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No their is no larger cables outside. The cables leaving the meter box are the same overhead all the way to the house. I will try and get some pictures of the house bracket connections at some point. If I were to talk to the electrician again what might it be good to understand, perhaps the size of the cable he would want to bury and how much it would cost. Obviously, you have all said that a large cable would be needed and that it will cost. At the end of day I have been pondering why on earth would I pay out to have a cable buried. Why not wait for something to happen to the overhead cables then fix it? Would an electrician turn a blind eye to the overhead cable and get on with the work for the extension?


Not a proper one.... One of the main regulations that we work to is that the work that we do and what we connect it too must be safe.... If it's not safe then.....

 
The issue is fault currents. There are limits on how high final circuit impedance can be to ensure in the event of a fault the mcb (or fuse) disconnects within a specified time.  If you have a very long cable that is too thin, the impedance even where it enters the house might be too high.  So in the event of a fault, the mcb might not trip, instead the short circuit could remain passing a high fault current for a very long time.

I would still like to see some of the pages from the EICR the ones with lots of numbers on them.

 
I have spoken to the electrician who visited last and asked him regarding the figures you are after. At the time he did plug his tester in to a socket quickly. He said that the ze was around 190.

 
I have spoken to the electrician who visited last and asked him regarding the figures you are after. At the time he did plug his tester in to a socket quickly. He said that the ze was around 190.


190 on a TT system is acceptable with adequate RCD protection, however the L-N loop may be too high

 
Whilst he was at the property he also pointed out two cables that had been installed off the overhead lines down to a small wooden shed. Smaller cables had been used. Could this be dangerous?

 
potentially. if they are adequately fused at the end and sized correctly for fault protection from the fuse at the meter than all good, but im guessing no

 
Well he pointed at it with a problematic look on his face. Does he have a responsibility to disconnect this or do I need to instruct him to do that? I don't really want anything bad to happen, I might move the gas barbecue bottle from inside tonight.

 
legally electricians cannot disconnect anything, we can oly recommend it be isolated if its dangerous. we can refuse to turn it back on though if its off

if its really bad and you refuse, then DNO could be contacted and if they agree they can disconnect your supply

 
OP - its really tricky giving any meaningful and accurate advice over the net ............ maybe give a clearer pointer as to where you are located and see it anyone on here could take a look?

 
 Would an electrician turn a blind eye to the overhead cable and get on with the work for the extension?


I would say not, as basically no alterations should be undertaken on any installation unless the supply and earthing are adequate for the proposed changes to the installation. this is stated in wiring regulation regulation 132.16. of BS7671:2018.

X3 REG 132-16.jpg

I have spoken to the electrician who visited last and asked him regarding the figures you are after. At the time he did plug his tester in to a socket quickly. He said that the ze was around 190.


Do you not have a copy of the EICR that was done?

Doc H.

 
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I do have a copy of the EICR but do not wish to upload it at the moment. As I mentioned earlier I was uneasy with the report hence getting another electrician in after the fuse situation the other day. Whether or not you are able to give anymore advise on the supply cable situation anymore then so be it. In the future I feel that an underground supply cable would be better. Less probability of failure but higher costs to complete. I have looked at the report and it does not mention anything wrong with the supply.

As I don't know specific costs of getting a new underground supply cable would anyone care to hazard a guess at the size and cost of this work? 

 
I do have a copy of the EICR but do not wish to upload it at the moment. As I mentioned earlier I was uneasy with the report hence getting another electrician in after the fuse situation the other day. Whether or not you are able to give anymore advise on the supply cable situation anymore then so be it. In the future I feel that an underground supply cable would be better. Less probability of failure but higher costs to complete. I have looked at the report and it does not mention anything wrong with the supply.

As I don't know specific costs of getting a new underground supply cable would anyone care to hazard a guess at the size and cost of this work? 


If you blank out the name and addresses, and any other identifying contact details, but allow us to see come of the technical specifications of the installation that would help us to help you with answering your questions easier, (As ProDave asked a while ago).  Your cable question is as open ending as me asking you what would be the best car for my brother in law to purchase, and how much should he expect to pay, as one garage man said £15,000 starting price?  The installation characteristics circuit configurations expected loads etc.. all have a major effect on selecting the most appropriate cable for any application. More detail is needed, or you could just guess using anyone of numerous internet cable suppliers. https://www.electriccable.co.uk/RWDarmouredcableTECC.php

Doc H.  

 
I do have a copy of the EICR but do not wish to upload it at the moment. As I mentioned earlier I was uneasy with the report hence getting another electrician in after the fuse situation the other day. Whether or not you are able to give anymore advise on the supply cable situation anymore then so be it. In the future I feel that an underground supply cable would be better. Less probability of failure but higher costs to complete. I have looked at the report and it does not mention anything wrong with the supply.

As I don't know specific costs of getting a new underground supply cable would anyone care to hazard a guess at the size and cost of this work? 


 do you want to dig the trench and backfill or let someone else do it? is it going under paved / concreted areas or grass? far too many variables

page 2 or the report would be good. or at least a list of whats in the observations box and any codes. also the extent of whats been tested from page 1

 
What about tree roots? 

I have to to say the question you are asking is only answerable by us oversizing the cable required, then if you have an electrician come round and apply the knowledge and they establish a smaller cable with a lower cost, we would be seen as giving incorrect advice. - this is not what we are about. 

For or advice to be given then it has to be relatable and relevant to basic facts, otherwise it’s not advice it’s just fruitless babble. 

What are your reasons for not wanting to disclose the EICR? 

 
A picture of the over head line (OH) would be good. Looking at the outgoing cable from the meter box looks to be about 25mm², given the distance involved far too small. Replacing them isn’t going to be cheap. For OH lines hard drawn copper (HD) is needed as it has to support its own weight between poles. The strange thing with HD is its overall size, 50mm² is rolled and compressed so it fits in 25mm² terminals.

Now the down side is HD is a pig to work with, it has a mind of its own where it goes. The electrician needs to know how to strain it between poles and then how to bind it to the insulators. Best of luck finding someone that can do the job.

OH will be cheaper than under ground as the poles are in place (so long as they’re not rotten).

 
Ok well thank you all for your advise. I wont be uploading the EICR as It would be too much to blank out names etc. I'm not keen on doing that. If I get several estimates from several electricians then I will be able to compare cost. I will ask them all about the overhead supply. Tony S your advise is grateful, I will keep the options open as to the best method for the supply cable in the future.

 
Ok well thank you all for your advise. I wont be uploading the EICR as It would be too much to blank out names etc. I'm not keen on doing that. If I get several estimates from several electricians then I will be able to compare cost. I will ask them all about the overhead supply. Tony S your advise is grateful, I will keep the options open as to the best method for the supply cable in the future.


Odd response .......... surely your first step would be to determine your anticipated load and then get the existing supply inspected properly to see if its suitable .................

 
Odd response .......... surely your first step would be to determine your anticipated load and then get the existing supply inspected properly to see if its suitable .................
I'd agree, but I'm thinking along the same lines as Tony, and if those tails are ordinary 25mm then they're not going to like being strung between poles and blowing in the wind. I had a client who had bought a barn and didn't like the price the DNO quoted for the supply, I worked something out with Tony but it involved transformers and stepping up the supply, the run was around 1.2Km, unfortunately they didn't like my quote either, I think they were looking to spend a few hundred quid, not a few thousand. lol

 
As I recall Phil, it was way over £75k with trenching, cable, transformers, building work, etc.

Nearly as good as our friend who was going to get a couple of his lads to pull in four tons of cable while he supervised.

 
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