Pulling main fuse and smart meters

[OnlQQker]

While obviously we cannot condone any sort of fuse-pulling activity on these forums, anyone who is doing that sort of work really should be trained to recognise when to leave it to the DNO. Basically anything looking damaged or very old would be an instant red flag.

Also when working on anything that is energised and very high energy you absolutely should be wearing suitable PPE to minimise the damage an arc-flash incident might case. For my own sins (which are many and varied, but not usually involving the DNO) I have ended up with this sort of stuff as a starting point:

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

uk.rs-online.com

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

Insulated below 500V Work without leather overgloves Several sizes available

www.tester.co.uk

Click Flame Retardant Coverall (CFRBS) | PPG Workwear

Click Flame Retardant Coverall (CFRBS) Welders coverall. Protects against heat and flame. Concealed stud front to neck. Discounted prices.

ppgworkwear.co.uk

The visor is the obvious defence against something going BANG! in your face, but you need gloves to stop both the shock risk and the 3rd degree burns that an arc pushing out 1/4 MW can do in tens of milliseconds. Also you really don't want your cloths going on fire or melting to your skin, so natural fibres and welding-style overalls are a start!

For bigger stuff you get fancier PPE that is rated for much higher energy, etc, and hearing protection is also recommended for the blast wave you can get. True, you look like a worker battling Chernobyl clean-up, but folk doing that really ought to have a full risk assessment and establish the arc-flash energy values to chose it.

Something like this chap was wearing

 

[LukeD]

Ive got one to do in a Book shop. Told them i love Life too much .They can Call the DNO and arrange for a main Pull fuse /isolator .Done a few live tails before and it makes me really nervous

 

[Welchyboy1]

Something like this chap was wearing

Crazy video
Scary stuff
it amazes me at the end when they start dumping snow on an electrical fire to put it out

 

[LukeD]

Crazy video
Scary stuff
it amazes me at the end when they start dumping snow on an electrical fire to put it out

I would have done my pants

 

[OnlQQker]

Crazy video
Scary stuff
it amazes me at the end when they start dumping snow on an electrical fire to put it out

Electricity can be extremely scary stuff.
The power of it is unreal

 

[Welchyboy1]

Electricity can be extremely scary stuff.
The power of it is unreal

Glad I do mostly domestic work!

 

[7029 dave]

Arc proof PPE and visor really is a must when messing around with cutouts, yes we have all pulled without but its daft.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

While obviously we cannot condone any sort of fuse-pulling activity on these forums, anyone who is doing that sort of work really should be trained to recognise when to leave it to the DNO. Basically anything looking damaged or very old would be an instant red flag.

Also when working on anything that is energised and very high energy you absolutely should be wearing suitable PPE to minimise the damage an arc-flash incident might case. For my own sins (which are many and varied, but not usually involving the DNO) I have ended up with this sort of stuff as a starting point:

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

uk.rs-online.com

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

Insulated below 500V Work without leather overgloves Several sizes available

www.tester.co.uk

Click Flame Retardant Coverall (CFRBS) | PPG Workwear

Click Flame Retardant Coverall (CFRBS) Welders coverall. Protects against heat and flame. Concealed stud front to neck. Discounted prices.

ppgworkwear.co.uk

The visor is the obvious defence against something going BANG! in your face, but you need gloves to stop both the shock risk and the 3rd degree burns that an arc pushing out 1/4 MW can do in tens of milliseconds. Also you really don't want your cloths going on fire or melting to your skin, so natural fibres and welding-style overalls are a start!

For bigger stuff you get fancier PPE that is rated for much higher energy, etc, and hearing protection is also recommended for the blast wave you can get. True, you look like a worker battling Chernobyl clean-up, but folk doing that really ought to have a full risk assessment and establish the arc-flash energy values to chose it.

What would be the causes of an arc flash with regards pulling a domestic main fuse. Plus, have you ever known anyone who has witnessed or seen one (again, domestic cut out).
Ps.. I've just ordered an arc flash helmet

 

[pc1966]

What would be the causes of an arc flash with regards pulling a domestic main fuse. Plus, have you ever known anyone who has witnessed or seen one (again, domestic cut out).

The most obvious one is an old/weak cutout that fails during the pull and allows the supply L-N to short, or the supply cable is badly damaged inside so movement/strain triggers a short.

The less obvious one is inserting the fuse on to a live fault, your immediate reaction is to pull your hand away but withdrawing the fuse is going to expose more arc to you. Ideally you line the fuse up and then with open palm push it in firmly. If faulted, let the fuse blow and contain the energy.

Ps.. I've just ordered an arc flash helmet

Hopefully you never need it!

But if you do it can save you from serious injuries: some limit to UV light on eyes, IR burns to skin, splattered molten metal, and a little protection against inhaling metal vapour.

Or even just banging your head in confined space, accident or not. I sometimes use mine in the attic in case of getting my head cut on nails holding slates in place.

 

[pc1966]

Just to add, the PPE is not only for fuse-pulling activities, really any when working live such as removing DB covers in situations when powering down a whole installation is not workable (unlikely domestic, I can't see any reasonable situation when you would not power off the CU first), or testing when anything of significant energy could be disturbed/shorted.

 

[Megawatt]

This is an issue that is starting to get more of a ball ache for me, when theres a smart meter installed without an isolator and I really need to cut the power (CU change for example). My question really is this, has anyone here, or any of your customers been fined/reprimanded/imprisioned/threatened in any after a smart meter has alerted the provider that powers been cut, due to pulling the main fuse ? I ask now because im looking at ever increasing jobs now where the fuse really needs to be pulled and im becoming reluctant to do it; trying to explain to the customer is just annoying and many of them im sure have no idea. Its come to the stage now where instead of pulling the main fuse im taking tails out of a live henley block (if fitted). Ive seen on DS youtube channel that firms did exist that done the job for £90 or some such amount but have now stopped as its deemed unsafe/illegal/whatever. Ive also read ia previous Napit periodical that there was some kind of "training & certification" that would allow electricians to pull the main fuse, but that cans been kicked down the road once more by the looks of it. Anyways without going into a rant about it has anyone here, or any of your customers been fined/reprimanded/imprisioned/threatened for pulling a main fuse due to a smart meter alert ??

In the USA if you pull a smart meter the power company will be there in less than an hour and will file charges and have you put in jail for tampering with a meter

 

[pc1966]

In the USA if you pull a smart meter the power company will be there in less than an hour and will file charges and have you put in jail for tampering with a meter

Is it a requirement in USA electric code that there is a separate disconnection means after the meter? If so I can't see any legitimate reason to pull the meter.

The issue here in the UK is to work on the DB (= CU domestically) you need the power off to replace it and the Electricity At Work regulations say you should not work live unless absolutely no alternative, but often there is no means of isolation to do that or replace the 'tails' (main cables from meter to CU) other than pulling out the supply fuse.

Which you are not supposed to do.

However, the risk of death or injury always outranks upsetting the smart meter company who, when they fitted the meter, should have fitted an isolator switch so it was not necessary to pull anything!

Our meters are pretty much fixed, they are screwed to whatever support panel the input fuse & CU are and hard-wired, usually with the 'tails' of double-sheathed cable 16mm or 25mm in size (about AWG #5 or #3).

 

[pc1966]

Also here they would have to establish that you were attempting 'Abstracting Electricity' ​

Theft Act Offences | The Crown Prosecution Service

www.cps.gov.uk

Elements​

Section 13 of the 1968 Act creates the offence of dishonestly using electricity without authority or dishonestly causing electricity to be wasted or diverted.

‘Dishonesty'​

The test to be applied now must be that adopted by the Supreme Court in Ivey v Genting Casinos. See “Dishonestly” above under Theft in this chapter. The case of Boggeln v Williams (1978) 67 Cr App R 50 (in which it was said that “dishonesty” must be decided on the basis of the defendant’s own beliefs about whether they were being dishonest or not) can no longer be regarded as good law.

It is not necessary that the defendant should have tampered with the meter. Provided that they have in fact used the electricity, that they were not authorised to do so and that in doing so they were being dishonest by the standards of ordinary people, the offence will be made out: R v McCreadie (1993) 96 Cr App R 143.

Allocation and Penalty​

The offence is triable either-way. The maximum penalty at the Crown Court is five years and/or an unlimited fine. In the magistrates’ court the maximum penalty is six months imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.

 

[pc1966]

Ps.. I've just ordered an arc flash helmet

If you get the same as mine the visor's action is a bit odd. Basically you pull it down over your face then when fully down slightly 'out' away from your face to lock it in place. Then pushing slightly down/back releases it and "boing!" it shoots up on its springs out of the way.

 

[littlespark]

So you're spending money on extra PPE to perform an action that you shouldn't be doing without informing the supplier....
Just ask the supplier to install a service isolator instead of informing them.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

So you're spending money on extra PPE to perform an action that you shouldn't be doing without informing the supplier....
Just ask the supplier to install a service isolator instead of informing them.

Yep.

 

[LukeD]

The shop owner who needs a Isolator fitted .Made contact with the DNO and they are due to reply to him .Its been logged as urgent and also its been questioned why was one not fitted a few years ago when the new meter was fitted ? Lets see how long it takes !

 

[pc1966]

So you're spending money on extra PPE to perform an action that you shouldn't be doing without informing the supplier....
Just ask the supplier to install a service isolator instead of informing them.

That is a very good point, and getting the DNO/meter company to do what they damn well ought to have done in the first place is sensible.

Depending on what you do outside of non-approved fuse pulling, the PPE is good to have. Last time I had the lot on was doing some PFC/PSCC measurements on a live 800A busbar chamber, the sort of situation that give me the willies even with PPE on.

 

[Rockingit]

Have done so more times than I can remember without incident and often if you're in a situation where the DNO is involved anyway such as a new build and basically don't come over as a total plum then they won't even bother sealing a new head if it's obvious more more is happening.

Except for one time..... was the early days of smart meters and the software basically crashed in it, wouldn't reboot properly after power was restored. The customer had to get their energy company to source a specialist engineer who then had to drive about 5hrs across country to sort out the programming again, was a right faff and what should have been a 1hr job turned into a whole day with no power for a very understanding client!

 

[Psssst]

Do smart meter installers routinely fit an isolator where non is fitted or do they just pull the main, do the work and shove it back in again? I guess its down to individual metering companies and supplier requirements in their contracts? Thinking about it ,an isolator should be a compulsory upgrade given the issues with pulling and reinstalling a main fuse ?