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Fuse Board Cover help

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  • 04-05-2012 1:17am
    #1
    Shao
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭


    Hi

    I'm wondering how/where I would get the plastic cover for the front of a fuse board that covers up the wires?

    I'll post a pic in the morning, but its a fuse board that was fitted when the house was rewired in the mid 80s.

    The original went missing during a clearout and a neighbour (electrician) had said they had a spare one for me and has left me waiting a long time.

    Any advice would be great .

    Thanks


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    #2
    inovo
    Registered Users Posts: 81 ✭✭inovo


    Strangely enough i am in a similar predicament. The one i have is badly damaged. Its a Hager fuse board. Can you buy these covers new?


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    #3
    meercat
    Registered Users Posts: 4,745 ✭✭✭meercat


    inovo wrote: »
    Strangely enough i am in a similar predicament. The one i have is badly damaged. Its a Hager fuse board. Can you buy these covers new?
    Post pics lads
    It's unlikely to get a new one to match now
    But a second hand one may turn up during refurbishments
    Will keep an eye out


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    #4
    Shao
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭Shao


    meercat wrote: »
    inovo wrote: »
    Strangely enough i am in a similar predicament. The one i have is badly damaged. Its a Hager fuse board. Can you buy these covers new?
    Post pics lads
    It's unlikely to get a new one to match now
    But a second hand one may turn up during refurbishments
    Will keep an eye out

    thanks I'll post one when I'm home


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    #5
    Shao
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭Shao


    Hope these help


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    #6
    bertie1
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 509 ✭✭✭bertie1


    You will not be able to get a cover for that , the photo isn't too clear but your main switch looks like it is bypassed & the tails out of the meter (apart from being the wrong size) seem to be coming into an rcd at the bottom. Thence no main switch on the board. You house needs a lot more work than a cover. I doubt the bonding is in order from what I can see. The neutralising appears to be done at that rcd. In short get it checked out properly.


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    #7
    2011
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators, Regional East Moderators Posts: 12,592 Mod ✭✭✭✭2011


    +1 to Bertie

    I have no idea what make that distribution board is. I think it may be impossible for you to get a replacement cover. It would be possible to buy a new empty enclosure (including cover) quite cheaply and install it. It would be best to get a qualified electrician to do this. This board needs to be checked thoroughly.

    This requires urgent attention. I can see live exposed busbar.


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    #8
    Bruthal
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,422 ✭✭✭✭Bruthal


    bertie1 wrote: »
    You will not be able to get a cover for that , the photo isn't too clear but your main switch looks like it is bypassed & the tails out of the meter (apart from being the wrong size) seem to be coming into an rcd at the bottom. Thence no main switch on the board. You house needs a lot more work than a cover. I doubt the bonding is in order from what I can see. The neutralising appears to be done at that rcd. In short get it checked out properly.

    It looks like the tails are going where they should be. The photo is too poor to tell for sure. But the main neutral looks like it is going to the neutral bar it should be on the top left, and it looks like the mains supply is into the bottom of the main switch. If the neutral was onto main neutral bar and main Live into bottom of RCD, that RCD would be tripping. It looks like the top of the RCD is supplied from the bottom of main fuse, and the top left main neutral is into the top of the RCD also, so its unlikely the bottom of the RCD has the live feed into it.

    If the owner switches off the main switch, that will tell for sure, but i cant see that board working if the main live is into the bottom of that RCD.

    The neutralising looks like its done into the RCD alright in that blurred photo, although that does seem unlikely also, as that too would trip the RCD, as thats the load side, and the return neutral current would split, tripping it. Also the same colour green wire is seen up at the earth bar, and vaguely is seen behind the RCD at the top of it, so it is running up behind it to the earth bar.

    A new enclosure is needed alright if not a new board. I seen that type before, it has 4 slots for them metal slips seen in the photo (each end of din rails) to slide into. The front of the cover has slots to put a screwdriver into, to release it.


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    #9
    RoundyMooney
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,910 ✭✭✭✭RoundyMooney


    That needs immediate attention, I'm afraid.

    Aside from anything else which has been gone into in detail, it appears that the tails from the main fuse (the ESB one, on the left) have been partially replaced, by persons unknown. You really need a professional to look at this in detail for you.

    Someone was fluting with this in the recent past, as evidenced by the new RCBO and neutral block on the top right. I would advise against calling them again.


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    #10
    Shao
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭Shao


    Wow! I'm not anyuse at that stuff . A local electrian replaced a part for me 2yrs ago and it lasted a week and it wa then replaced by another electrician who has since passed away other than the part that was replaced nothing to my knowledge had been fiddled with since the board was installed in the mid 80s.
    I don't know what is required to sort this out but as I am out of work I can presume I am not going to have the money to call an electrician into fix this for some time , worrying :(
    thank you guys though for advice :)


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    #11
    meercat
    Registered Users Posts: 4,745 ✭✭✭meercat


    looks like an old dz2 fuseboard with the fuses removed and replaced by an assortment of different make tripswitches
    the main switch and main fuse unit and the 32a cooker tripswitch are probably the original

    the cover possibly melted and was never refitted(hence mcbs )
    it does look messy but from what i can make out(as robbie says)it appears to be wired correctly(i have seen much messier by the way)
    you say this was done in the mid 80s so that may explain the main tail sizes
    your pics arent very clear alright so clearer and closer pics may clarify where your main cables terminate

    i would advise getting a sparks to do a quick test,as others have said

    to answer your op
    these fuseboard covers will turn up on a rewire or replacement board at some stage
    i will keep an eye out but it may be a while


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    #12
    Shao
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭Shao


    Thanks a million meercat !
    I will get a lend of a better camera and take some more pics tomorrow.
    As for the original cover it didn't melt it was removed when a part was replaced and left on the hall table , soon after my dad passed away and there was a big clear out and a very silly aunty threw it in a skip.
    Yeah from what my parents told me they had the house rewired when they moved in , in 85/86.


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