Upgrading electricity supply

Ich_2

i suppos esplitting hairs, however upgrading to 3 phase would be providing a new supply.

Not really as the MPAN number would be unchanged so it would be an add load, as it has for the 40 years I've dealt with them

It could be if the existing supply was removed for a period of a few months then a new supply would need to be installed

As regards the existing situation it is well out of line as, in theory, each customer (meter) should have it's own main fuse. If for no other reason than to prevent everyone else getting switched off for work on one meter!

davenottingham

It is possible to isolate the electricity in my own flat. Where the supply enters the flat it runs into a fuse wire box which has a large on/off switch.

davenottingham

For those not bored yet by my electrics....I had an electrician round again on a different matter and he ran through my supply set up at bit more clearly.
I have a bitumen coated supply which is earthed (thinning at the head where the bitumen coating has melted off) which feeds into a plastic distribution board which feeds into three live fuses serving four flats (two lives come out of one fuse oddly) and an earth.
These then feed into the meters. Anything from the melting supply onwards was renewed and refixed last year (by EDF).
I asked him where is the cut-out was and he looked at me blankly.
Hopefully this clears the mist a bit.....

Ich_2

I think the plastic distribution box might just be a 3 phase cut-out, which means you culd have a 3 phase supply anyway.
wait till the DNO has had a look as thay will give you the definative answer

Fire_Fox

Please let us know how you get on with the freeholder/ EH/ HSE.

davenottingham

Will do- thanks for all your help.

JC_Derby

Ich wrote: »

I think the plastic distribution box might just be a 3 phase cut-out, which means you culd have a 3 phase supply anyway.
wait till the DNO has had a look as thay will give you the definative answer

very definately sounds like it

misterbarlow

Sounds like you already have a 3ph supply and the overheating could just be down to the cutout giving up... A new cutout might sort all your problems..

Years ago (pre mpans and pre seperate dno/mop/supplier etc) the electric board as it was would happily turn up and install umpteen meters onto a single cutout if requested..

I go to flats every day with 2-6 flats and meters off one cutout...
the DNO wont upgrade without ££'s and the L/L just wont pay...
so it gets left...

i went to a large property the other week which had been converted and although i was there to install new meters on a newly installed multiway chamber, on arrival there were TWELVE occupied flats all running off the existing single meter and cutout... crazy!!

Cknocker

This one is totally intriguing: -

According to the OP, EDF have claimed the Property needs to be upgraded to a 3p supply, yet from what it sounds like the property has a 3p cutout.

Also it is stated that EDF have upgraded/replaced the wiring from the cutout to the meters.

I can only think of a couple of explanations: -

1. The man from EDF actually meant that the existing 3p Service needed uprating.
2. (I'm not even sure this would be possible) Is the cutout being used as a junction box for a single phase service? - that would be a real issue as potentially with three fuses in parallel on a single phase, the service could become massively overloaded with no effective protection. One other thing with this, how does the electrician know there are 3 live fuses? He shouldn't be in the cutout and would have to of removed the DNO's seals.

It'll be interesting to hear what WPD come back with next week.

Ich_2

This is one of those threads that, actually, is useless without photos!