What's missing here?

[sparkinlee]

I was asked today by a customer in a block of flats to comment on a refusal by edf to deal with a fault on her meter because of an apparently dangerous condition in the distribution board for the block.

edf's comment on the 'Energisation refused' form is 'Phase barriers missing from Distribution Board'. I've had a look at the Distribution Board, but I'm not sure what might be missing. But then I don't often have to work on these, as it happens, so I wonder what I'm not noticing.

Pictures below (sorry for poor quality) - would be interested to know what else should be there on this distribution board. Thanks.

 

[dan86]

I think it's meant to look a bit like this...

 

[Darkwood]

That looks like an ISU (Industrial Supply Unit) as i know them and is the property of the DNO are you telling me the meter man closed the door on it without sealing it???

Also im more inclined to think the meter man was your basic domestic type and didn't have the correct gear to fit the meter as it either needed CT's with control fuses or retailing through trunking to meter...... ive had this and he tried fobbing me off until i rang his boss and they sent a different bloke.

 

[Rockingit]

From my recent experiences with EDF, they make up the rules as they go along, know sweet FA about anything and are just generally useless.

 

[Welchyboy]

In a nutshell they are all as useless as each other, absolutely drive me crazy, smallest excuse and they make up some excuse not to do their job

only British gas electricians are worse

looks like you are missing the paxolene cover on the top of the board, probably kicking around at the bottom of the intake cupboard somwhere

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From my recent experiences with EDF, they make up the rules as they go along, know sweet FA about anything and are just generally useless.

^^^ha you beat me to it!

 

[rattlehead85]

The old Ryefield cabinets were always short when complying with I.P requirements and sufficient barriers. What you show in the pics certainly does not prevent finger access onto terminals. Normally those idiots at EDF require you to fit paxeline covering all the gaps. I have had to do this on countless occasions which is a pig to do.

 

[londonlec]

As the others have saidI have also had to fit paxolin to these panels (some of which never came with the shields) to stop EDF chucking their toys out the pram.

Also make sure your customers fuse is labelled up, or they'll blow it out again for that.

 

[chrisg1979]

In a nutshell they are all as useless as each other, absolutely drive me crazy, smallest excuse and they make up some excuse not to do their job

only British gas electricians are worse

loofks like you are missing the paxolene cover on the top of the board, probably kicking around at the bottom of the intake cupboard somwhere

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^^^ha you beat me to it!

D'you know, I'm sick of people having a pop at BG electricians.
I've worked for em for 5 years now, not the place I'd ideally be right now but hey, I've got mouths to feed and bills to pay.
All the lads I work with have plenty of experience and are generally a good bunch.
Maybe a few bad uns slip thru the net but to tar us all with the same brush.....ffs.

 

[dan86]

*sticks body armour on*

 

[johnboy6083]

Personally I don't see the problem, as the board will need a key or tool to access!
no unskilled person should ever access the board, and they're usually in a locked room!
what do you lads/ladies think?

 

[rattlehead85]

Personally I don't see the problem, as the board will need a key or tool to access!
no unskilled person should ever access the board, and they're usually in a locked room!
what do you lads/ladies think?

You'd be surprised. Some of the blocks of flats i've had the displeasure of working in have had the budget meters located within the main switch room freely accessible by the tenants. Needless to say all meters were tamper free.......

 

[londonlec]

Personally I don't see the problem, as the board will need a key or tool to access!
no unskilled person should ever access the board, and they're usually in a locked room!
what do you lads/ladies think?

Some of them are on the wall in communal areas, and just have the thumb wheel screws holding the door closed. The local council I worked for screwed them all shut.

But yes I can't see why the paxolin guards above the fuses is required.

 

[sparkinlee]

Thanks for all the comments...

There does seem to be an issue of whose responsibility this is - EDF (the metering company) say it's nothing to do with them, and UK Power Networks (the DNO) say their responsibility ends at the main fuse head, so this cabinet is stuck in between.

If I have to work on it to add guards between fuses (which don't appear to have been part of the original design), I'll need to coordinate with UKPN to get them to de-energise, I guess, and then coordinate with EDF to make sure they're satisfied - what fun!

 

[londonlec]

Thanks for all the comments...

There does seem to be an issue of whose responsibility this is - EDF (the metering company) say it's nothing to do with them, and UK Power Networks (the DNO) say their responsibility ends at the main fuse head, so this cabinet is stuck in between.

If I have to work on it to add guards between fuses (which don't appear to have been part of the original design), I'll need to coordinate with UKPN to get them to de-energise, I guess, and then coordinate with EDF to make sure they're satisfied - what fun!

It should belong to the freeholder of the building.

You could probably measure, cut and fit paxolin without de energising.

(tin hat)

 

[Engineer54]

To be honest i can't see anything wrong with this Ryefield panel, unless it's something behind that paxolene cover in the centre of the panel?? Unless i'm missing something here!! lol!!

It's certainly obvious that this Ryefield has been in service for a good many years now, so what's suddenly become a problem. The fuse base and fuse carrier come together (fuse carrier over laps fuse base) to make a suitable barrier between it, and the fuse carriers either side, which will also consist of the same arrangement. So in reality the panels fuse type/design already provides a double barrier in themselves.

Contact the DNO Area Engineer who will should be able to sort this nonsense out with their sub-contractors (meter fitting company)

 

[Welchyboy]

In a nutshell they are all as useless as each other, absolutely drive me crazy, smallest excuse and they make up some excuse not to do their job

only British gas electricians are worse

loofks like you are missing the paxolene cover on the top of the board, probably kicking around at the bottom of the intake cupboard somwhere

- - - Updated - - -



^^^ha you beat me to it!

D'you know, I'm sick of people having a pop at BG electricians.
I've worked for em for 5 years now, not the place I'd ideally be right now but hey, I've got mouths to feed and bills to pay.
All the lads I work with have plenty of experience and are generally a good bunch.
Maybe a few bad uns slip thru the net but to tar us all with the same brush.....ffs.

Maybe it's just my area then, or your the exception, as time after time I turn up to jobs where after 3 or 4 call outs by different engineers, the customer has given up with them or they sticking their danger stickers over everything then scaring the life out of people and issuing a massive quote to remedy work which only turns out to be a simple fault,

Last one was a fault on a ring main, the engineer failed to find fault after 3 visits, then blamed the problem on green goo and said the whole circuit was dangerous and had to be rewired and refused to re-energise the circuit

In about 15 minutes i found a crushed neutral in the back of the third socket box i looked in, after a further inspection green goo was present but VERY scarce

£50 + vat call out, peeled off his silly sticker on the consumer unit and left

It's all good though more customers for me

 

[somersetsparks]

I see no problem with it, we would be expected to work on that, after all, any employees of EDF would have all the correct protective gear, i.e. flash jacket, visor, insulated gloves.

Wonder if EDF are allowed to pull cut-out fuses? lol

Most ryefields are loike that, many I have seen have even less of the shields present. We did have a phase of fitting security torx screw into them as many are in meter rooms of blocks of flats.

 

[Engineer54]

I can't even see how you could fit barriers in that Ryefield panel, there just isn't any room for them!!

Are you sure, there is not something behind that centre paxolin sheet, that is causing this EDF guy concern, maybe missing phase bus-bar barriers or the like??

 

[londonlec]

I can't even see how you could fit barriers in that Ryefield panel, there just isn't any room for them!!

Are you sure, there is not something behind that centre paxolin sheet, that is causing this EDF guy concern, maybe missing phase bus-bar barriers or the like??

I have had them kicking off about this same issue before, they want guards fitting above/around the fuses, so only the fuses themselves are exposed.