National Grid Installation. Is this work acceptable?

[jimseng]

I had my meter box connected to the pole last week and when I came home I thought the work was not a standard I expect. I have contacted them but wondered what others thought.

I am concerned that the underground ducting will fill with water and remain filled as it has nowhere to drain.

[Bonner]

The ducting is there for physical protection, not to keep it dry. I would be more concerned about the gaps where the cable can be impacted by external force. It should be armoured cable so belt and braces but it’s poor installation.

[mjc55]

I would not be happy with that, why is it not fastened to the back board?

[ProDave]

That meter on a sloping board is a standard detail for front cable entry into a flush meter box.

 

The rest of it is 💩

 

There is a minimum distance for cables to be buried.  An inch or 2 under a bit of gravel if you are lucky is not one of them.  What did the contract say, did it say they would dig the trench from the pole?  Or were you supposed to dig that?  If so did you?

[garrymartin]

16 minutes ago, mjc55 said:

I would not be happy with that, why is it not fastened to the back board?

It is - there is at least one screw visible. If you mean why is it not flat on the backboard, that is how they are installed nowadays. The bottom third of the cabinet is for the provider, and because of the way the cable comes in, you can't then fix flat on the back. If you look, you can see that the plastic back is angled to allow this.

[mjc55]

ahh! didn't look at it properly!

 

Had our temporary connection fitted last year and they didn't seem to have any problem fixing it to the board,

[ProDave]

31 minutes ago, mjc55 said:

ahh! didn't look at it properly!

 

Had our temporary connection fitted last year and they didn't seem to have any problem fixing it to the board,

Because that is a surface mount meter box not  a flush one, and they have access to get the cable up into the back of the box.

 

A flush meter box, you can only do that , if the hockey stick is built into the wall cavity as the wall is built and they have access to it's lower end, even then I don't thiink they like doing it that way any more.

[ToughButterCup]

Have you paid them yet ? Or did you have to pay in advance?

If so, complain. 

 

If not, don't (pay). That'll draw attention.

 

Is cable tape laid? Is the cable laid at the require depth (900mm ? )

[ProDave]

From a technical point of view, I would be concerned that phase 1 has a much lower loop impedance than the other two.  I would expect them to be all nearly the same.  If having just a single phase supply that is the one I would choose. Not that you have a choice.

[garrymartin]

9 minutes ago, ProDave said:

From a technical point of view, I would be concerned that phase 1 has a much lower loop impedance than the other two.  I would expect them to be all nearly the same.  If having just a single phase supply that is the one I would choose. Not that you have a choice.

I think it's just a badly written 2 - looks to be 0.23Ω to me?

[Indy]

As ProDave pointed out, the way ours was installed was also at an angle 

 

 

This is the finished article after the electrician completed the connection to the consumer unit inside the house 

 

 

What I find the most bizarre is that we're supposed to leave that box accessible and not behind any gates. Anyone could potentially walk up with a 50p key to open the box and cut power to the whole house by tripping the breaker? I asked repeatedly why the breaker would not be inside - next to the CU but it's the requirement as per BC and UKPN as well?!

[-rick-]

4 minutes ago, Indy said:

What I find the most bizarre is that we're supposed to leave that box accessible and not behind any gates. Anyone could potentially walk up with a 50p key to open the box and cut power to the whole house by tripping the breaker? I asked repeatedly why the breaker would not be inside - next to the CU but it's the requirement as per BC and UKPN as well?!

 

Yes they could but what's the chances of that? Being able to shut off the supply to the consumer unit is a great advantage. Saves an electrician having to call out the DNO (and the charges) if they need to do something big to the consumer unit.

[Indy]

42 minutes ago, -rick- said:

 

Yes they could but what's the chances of that? Being able to shut off the supply to the consumer unit is a great advantage. Saves an electrician having to call out the DNO (and the charges) if they need to do something big to the consumer unit.

Any probability which is non zero is too high and an accident waiting to happen (at least in my paranoid mind!)

 

The outcome here is that someone could walk up to the side of the house, cut power to all alarms and cameras and proceed to rob us at leisure? I don't understand what is lost by putting the breaker inside the house - behind a layer of security. You still turn it off before doing anything to the CU?