about 1,000 lux. Direct sunlight is upwards of 100,000 lux. The light intensity of an arc flash 3 meters from the source is over 1 million lux, and a more recent arc flash test recorded 13.1 million lux—approximately 130 times brighter than direct sunlight! Read that, now that’s bright

 

[pc1966]

The usual arc-flash threshold for PPE being necessary is 5 cal/cm2 as that is the onset of 3rd degree burns (i.e. not going to heal to as-before EVER).

To put that in to perspective, 1 cal/cm2 is roughly equivalent to holding a lighter on your skin for 1 sec!

 

[Dartlec]

Of course a sensible Government or Governing Body would have ensured by now that the smart meters being rolled out included an isolator, as some used to I believe.

Instead we have this situation where everyone knows what happens, but nods and winks and won't ever either ban it or put it in writing where it can be done.

I was told of a mythical scheme where certain competent persons could be trained and issued their own temporary fuse seals, which would be used when replacing the fuse - and then replaced when the DNO came along to check and replace with theirs. However, UKPN had never heard of it when I approached them, and were unable to give me any good advice on how to do things 'correctly' other than to point at the regulations.

 

[plugsandsparks]

Was watching NPG install a replacement 400A fuse at his sub and he used a device which plugged into the fuse carrier to make sure there was no or low load before inserting the fuse proper. Dont know what it was but it looked a bit technical to be nothing more than continuity tester.
He also wore full head gear , face shield and apron

 

[pc1966]

I have seen (product description, not first-hand) a fuse carrier for the 400A sort of range that allows remote connection of the fuse for safety, and to have two fuses so it can auto-reclose once to reduce fault outage time.

Forget where I saw it, alas

 

[HappyHippyDad]

How about pulling BS3036 fuses. Does everyone always switch off the main switch of the CU before pulling one of these fuses as you'll never be able to make sure you are not pulling the fuse under load otherwise?

 

[pc1966]

Certainly I would always switch off before removing or inserting BS3036 fuses. They are even worse as if it blows on insertion there is nothing to contain the plasma formed from the fuse wire blowing!

 

[Vortigern]

I am definitely of the school of don't touch the cut-out/DNO/metering equipment. I think we all know the dangers if something goes wrong and boy does it ever go wrong when it does. It's not just the cut-out that presents a danger but also the cable and its' state which may short out if manipulated via the cut-out.
Having said that...I had a new three phase cut-out replaced by the DNO and they left. As the smart HH meter had been disconnected, even though they reconnected there was no live out of the meter. Phoned them and they re-attended. They took out the fuse and tested as I would not, and said why didn't I take out the fuse. I said it's illegal to which they tsked tsked and gave knowing looks and suggested it would have been ok for me to do that. So go figure!
I would definitely no way touch anything above domestic 100a, instinct alone forbids it.

 

[Dartlec]

I think it’s Haste. I tried calling them to do an isolator but they didn’t cover my area which is SSE.

I've been meaning to contact them since I saw it in one of his videos so emailed them last night, but apparently they don't offer that service any more and just suggested I contacted my local distributor

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

It's a funny one around here as I literally straddle 2 dnos. I just moved out of Bath to Peasedown. western power say don't pull fuses at all yet SSE say if you are in a scheme and it's a single phase upto 100a domestic only property you can pull fuse they will even give you seals to put back on afterwards. If fuse looks old or damaged give them a call.

 

[pc1966]

SSE say if you are in a scheme and it's a single phase upto 100a domestic only property you can pull fuse they will even give you seals to put back on afterwards. If fuse looks old or damaged give them a call.

The voice of sanity!

 

[Lucien Nunes]

With an HRC such as a BS1361, closing onto a fault should cause a rupture within the cartridge and hopefully no arc outside of it. Therefore the greater risk is drawing an arc at the carrier contacts by pulling it under load and more so under fault conditions. I like to position it ready and then push it home into contact with a closed hand so that if anything goes wrong and I recoil, I won't take the fuse back out unintentionally. To pull it under (normal) load is a matter of being very swift and certain, assuming the design is not prone to arcing over to the casing etc.

How about pulling BS3036 fuses.

With a rewirable (and there were rewirables before BS3036) there is also the risk of an arc in free air if the fuse ruptures when closing onto a fault, or if a fault occurs when the covers are off. There are some traps for the unwary, e.g. on a metalclad Wylex, a plasma bridge can form between the bottom (unfused) terminal and the edge of the aperture in the front panel which would normally be intercepted by the lip on the plastic cover. With a professional hat on, I would therefore never choose to handle these fuses live.

With my historical hat on, I might have been seen to insert channel fuses on a live circuit. That's the type where the fuse wire lies along an open channel facing the user and comes flying out at you when it ruptures. Needless to say, these things were invented when typical fault currents were very much lower than they are today.

 

[freddo]

With my historical hat on, I might have been seen to insert channel fuses on a live circuit. That's the type where the fuse wire lies along an open channel facing the user and comes flying out at you when it ruptures. Needless to say, these things were invented when typical fault currents were very much lower than they are today.

Here is some photo of a glass fronted fuse box with those fuses, I don't know where this was removed from:

 

[telectrix]

personally I prefer to pull the tails out of meter live. less chance of any problems with a cut'out fuse. (obviously after ensuring that there is no load on the installation). L out first, then N. N in first, then L.

( substitute "I" for "a spark that I know")

 

[pc1966]

personally I prefer to pull the tails out of meter live. less chance of any problems with a cut'out fuse. (obviously after ensuring that there is no load on the installation). L out first, then N. N in first, then L.

( substitute "I" for "a spark that I know")

The least-worst option if the cut-out is old and dodgy and it simple has to be done then.
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But obviously not something any of us would ever recommend...
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Here is some photo of a glass fronted fuse box with those fuses, I don't know where this was removed from:

I have seen photos of other Tucker Telac fuseboxes and they are works of art really. Just not something you would want to encounter live these days!