12-02-2015, 12:47 PM
I was similarly impressed when they came out to replace the "head" (what do they call it - the thing with their fuse at the end of their cable?). They took away the lovely cast-iron lump with a 30 amp fuse (just a bit of wire) and replaced it with a modern plastic box with a 100A fuse. When I asked if such a large leap was OK, they said that my incoming cable was good for double that! It was impressively thick, and it's not a long run back to the sub-station.
Before changing the end, they isolated it by digging up the cable in the front garden and carefully peeling back the layers. Overall, the cable is between 1 and 2 inches in diameter, and beneath the multiple protective outer layers (mostly of something that looked like cloth soaked in bitumen) as a spiral of what looked like steel - quite thick - that carried the earth. There was paper under that, IIRC. Inside that was a very chunky twisted pair carrying L and N. The N-E connection is back at the sub-station, which makes my supply a nice TN-S type.
I've no idea how old this cable was, but the house is Victorian. They said it could easily be 1930s...
Once the head was changed over, they used one of those resin-based splicing kits. Again, very impressive - and massive. Proper engineering
Fortunately, the weather was good, and no umbrellas were needed!
Before changing the end, they isolated it by digging up the cable in the front garden and carefully peeling back the layers. Overall, the cable is between 1 and 2 inches in diameter, and beneath the multiple protective outer layers (mostly of something that looked like cloth soaked in bitumen) as a spiral of what looked like steel - quite thick - that carried the earth. There was paper under that, IIRC. Inside that was a very chunky twisted pair carrying L and N. The N-E connection is back at the sub-station, which makes my supply a nice TN-S type.
I've no idea how old this cable was, but the house is Victorian. They said it could easily be 1930s...
Once the head was changed over, they used one of those resin-based splicing kits. Again, very impressive - and massive. Proper engineering
Fortunately, the weather was good, and no umbrellas were needed!
