Home Charger

[chowbenter]

This is turning into a right saga! The DNO were coming Thursday & Friday to do the upgrade work to our shared loop electricity supply but I've just had a phone call from the people in the end house of this shared loop & he's just got his C-19 test results back & yes they're positive.

I rang the DNO people to let them know the situation & since they need access inside his house too they've cancelled the upgrade job until the 14 day isolation period is over or he provides a negative C-19 test.
The joys of antiquated shared loop electricity supplies

 

[Graham King]

Just a bit of context then to this:

My WiFi doesn’t reach my garage so was looking at getting and Ohme (comes with a sim) or a Wallbox (uses my phones Bluetooth) so that o can set a timer for charging. This would likely be at night, so after I would have used most of the appliances we have (the dishwasher maybe running, possibly the tumble dryer).

Might be cheaper to extend your wifi coverage?

 

[macd2401]

I've been a similar situation for the last few months.

Asked for a smart meter install, and once Octopus got their procedures sorted for covid, sent the engineer out to do gas and leccy. And thats where it all went wrong.

First visit cancelled when the engineer took ill. 2nd visit, couldn't touch the supply, because it's a fused Neutral. Gets on the phone to his boss, they'll have to raise a fault with the DNO.

DNO comes out many weeks later, checks the fuses... and he can't touch it, because my supply is tied to my neighbour's, and they'll have to make another call.

All of that was maybe September till the start of December. Then yesterday, another engineer comes out with a map...they're putting in for a permit to dig up the street so they can put in a fresh supply, which might take a few months to come through ?‍?‍?‍

Worst of it is, the council did a partial rewire about 10 years ago, before I bought the house, and not one of the buggers that worked on it noticed the problem. Having said that, they also left the Earth unconnected, and put in a gas pipe without soldering any of the joints, so...

 

[chowbenter]

I've been a similar situation for the last few months.

Asked for a smart meter install, and once Octopus got their procedures sorted for covid, sent the engineer out to do gas and leccy. And thats where it all went wrong.

First visit cancelled when the engineer took ill. 2nd visit, couldn't touch the supply, because it's a fused Neutral. Gets on the phone to his boss, they'll have to raise a fault with the DNO.

DNO comes out many weeks later, checks the fuses... and he can't touch it, because my supply is tied to my neighbour's, and they'll have to make another call.

All of that was maybe September till the start of December. Then yesterday, another engineer comes out with a map...they're putting in for a permit to dig up the street so they can put in a fresh supply, which might take a few months to come through ?‍?‍?‍

Worst of it is, the council did a partial rewire about 10 years ago, before I bought the house, and not one of the buggers that worked on it noticed the problem. Having said that, they also left the Earth unconnected, and put in a gas pipe without soldering any of the joints, so...

Blimey! that gas pipe situation not being soldered is very dangerous. This shared loop electricity is becoming a big problem & there are lots of this type of old housing stock here too. The OLEV people wouldn't touch our house electrical supply with a barge pole, I thought I was going through a hard time trying to get this sorted out but to be fair the DNO people have been good. I've been on with this since the 2nd November last year & it's been a continual one step forwards two steps backwards kind of thing since then.

 

[chowbenter]

Probably just as well the upgrade work was cancelled for tomorrow & Friday as my driveway, garage & gardens are flooded under 4" of water courtesy of storm Christoph
The only bit of good news is I've been given my collection date & I'm picking up the MG ZS EV on the 29th January.

 

[chowbenter]

This is turning into a right saga! The DNO were coming Thursday & Friday to do the upgrade work to our shared loop electricity supply but I've just had a phone call from the people in the end house of this shared loop & he's just got his C-19 test results back & yes they're positive.

I rang the DNO people to let them know the situation & since they need access inside his house too they've cancelled the upgrade job until the 14 day isolation period is over or he provides a negative C-19 test.
The joys of antiquated shared loop electricity supplies

The DNO have just rang to give us a date to upgrade our shared loop electric supply 23rd & 24th February.
He said they're doing lots of these upgrades around here & cant get enough teams together to cope with the workload at present

 

[chowbenter]

Well the electricity guys arrived first thing this morning to upgrade our shared loop electricity supply & are at present digging my lawn up

 

[macd2401]

Mine is scheduled for the end of April. Apparently they have to wait for a permit from the council to shut the road so they can dig it all up to put in a new cable...

I'm not going to be popular with the neighbours...

 

[chowbenter]

Mine is scheduled for the end of April. Apparently they have to wait for a permit from the council to shut the road so they can dig it all up to put in a new cable...

I'm not going to be popular with the neighbours...

Oh heck! The jobs come to a stop here as they've dug down 5 feet & still no sign of the electricity cable They're in the right spot as the cable finder is bleeping like crazy, He said it's still a ways down there yet so they've ordered a mini digger with bucket so they're waiting for that to arrive......Me poor lawn

 

[chowbenter]

That was quick.

 

[chowbenter]

Dug down to it at last. Apparently their mini digger was in the next street doing the same upgrade job there.

 

[mystreet]

Dug down to it at last. Apparently their mini digger was in the next street doing the same upgrade job there.

Their not on the same loop as you as well ?.
Should be long now, cut the cable, tape in a new bit, fill in the hole, find somewhere to dump what they can't get back in the hole. Job done!

 

[Cocijo]

you missed - make sure to stand in bare feet in the water and cut the wire with a hacksaw

 

[chowbenter]

you missed - make sure to stand in bare feet in the water and cut the wire with a hacksaw

It doesn't look like a safe working environment at all It's been raining since they left just after lunch time and the hole is now filled with water, I think they're going to need a pump when they arrive tomorrow morning. I'm just glad it's this time of year & the lawn has time to recover before Spring/Summer.

 

[macd2401]

You thought you were getting your supply sorted, but they're actually building you a very small pool...

 

[chowbenter]

All sorted well nearly! Spliced into main supply & electriccity back on & 100A fuse fitted It's been raining all morning here & they had to pump the hole out as it was full to the brim At least they rigged a pipeline out to the service road out back to pump the muddy water.

They have to refill the hole yet......which is filling up with water again

 

[chowbenter]

I've ordered one of these portable EVSE chargers from Aliexpress with adjustable charging options from 10a,16a,20a,24a,32a I will be telling you the good, the bad or even the ugly about it when it arrives on a slow boat from China. In the mean time It will give me time to finish digging the trench & getting the electrician to connect the cables/consumer unit up ready 212.99US $ 29% OFF|Electric Vehicle EV Charger Type 2 32 Amp Portable EVSE, CEE Plug 220V 240V Car Charging Cable, IEC 62196 2|Chargers & Service Equipment| - AliExpress

 

[Spinynorman]

Slightly OT but has anyone paid to have their indoor supply meter moved to an outside wall location? I have a meter that’s in a cupboard about a meter from where I’d like it but my supplier (Octopus) say they can’t do it and that I’d have to get the power Co. to do it at a cost of thousands, from what I can see. Just asking to get an idea of costs - in East London BTW. Want it outside as it’ll make charger install a bit easier, so holding off until I can get this done.

 

[chowbenter]

Slightly OT but has anyone paid to have their indoor supply meter moved to an outside wall location? I have a meter that’s in a cupboard about a meter from where I’d like it but my supplier (Octopus) say they can’t do it and that I’d have to get the power Co. to do it at a cost of thousands, from what I can see. Just asking to get an idea of costs - in East London BTW. Want it outside as it’ll make charger install a bit easier, so holding off until I can get this done.

Our electricity supply/fusebox/meter cupboard in this old house enters the house 10 feet up in the kitchen, I enquired around 1985 to move it to floor level & the DNO quoted us £800 to £900 back then

I've just got a separate 100 amp fuse supply now instead of a 60amp shared loop supply done by the DNO & I asked him the same question, £1500+ ballpark figure It will be staying where it is then ?

 

[Spinynorman]

Our electricity supply/fusebox/meter cupboard in this old house enters the house 10 feet up in the kitchen, I enquired around 1985 to move it to floor level & the DNO quoted us £800 to £900 back then

I've just got a separate 100 amp fuse supply now instead of a 60amp shared loop supply done by the DNO & I asked him the same question, £1500+ ballpark figure It will be staying where it is then ?

Thanks for that. I have a 100Amp fuse and about a meter of cable about an inch in diameter leading to it. I think it would be a relatively easy job to cut it away from the entry point into the cupboard and route it outside. It’s just that I live in a 1930’s terraced house with 1930’s idea of what pebbledash was - real flint and pebbles embedded in super-strong concrete!! I know that the placement of the outside meter box will be a real nuisance, as my late brother and I spent the best part of a day digging out the outer run of pebbledash and bricks to fit the gas meter box. It’s the complication of having the power co. move the cable (or should that be company head), then employing an electrician to move the actual meter and re cable it to the fuse box. What a performance. Just puts you off IYKWIM...