Moving ESB Meter

CuppaCocoa

Just had our house renovated. The ESB meter was originally on the outside wall of the house just left of the hall door. The electrician then moved it about 4ft to the inside wall when he was re-wiring. It is now sitting on top of the door frame and looks absolutely sh*7te :mad: I mentioned it to the builder and he said that it would cost about €1,000 to move it and that only the ESB could do it . Now this guy would say Mass so just checking if there is any truth in it? If the electrician moved it in the first place then why the hell can't he move it back?

M cebee

spark prob not registered so can't do anything with it

esbn wont do anything without a cert from registered electrician

CuppaCocoa

M cebee wrote: »

spark prob not registered so can't do anything with it

esbn wont do anything without a cert from registered electrician

He is registered and he's already sent in the cert!

cdb

Its a job for ESB Networks. Details here

CuppaCocoa

cdb wrote: »

Its a job for ESB Networks. Details here

My query is he moved it in the first place why can't he move it back :mad:. It's only a few feet and it's hanging over the door frame!

M cebee

cant tell much from here-have you asked him?

are esbn due to call?

on a rewire esbn may connect new tails to existing meter indoors or else meter is relocated to a cabinet outside

CuppaCocoa

M cebee wrote: »

cant tell much from here-have you asked him?

are esbn due to call?

on a rewire esbn may connect new tails to existing meter indoors or else meter is relocated to a cabinet outside

ESB are due to call to connect the tails. I don't want to pay them to have this moved as I feel it should have been put back in its original location. Will be taking it up with the architect before ESB come so hopefully he can get it rectified.

M cebee

doesnt seem like theres any problem here assuming esbn reconnect to meter 'indoors'

Davy

Why was it moved in the first place?

meercat

any chance pics
possibly moved it so that the outside wall could be insulated during renovations
the inside wall may be studded so it makes dropping wires to new fuseboard easier to hide
if he has issued cert and you have paid esbn to connect new tails then all should be in order (electric wise)
he possibly should have discussed moving the meter to an outside box much earlier in the renovations
the last relocation of meter cost my client €480 (paid to esbn)not including ducting and trenching that the builder charged

liveandnetural

post a picture of the meter and the door frame

CuppaCocoa

Here's a pic. What do you think?

Davy

lilybarlean wrote: »

Here's a pic. What do you think?

I see why your not happy. I don't think the ESB will be too pleased either. Your sparks shouldnt have touched the meter. Pity you didn't decide to move it outside from the start. Have you question him on why he move it?

CuppaCocoa

Davy wrote: »

I see why your not happy. I don't think the ESB will be too pleased either. Your sparks shouldnt have touched the meter. Pity you didn't decide to move it outside from the start. Have you question him on why he move it?

No, I presumed he would move it back before they left :mad:. I just want it back on the outside wall or at least in line with the new fuse box so that I can get a cover made for it. Will take it up with the architect. Not happy.

Davy

lilybarlean wrote: »

No, I presumed he would move it back before they left :mad:. I just want it back on the outside wall or at least in line with the new fuse box so that I can get a cover made for it. Will take it up with the architect. Not happy.

You should be able to get the meter up above the cutout (other black box) and it won't be so bad. The cutout will have to stay as is because of cable length. Both are property of networks so should only be move by them

CuppaCocoa

Davy wrote: »

You should be able to get the meter up above the cutout (other black box) and it won't be so bad. The cutout will have to stay as is because of cable length. Both are property of networks so should only be move by them

If it should only be moved by the ESB then why was the bloody thing moved in the first place? That's my query! We didn't knock down or insulate the outside wall:rolleyes:

paddymick

lilybarlean wrote: »

He is registered and he's already sent in the cert!

Did he give you your copy?

lilybarlean wrote: »

Here's a pic. What do you think?

Ouch No really it Looks good

Are you sure he wasnt originally planning on moving it back(maybe the plasterer got in before he got a chance to move it) why else would he leave the long tails there like that in a nice tidy mess.

Also did they do a full re-wire? If so then your fuse board position is against regulations for a start.

CuppaCocoa

paddymick wrote: »

Did he give you your copy?



Ouch No really it Looks good

Are you sure he wasnt originally planning on moving it back(maybe the plasterer got in before he got a chance to move it) why else would he leave the long tails there like that in a nice tidy mess.

Also did they do a full re-wire? If so then your fuse board position is against regulations for a start.

Don't know what he was planning to do, they were all working together! The house was totally renovated from top to bottom and fully re-wired.

M cebee

the DB looks to be above the 2.25m regulation height

paddymick

What M cebee said:)

CuppaCocoa

What's a DB?

paddymick

lilybarlean wrote: »

What's a DB?

Your fuseboard.(distribution board)

lynchieboy

What an abortion of a job! why didnt he move the meter to an external box? nobody can touch the ESB meter except ESB networks, I moved my own meter last year (I'm an electrician) you need a cert and a relocation fee of about 400 euros is charged by ESB. If you owe him money I'd say dont pay untill its moved to a location that you are happy with. I'd also say the ESB wont be happy when they see that someone interfered with the meter, and if the seal was broken they might get a bit sticky. (Thank god I'm an electrician and I dont have to deal with these cowboys).

M cebee

DB distribution board

2.25m is the max height to the top of board

CuppaCocoa

lynchieboy wrote: »

What an abortion of a job! why didnt he move the meter to an external box? nobody can touch the ESB meter except ESB networks, I moved my own meter last year (I'm an electrician) you need a cert and a relocation fee of about 400 euros is charged by ESB. If you owe him money I'd say dont pay untill its moved to a location that you are happy with. I'd also say the ESB wont be happy when they see that someone interfered with the meter, and if the seal was broken they might get a bit sticky. (Thank god I'm an electrician and I dont have to deal with these cowboys).

How can he move it if the ESB are the only ones who can do it?
Yes, he moved it a few feet which he probably shouldn't have done. No, we didn't get a copy of his cert but he did tell me he's sent it in to the ESB. Sigh. Thank God, we've only paid the builders half the money! Over to the architect to sort out :rolleyes:

cast_iron

In fairness, it may well cost up to €1000 to get the meter moved the the suggested location by some posters here (outside in a meter box). And it appears the OP didn't want this, so claiming it was "the right thing to do" byt he builder is not strictly true.
That doesn't excuse it's current positioning....looks like the length of the incoming tales governed its position. Nor does it excuse him moving the meter.

The solution is probably still the same as it was from the start though, ie. an ESB callout costing €400 + associated works. This will have to be paid by the OP, not the builder.

meercat

I think the main problems here were lack of planning
The electrical contractor should have discussed moving the meter to the outside on day 1
I'm sure he repositioned the meter temporarily so that the outside Walls could be plastered
He most likely hasn't broken any seals to do so
He would have done this without involving esbn so that the job could proceed without disruption to power supply knowing that when he issues the cert ,esbn will reconnect the new tails(you will have to pay for this upgrade reconnection)
In my experience of esbn,if they have to move the meter,even 1 ft,there will be an additional charge as they will have to send out an additional crew who work on supply not metering
Also as others have stated,your d.b is incorrectly positioned according to current regulations
I think you should speak directlly to your electrical contractor first

paddy147

lilybarlean wrote: »

Here's a pic. What do you think?

OH MY GOD.:eek::eek:

If the sparks moved it,then he should move it back again and install it safely and propperly.


Otherwize...................

Picture and small claims court,if the sparks wont sort that and put it right for you.

Too many cowboys out there nowadays,and they are giving other professional trades people a bad name,because of their shody dangerous work.

M cebee

paddy147 wrote: »

lilybarlean wrote: »

Here's a pic. What do you think?

OH MY GOD.:eek::eek:

If the sparks moved it,then he should move it back again and install it safely and propperly.


Otherwize...................

Picture and small claims court,if the sparks wont sort that and put it right for you.

Too many cowboys out there nowadays,and they are giving other professional trades people a bad name,because of their shody dangerous work.

the meter has just been lifted off the outside wall -no biggie really if seals are intact

customers and builders often dont want to shift meters due to cost and delays

he's at fault for db height and anything else that may be amiss

Bruthal

paddy147 wrote: »

OH MY GOD.:eek::eek:

If the sparks moved it,then he should move it back again and install it safely and propperly.


Otherwize...................

Picture and small claims court,if the sparks wont sort that and put it right for you.

Too many cowboys out there nowadays,and they are giving other professional trades people a bad name,because of their shody dangerous work.

What big danger is there? DB is higher than the reg height by the look of it. Thats a different problem to do with standing on ladders or chairs to operate MCB`s. Hardly a major electrical danger, which cant really be judged from a photo of an unfinished job.

The height of DB aside, or any other possible problems in the OPs setup, how many properly done electrical jobs would look good if photos of them half finished were put up on this forum? Meters arer often temporarily moved and/or connected, pending the final proper connection.

cast_iron

paddy147 wrote: »

Picture and small claims court,if the sparks wont sort that and put it right for you.

I wouldn't be too happy about where the meter is placed also. But what grounds would you go to court on?
Would you be happy to pay €1000 to get it moved to where it would be best suited? (an external meter box)?

M cebee

i wouldn't condemn a electrician based upon the height of a DB

paddy147

cast_iron wrote: »

I wouldn't be too happy about where the meter is placed also. But what grounds would you go to court on?
Would you be happy to pay €1000 to get it moved to where it would be best suited? (an external meter box)?

Shoddy workmanship and failure to propperly install the item safely and correctly.

Thats if the OP has asked the sparks,who went near it in the 1st place,to remedy the problem and fix it back propperly and correctly,and he has failed to do so.And if the OP has thern had to fork out more money to remedy/fix the problem after the sparks failed to remedy/fix the problem.

Then a picture and small claims court application form and a case/judgement against the sparks.

This method works,trust me.;):D

M cebee

paddy147 wrote: »

Shoddy workmanship and failure to propperly install the item safely and correctly.

Thats if the OP has asked the sparks,who went near it in the 1st place,to remedy the problem and fix it back propperly and correctly,and he has failed to do so.And if the OP has thern had to fork out more money to remedy/fix the problem after the sparks failed to remedy/fix the problem.

Then a picture and small claims court application form and a case/judgement against the sparks.

This method works,trust me.;):D

ya right!

cast_iron

paddy147 wrote: »

Shoddy workmanship and failure to propperly install the item safely and correctly.

That's not grounds to bring a small claims case. It certinaly is highly unlikely to be successful.

The only likely court case here is one against you for libel against the electrician in question as you have posted slanderous comments with no foundation.

The installation IS "safe", I'm not sure you could class it as "improper" either. It's unfinished, so currently, it shouldn't be judged in any case.

paddy147

cast_iron wrote: »

That's not grounds to bring a small claims case. It certinaly is highly unlikely to be successful.

The only likely court case here is one against you for libel against the electrician in question as you have posted slanderous comments with no foundation.

The installation IS "safe", I'm not sure you could class it as "improper" either. It's unfinished, so currently, it shouldn't be judged in any case.

Have I mentioned a "specific" name or company???Eh no I havent.

Why dont you read the entire thread 1st.


Sue me then,if you want to.Id love to see you try it.:pac::pac:

Oh,and in my own personal circumstances,I was very successfull when it came to a small claims court.:D

cast_iron

paddy147 wrote: »

Have I mentioned a "specific" name or company???Eh no I havent.

Indeed you haven't. But if his name was posted, then your comments would be potentially slanderous - as they are incorrect.

Oh,and in my own personal circumstances,I was very successfull when it came to a small claims court.:D

Good for you, however tales of your small claims cases do not belong in this thread.

paddy147

cast_iron wrote: »

Indeed you haven't. But if his name was posted, then your comments would be potentially slanderous - as they are incorrect.

Good for you, however tales of your small claims cases do not belong in this thread.

Chop and change to suit.......

Now they are "potentially".


Sue me then.:pac::pac:

cast_iron

paddy147 wrote: »

Chop and change to suit.......

Now they are "potentially".


Sue me then.:pac::pac:

I'd rather not debate like a child over semantics.
You've already ruined the thread with nonsense, so I'm out.

paddy147

cast_iron wrote: »

I'd rather not debate like a child over semantics.
You've already ruined the thread with nonsense, so I'm out.

Bye bye so.

Bruthal

paddy147 wrote: »

Bye bye so.

At least explain why you would sue in this case, based on that photo.

paddymick

I still believe the electrician planned on moving it back at some stage why else would he leave the tails like that,I dont think even the biggest gangster would just leave them that long in a mess like that and walk away saying the job is finished.

Stoner

Lads no legal advice here, that includes telling people how to sue others, its an old forum rule, please follow it. This thread has been reduced to a joke.

Bruthal

lilybarlean wrote: »

Just had our house renovated. The ESB meter was originally on the outside wall of the house just left of the hall door. The electrician then moved it about 4ft to the inside wall when he was re-wiring. It is now sitting on top of the door frame and looks absolutely sh*7te :mad: I mentioned it to the builder and he said that it would cost about €1,000 to move it and that only the ESB could do it . Now this guy would say Mass so just checking if there is any truth in it? If the electrician moved it in the first place then why the hell can't he move it back?

Meters can be moved a few feet at times, if possible with cable slack etc, with cables still connected to them, depending on whats happening to the house. The electrician would then run a 16 sq twin and earth from where the DB will be, to where the meter will finaly be, preferably to an outside meter box.

The ESBn would then move the meter to this location, preferably an outside meter box as said above, once a cert is in for the electrical job that was done.

Was the meter temporarilly moved due to the actual construction work?

Last time i temporarilly moved one, it was because a door was going where it originaly was, during a large extension build, so we moved it a couple of feet, where it remained even for a week after the house was complete. We moved the original DB position too, so a temp twin and earth was running from this meter, through a wall, into the utility room for the new DB. So a photo of this would not have looked like a nice completed job, because it was not completed.

Then ESBn moved it to the new outside meter box which we had wired a mains cable to, from the new DB, during the build.

All this should be planned in advance, and would usually be discussed with the owner at the outset.

The cost of having the meter located to a proper box outside would be the ESBn cost for moving the meter, plus the builder installation cost of the meter box.

meercat

Agree with Robbie here
This is exactly how I would do it
I wouldn't have liked a picture taken before completion either
(off topic,how's the leg Robbie )

Bruthal

meercat wrote: »

(off topic,how's the leg Robbie )

Its a nuisance, but at least its a small cast now since the boxing day op. More x rays next monday.

CuppaCocoa

meercat wrote: »

Agree with Robbie here
This is exactly how I would do it
I wouldn't have liked a picture taken before completion either
(off topic,how's the leg Robbie )

The job is completed. Everyone has left!

Bruthal

lilybarlean wrote: »

The job is completed. Everyone has left!

Well they have left without completing the job so. Paddy will be back to advise:pac:

cast_iron

lilybarlean wrote: »

The job is completed. Everyone has left!

What exactly do you want the end result to be?

It really is up to you, and what you want to pay for.

CuppaCocoa

cast_iron wrote: »

What exactly do you want the end result to be?

It really is up to you, and what you want to pay for.

I want the meter to not look like it was done by Stevie Wonder! Either move it up so that it's in line with the fuse box or moved the few feet back to the wall it came from. I'm paying the ESB €160 to connect the tails and have no intention of paying any more. I just think it's a shocking way to leave a job :mad:.

M cebee

tell the guy whos doing the job then

we cant move it