# Cut out seals



## R1989

Hi

I am upgrading my old wylex rewireable to a dual RCD consumer unit soon and also upgrading the main earth to 16mm and bonding to 10mm, obviously in order to replace the consumer unit i need to isolate the meter tails, ie remove the main fuse, i had a look in the meter cupboard outside and noticed that there are no seals on the cutout and the eyelets that the seals go through are snapped off, i do not see a problem with removing the main fuse as it has obviously been done before, however i will need to access the PME earth terminal in order to connect my new 16mm earth, i have a henley series 7 cut out, i understand there is a few ways of doing this work, i can either do it the proper way and the the DNO out to fit an isolator, connect the new earth into their cut out and maybe replace parts of the cut out in order to reseal it, or i can pull the fuse, remove the screw that holds the cover over the earth terminal, change the consumer unit,connect my new earth and put the fuse back in,which i cannot see a reason why i cannot do this as i am a competent qualified electrician, what are peoples thoughts?? should i get them out once i have changed the consumer unit to repair the cutout and reseal it and deny all knowledge of the fuse being pulled and the earth being upgraded?? there is already a 4mm earth in the earth terminal so its not like im connecting an earth that wasnt already there.
Thanks


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## 220/221

Blimey. 


I lost you at wylex :laughing:


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## Bulldog1

220/221 said:


> Blimey.
> 
> 
> I lost you at wylex :laughing:


I clicked back on this thread because I thought you were going to tell him how to do it. :laughing:


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## R1989

Yeah sorry about the essay. So anyone got any thoughts on the best way to do it? Thanks


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## thegoldenboy

Call a qualified electrician... or whatever they call them in the UK.


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## R1989

As i said in my original post. I am a qualified electrician.


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## Stab&Shoot

I have wire all types of buildings, plants, schools, houses, etc. (in US) but the only thing I got outta that was you replaced the ground to your meter and you got something like broken bushings in your fuse box?!!!!!!????? Terminology barrier or are things that different across the ole pond???


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## McClary’s Electrical

R1989 said:


> Hi
> 
> I am upgrading my old wylex rewireable to a dual RCD consumer unit soon and also upgrading the main earth to 16mm and bonding to 10mm, obviously in order to replace the consumer unit i need to isolate the meter tails, ie remove the main fuse, i had a look in the meter cupboard outside and noticed that there are no seals on the cutout and the eyelets that the seals go through are snapped off, i do not see a problem with removing the main fuse as it has obviously been done before, however i will need to access the PME earth terminal in order to connect my new 16mm earth, i have a henley series 7 cut out, i understand there is a few ways of doing this work, i can either do it the proper way and the the DNO out to fit an isolator, connect the new earth into their cut out and maybe replace parts of the cut out in order to reseal it, or i can pull the fuse, remove the screw that holds the cover over the earth terminal, change the consumer unit,connect my new earth and put the fuse back in,which i cannot see a reason why i cannot do this as i am a competent qualified electrician, what are peoples thoughts?? should i get them out once i have changed the consumer unit to repair the cutout and reseal it and deny all knowledge of the fuse being pulled and the earth being upgraded?? there is already a 4mm earth in the earth terminal so its not like im connecting an earth that wasnt already there.
> Thanks


Just video tape whatever you do.


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## Dennis Alwon

R1989 said:


> As i said in my original post. I am a qualified electrician.


Hopefully someone from the UK will respond with some useful info. :thumbsup:


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## frenchelectrican

Did you read the latest 17th edition of UK regulations and two part you can able do it without issue however the earth you will have to pay attetion to it and did you inform the power supplier centre to let them know you changing the CU ?? 

There are couple UK guys they will be up to the speed with the reguations due I am well verised with French reguations { they are differnet on the CU area } 

Merci,
Marc


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## Specialist

R1989 said:


> Hi
> 
> I am upgrading my old wylex rewireable to a dual RCD consumer unit soon and also upgrading the main earth to 16mm and bonding to 10mm, obviously in order to replace the consumer unit i need to isolate the meter tails, ie remove the main fuse, i had a look in the meter cupboard outside and noticed that there are no seals on the cutout and the eyelets that the seals go through are snapped off, i do not see a problem with removing the main fuse as it has obviously been done before, however i will need to access the PME earth terminal in order to connect my new 16mm earth, i have a henley series 7 cut out, i understand there is a few ways of doing this work, i can either do it the proper way and the the DNO out to fit an isolator, connect the new earth into their cut out and maybe replace parts of the cut out in order to reseal it, or i can pull the fuse, remove the screw that holds the cover over the earth terminal, change the consumer unit,connect my new earth and put the fuse back in,which i cannot see a reason why i cannot do this as i am a competent qualified electrician, what are peoples thoughts?? should i get them out once i have changed the consumer unit to repair the cutout and reseal it and deny all knowledge of the fuse being pulled and the earth being upgraded?? there is already a 4mm earth in the earth terminal so its not like im connecting an earth that wasnt already there.
> Thanks


Hi: Don't really see your problem to be honest. Although it's not supposed to be done, most of us have had to pull the Service head fuse at 1 time or another to Re-Tail a supply. If your worried about entering the Henley then call your local DNO to repair the cut-out & connect your tails to the supply, whichever way you go with it just make sure you've done all your testing first & everything is safe to Re-energise & leave the CU turned off when you put the Cut-out back in, a Cut out closing into a Short Circuit is'nt a pretty sight.


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## Specialist

220/221 said:


> Blimey.
> 
> 
> I lost you at wylex :laughing:[/quote
> 
> A Make of Electrical Distribution equipment used in the UK, the Consumer unit (Fuse panel) that he's replacing still has old fashioned re-wireable fuses.


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## Specialist

Stab&Shoot said:


> I have wire all types of buildings, plants, schools, houses, etc. (in US) but the only thing I got outta that was you replaced the ground to your meter and you got something like broken bushings in your fuse box?!!!!!!????? Terminology barrier or are things that different across the ole pond???


In the UK we've got a Main Fuse called a Service Head Cut-Out, it's fitted where the supply enters the building & belongs to the DNO (Power supply company). The cut out Fuse carrier has Moulded lugs on each end for fitting Tamperproof seals, the lugs that are broken off are the 1's where the seal goes.


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## Specialist

thegoldenboy said:


> Call a qualified electrician... or whatever they call them in the UK.


We're still called Qualified Electricians.


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## chicken steve

what's a Henley?

~CS~


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## Bkessler

chicken steve said:


> what's a Henley?
> 
> ~CS~


Eggs and bird crap.


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## chicken steve

_lol_, one would think i'd have known.....~CS~


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## Bkessler

chicken steve said:


> _lol_, one would think i'd have known.....~CS~


Yeah, no kidding. Now ask me "what's a dikfer"? 

And on another note I think I am gonna start referring to resi panels as"consumer units". It has a nice ring to it.


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## R1989

Thanks for the replies. I have no problem with pulling the fuse and connecting my new earth. Just thought maybe when someone comes to read the meter (which is not very often at all) they will see someone has tampered with their earth connection and have something to say about it. I will of course make sure the installation is tested and the Ze is good. Has anyone had any experience with getting to the earth connection on a henley series 7 cut out? I understand you can drill holes marked on the cover to access the screws but i thought if im pulling the main fuse i might aswell slacken the screw and remove the cover completely. However if i remove that screw does the cover on the permanant live connection also come away and make it little bit more risky.
Thanks


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## Specialist

chicken steve said:


> what's a Henley?
> 
> ~CS~


Hi Steve: Henley make supply equipment such as Service connectors, Fused service cutouts etc in the UK.


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## webelec

Many moons ago a meter reader would get the princely sum of £50 for informing the DNO that seals had been cut. Since privatisation though, meter readers are employees of third party contracting firms and they get no such reward, consequently they don't give a monkeys armpit.


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## Mattman

I've read that 4 times and I'm still lost! Ur a qualified sparks yeah, just trust ur instincts m8, ur a QUALIFIED sparks for a reason!


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