240 v meter tails

[Plasticman]

What size are the cables that connect the meter to consumer unit ?
Mike

[280stiracer]

depends....

the older tails are normally 16mm with the new ones being fitted are 25mm......

[Plasticman]

Ta for that, is the size denoted by the area of the cable as viewed end on/
Mike

[280stiracer]

Good question


the answer is no.... its something to do wit the combined surface area of each conductor..... i dont really no for sure iv just done my final exams and iv asked this question many off times but never got a staight answer... be sure to use a 10mm earth with the 16mm or a 16mm earth with the 25mm cables... but watch out as some consumer units cant hold a 16mm earth in the main earth bar....

[Plasticman]

Ta for that.I'll now make it my biz to find out, allways been curiouse about it.
Moike

[280stiracer]

yes do let me no when ya find out lol

you doing a fuse board change i take it??

[Plasticman]

Scary thought! if I didnt know the size of cable I wouldnt/shouldnt being fiddling with it.
No my question arose from a silly observation that cable is usually advertised as 1.mm T&E etc but with connections to a meter it they are refered to as meter tails. I suppose its a foible of english just as I measure something and it can be 2' 6" and a touch or or 86cm and a short 1/16th, well I know what it means.
Mike

[Plasticman]

Concensus of opinion is;
cross sectional area of each conductor either single wire or multiples squared in mm's.
Mike

[1664]

Most electricity suppliers/meter owners insist on 25mm 'tails' for a domestic supply, 16mm main earth and 10mm earth to incoming services such as water, gas and oil.

It is an offence to swap a fuseboard if you are not 'Part P' registered, test every outgoing circuit and produce the necessary certification. The supplier/meter owner will not view your cutting the meter seals sympathetically either.
Not that that stops some people............

[280stiracer]

hmmmm

you dont actually have to be "PART P" certified to carry out a fuse board change as long as you can prove your competent.....17th regs etc people do change there own boards all the time although it is highly discouraged.......


iv seen some very funny attempts

[1664]

I'm afraid you're quite wrong. Changing a fuse board is most certainly notifiable under Part P http://www.the50plus.co.uk/tech_support ... _Guide.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Neither is possession of the 17th Edition of the IEE Wiring Regulations alone sufficient to prove 'competence' as this merely suppliments other required qualifications. This is considered the minimum requirement if you are to design, install, test and certificate any electrical works.

City & Guilds 2360 Parts 1 & 2 Electrical Installation Work. (or equivalent)
City & Guilds 2381 16th Edition Wiring Regulations. (superceded by 17th edition)
City & Guilds 2391 Testing & Inspection of Electrical Installations. (or equivalent)

Even if any work is not 'notifiable' under Part P, it still has to be tested and certificated under the Electrical Wiring Regulations.

I am forever seeing milkmen, bakers, other trades etc who do a 3 day or brief evening course to get the 16th or 17th Edition qualification who then consider themselves 'electricians' . It takes a bare minimum of three years site and college work.

[matty o]

Part P is a building reg not a IEE electrical reg so you can do the work covered by part P.

But you must notify and have the work inspected after by the local building control officer.

Buy the time you have done this it would be easier to get a part P registered craftsman in the first place.

[1664]

Part P is a building reg not a IEE electrical reg so you can do the work covered by part P.
Part P brings the electrical regs into the building regs and as such you must comply with the requirements of BOTH or it's an offence

But you must notify and have the work inspected after by the local building control officer.
Not sufficient I'm afraid, in order to inspect the work the control officer has to visit site both during the work and after the work has taken place. Most control officers are not suitably qualified from an electrical perspective (they certainly won't know how to test and certify it) and will simply farm this aspect out to someone who is, eg a self certifying electrician.

Buy the time you have done this it would be easier to get a part P registered craftsman in the first place.
That's what it's basically designed to make happen

This is actually what I do for a living....................

[Mr Bean]

I had to get the "C" cert for working on railway signalling before they degraded the work to self certification. They wanted about £1,500 for a course to bring me fron 13th edition to 17th edition. Judging by some I have spoken to the basic theory side of things have slipped though.
Cheers
Wolfie
My last private job back in the old days finished me as I had to crawl through losse glass fibre lagging in a cottage loft to install some wall lights. I itched for weeks!

[nodding scooby]

Part P is a building reg not a IEE electrical reg so you can do the work covered by part P.
Part P brings the electrical regs into the building regs and as such you must comply with the requirements of BOTH or it's an offenceboth are correct it is actually a part of the building regs based on the iee regs, anybody can do the work but then you have to get it certified by a qualified person. in a real world a qualified person will not test this and part p it for you because by doing so they are taking responsibilty for the work done as signed for on the bs7671 certs.

But you must notify and have the work inspected after by the local building control officer.
Not sufficient I'm afraid, in order to inspect the work the control officer has to visit site both during the work and after the work has taken place. Most control officers are not suitably qualified from an electrical perspective (they certainly won't know how to test and certify it) and will simply farm this aspect out to someone who is, eg a self certifying electrician.you can register a job with the bco yourself for a fee, but technically they wont come out because changing a fuseboard does not involve 1st and 2nd fix, they like to see both. as above bco are not qualified

Buy the time you have done this it would be easier to get a part P registered craftsman in the first place.
That's what it's basically designed to make happen

to be fair it would be easier to get a qualified spark who can part p.

This is actually what I do for a living....................