"He was Lithuanian!"

A friend rang at 10.20 tonight..."We've got a bit of a power cut!"

MK main switch. I'm sure it was perfectly fine until he had his pv system upgraded with some battery storage. Overlength ends stuffed so far / hard and with a haircut it had broken the plastic inside which had worked it's way in:

View attachment 7787

So the lesson from that is, "If it won't go in, push a LOT harder"  Oh err.....
 

ProDave said:

So the lesson from that is, "If it won't go in, push a LOT harder"  Oh err.....
 

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Lucky the old style MK incomer had screwed sides rather than riveted so I was able to take it apart. Place was freezing so I just got them going.

When he rang me I asked what board it was he said MEM so I took two new/old stock MEM boards I have with me.....and found it was MK. Luckily a new screw from the "assorted" tub came to the rescue (Proteus I think it is looking at the shallow screw slot). 





I want to get a look in his loft at the pv batteries "sitting on carpet tiles"! 

Paid at mates rates, 1 cup of tea & two Mr Kipling Bakewell tarts. Home at 01.20hrs.

I would have been wanting a MINIMUM of a fondant fancy AND a cherry bakewell.   Out of hours, mates rates or not!!

Let me get this straight. He told you it was a MEM CU so that's the make of main switch you took, which didn't fit.

So you dismantled the MK main switch (drilled out the rivets?) fixed the fault, put the main switch back together and put it back in?  

I never regarded them as "serviceable" items.
 

Early Sentry incomer with each side screwed on:



In my defence I had had a row with my missus who was giving me the cold shoulder. There I was in the unheated conservatory doing a bit of soldering when the phone rang. Godsend really, I should have taken the cakes!

Oddly enough he's just been back asking whether the tingling he gets from the brass light fitting in the lounge is right! Trying to explain it's no use changing his board unless I inspect and test first. I've avoided doing anything for him for years tbh as he mainly phones up AFTER he's done something and is looking for me to validate it over the phone. The 45A cooker switch he fitted to isolate his boiler was one memorable classic.

There's a few bits here should make for some good "exhibits" for the Black Museum:

Is that a mantel unit with an alarm panel mounted on the door??

mmmm classy!  :slap

Blue Duck said:

Is that a mantel unit with an alarm panel mounted on the door??

mmmm classy!  :slap

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Yep.

Ex council place, he's got rid of most of the surface trunking now though!

Best of luck getting a new CU in there. I'm sure SBS Dave could do you an all rcbo board that would fit.

So how do the tails split from the original CU to the solar pv CU? Not a henley block to be seen?


 

ProDave said:

Best of luck getting a new CU in there. I'm sure SBS Dave could do you an all rcbo board that would fit.

So how do the tails split from the original CU to the solar pv CU? Not a henley block to be seen?


 

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That was part of the issue with the incomer. Two sets of tails in the top inc the old cloth covered ones. I meant to take a photo of inside the board but was knackered and forgot. Amelie had already been by the time I got there, apparently she worked for the solar people! They couldn't even be ar4ed to whack on some eBay seals. 

The solar tails go out the back of the enclosure with NO GROMMET, just straight through the rough steel. You can see where they've attempted using an bigger, obviously blunt Starrett then changed to a smaller sharp one. Bodge upon bodge. The previous hot tub "electrician" (no certs provided/cash job) fitted the GE B32 but as it sticks out when he closed the perspex lid it snapped one end. I think the newer 32A MK is for the induction hob.

Already looked at the SBS 282mm wide board that's 10-way. which would do a treat, there's 295mm clear to get it in. However I've had ANOTHER call tonight telling me that Screwfix are doing such and such split load board cheap, was I aware etc! I wouldn't put it past him to buy it and fit it THEN call me. Could be the end of a +30 year friendship!  He really should stick to chippying.

Not this side of Christmas! Even then everything is laminate floors