Moving a consumer unit!!

Galway_guy_33

Could anyone in the trade tell me if moving my consumer unit down an existing wall about 12 inches is safe. I want to put some coving next to the consumer unit. The coving had to stop 5 inches short to allow the consumer unit door to open… looks awful at the moment.

I've checked all the wires in the attic and i have enough slack to move it the distance i need. I dont plan on undoing any wiring just burst the ceiling along with a screw driver or something and remounting the racks and box.

Of course i'll trip the mains switch and i know there will be power still at this switch so i'll be extra careful planning my ever move.

Should i attempt this??? The guy who put it in said he doesn’t have the time to do it.

davelerave

its unusual for there to be enough slack on all the wires to drop it down but i assume you checked properly .normally of course you would fit the box after.really you should ask a sparkie to drop it.you will have the added difficulty of recessing the wires slightly above the box(if its block wall) for the coving and this can cause rubble to drop into the box unless you tie it up to ceiling

Galway_guy_33

Cheers for the prompt reply davelerave....

Yeah i have checked the wires, I'm moving in the direction of all the wires and not down the wall so i should gain more slack as i move. I'll be placing the box tight to the ceiling and the coving will meet it on both sides.


Not that i want to get a shock but 240volts cant kill me can it??

JohnBoy

even I (and i'm viewed by many here as having poor regard for the dangers of electricity) would not do this myself.

have a spark disconnect it at the meter end (this is possible isn't it?) before attempting this.

yes, 220 is more than enough to kill

Steve

anything above 60V can kill you in the right situation.

A sparks can't disconnect the mains from the meter as this would mean breaking the ESB's seal. They'd then charge to come out and re-connect it or worse accuse you of trying to fiddle the meter or something - can get you into lots of trouble. They might require a new RECI cert as well before they'd re-connect.

Moving the CU would have pitfalls as the twin/earth cable is notorious for breaking where the cable was stripped when it is tugged / flexed too much (i.e. at a connection). You could be left with a few tails that you don't know where they should go.

Above all - check all connections afterwards with a proper 1000V electical screwdriver.

Also do not do this alone - what if the worst did happen?

Unless you're 110% sure of what you're doing then get a sparks.

p.s. ask them why any live work should be done with one hand behind their back

Galway_guy_33

Thanks guys... I think i've heard enough.... not one i'll be taking on i knew it was a serious task. Its not that i wasnt willing to pay the money to a sparks just the guy that put it in doesnt want to hear about it. Think i'll get onto him again... he hasnt half the lights or sockets working in the house so far so maybe he will do it for me when hes finishing up.

As far as i remember the ESB connected the power to the meterbox and he put the connection from the meterbox to the consumer unit so he should be able to disconnect at the meterbox.

big_al

Your ESB Meter unit should (if the newer type) have an isolating switch. It's behind a black face-plate removed with a couple of screws.

Galway_guy_33

My meter went in only a few weeks ago… Hmmm that sounds interesting…. I’ll take a look tonight. If I could kill the power coming to the CU I’d feel up to the job.

Cheers guys.

davelerave

Galway_guy_33 wrote:

My meter went in only a few weeks ago? Hmmm that sounds interesting?. I?ll take a look tonight. If I could kill the power coming to the CU I?d feel up to the job.

Cheers guys.

don't. you gotta break the reci seal for a start and you're liable to kill someone.i think you're in over your head with this one tbh

eddiej

Johnboy Hope you werent hinting at me by any chance:D Hope the my concern over matters leccie could be seen in those posts though re reading i prob did rant but still glad you advisin no on this one speaks volume sof how dodgy it is:D

FX Meister

Galway_guy_33 wrote:

Not that i want to get a shock but 240volts cant kill me can it??

It's not the voltage that will kill you it's the current. You get 63 amps if you touch the mains cable.

JohnBoy

would I?

Alun

FX Meister wrote:

It's not the voltage that will kill you it's the current. You get 63 amps if you touch the mains cable.

63mA more likely, unless your name is Bender the Robot Could still kill you of course.

davelerave

FX Meister wrote:

It's not the voltage that will kill you it's the current. You get 63 amps if you touch the mains cable.

can you show me your maths on this one:v:

Doolittle51

FX Meister wrote:

It's not the voltage that will kill you it's the current. You get 63 amps if you touch the mains cable.

No - You get whats coming to you if you touch the mains cable!

The current flowing in a circuit depends on the load - i.e. if you touch the main incoming cable (and earth/neutral) the resistance of your body will determine how much current goes through you.
The maximum ammount of current that can come into your house is 63 amps because anything over that will trip the main switchfuse.

tapest

hi guys
Educate me please
I'm not a sparks....but on a training course with ESB 30 odd years ago, we were told (and frightened, that's why I remember) that 80 volts at 3/1000 of 1 amp has the potential to kill. only the body's natural resistance saves one...sometimes. Also a shock from a "broken neutral" is more dangerous than from a phase wire, this last one I like re-explained.
ta guys
t

davelerave

tapest wrote:

hi guys
Educate me please
I'm not a sparks....but on a training course with ESB 30 odd years ago, we were told (and frightened, that's why I remember) that 80 volts at 3/1000 of 1 amp has the potential to kill. only the body's natural resistance saves one...sometimes. Also a shock from a "broken neutral" is more dangerous than from a phase wire, this last one I like re-explained.
ta guys
t

i have limited knowledge about this but i think 100ma or less can be fatal .although i read a while back that there had been no recorded fatalities on circuits protected by 100ma rcds which they use some places(like the uk).i don't get the part about the 'broken neutral' cos the in-circuit load should reduce any shock current.some sparkies have party tricks like holding on to live wires while someone else puts a phase tester on their arm but i could never be persuaded to try it(i just held the phase tester)not to be recommended

endplate

davelerave wrote:

i have limited knowledge about this but i think 100ma or less can be fatal .although i read a while back that there had been no recorded fatalities on circuits protected by 100ma rcds which they use some places(like the uk).i don't get the part about the 'broken neutral' cos the in-circuit load should reduce any shock current.some sparkies have party tricks like holding on to live wires while someone else puts a phase tester on their arm but i could never be persuaded to try it(i just held the phase tester)not to be recommended

60mA (not a lot of current) accross the heart is enough to stop the ticker from doing it's job ie pumping blood. Working in Intel I get a lot of safety courses to know you don't mess with electricity. Galway_guy unless your a qualified sparks or you have recieved proper sparks training then leave it to the experts. And don't go breaking any seals in your meter box