ESB fitting an isolator

kneelo77

Hi,

While we were getting a car charger installed 1yr ago, the electrician brought our attention to the fact that the DB in garden shed supply was fed off the main incoming tails (split on the supply side of the DB MCB), leaving no way for the armoured cable (from the house to the shed) or supply into the shed DB to be isolated without pulling the main incomig fuse.

He suggested at the time that I get onto ESB Networks to organise for them to put an isolator in between the meter and the house/shed supply.

I only just got around to it and phoned them up, and apart from the charge (which I don't mind) they said, before they can install the isolator, they need an electrician to provide a cert to say the house wiring is in order. Can any one explain this to me? What's involved (time/effort) in certifying this?

I don't see how/why it would make a difference to ESBN when they don't actually need to do any work on the customer side other than splitting the tails at the customer side of the meter.

She said it's standard practice, who am I to argue, I was just curious about the rationale?

Thanks!!

kirk.

If you're saying that the shed is wired before the main DB in the house then that's a REC problem I assume

Put up some pictures of the cabinet and main board in house and shed board

kirk.

ESBN fitting an isolator is only for hooking up tails and for a REC to switch off

It's not designed for isolation of the installation

kneelo77

Thanks for the replies.

Note this is all pre-exists us buying the house in 2009. I need to get the shed re-roofed and have no (safe) way to isolate the power going into the board. I'm not sure what you mean by it being a "REC problem", but I've no idea who did it like this. But surely if we had an isolator installed, it would isolate the entire installation?

This is the house DB. There's an armoured cable going to the shed and you can see that they've taken the live from the supply side of the MCB.

This is the shed side, such lovey craftsmanship.

kirk.

They've wired the shed from the "outgoing" side of house main switchfuse not supply side

The SWA supply needs to be reconfigured so you can isolate it .That's if a REC is prepared to do it

It's not really an ESBN issue on its own unless a REC needs to do more work besides

kneelo77

Sorry, maybe I'm showing the wrong end, this is the underneath also showing a split (I'm not sure whether the supply comes in the top or the bottom of the switchfuse)

OK - so instead of ESBN putting in a supply isolator, we can put the SWA on its own isolator, but that still means working on the live side in order to disconnect it to begin with. If a REC would do it?

kirk.

Different story

That's a bad job and hazardous if shed is wired in with supply

Wouldn't bother me sorting that out live but you'll have to get a REC out and see what they say as regards cert.

Put up a pic of metering anyhow

kneelo77

What would have been the "right/safe way"? Bring supply into a connector block and branch from there into the DB for the house and into an isolator for the SWA?

I guess if I don't need the ESBN supply isolator and instead just fit an isolator on the SWA, then I don't need the REC cert at all.

kirk.

Supply into Main Board(for main isolation and main overcurrent protection).

Shed wired from board

No idea why he wired it on supply side

Probably thought he was doing it right because there was 2 boards or something

monseiur

I'm not an electrician but if the SWA shed cable was wired thru the house fuse board with it's own RCBO or RCD type breaker of suitable amps would that work and it would be possible to isolate the power supply to shed by tripping the breaker ....or am I missing something ?

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120448633#Comment_120448633

Ah not really that's only creating more issues wiring swas with RCDS

Maybe a type c breaker or fuse I'm not well up on discrimination

Op has no main switch or main fuse currently