My HyperVolt Installation (lots of pics)

[ArfurM]

I went for hypervolt too and a new consumer unit about 6 weeks after getting my 5 EV, so I had plenty of time to experience using fast and rapid charging stations, it does take a bit of getting used to but afte several bad experience with Osprey and Tesco Podpoint (rapid), I quickly discovered that Instavolt are easily the most reliable and worth the 40p per kw/h charge, they are just so easy to use.

But hopefully now with my hypervolt at home I will very rarely have to use any rapid charging. I have moved to octopus and will be joining octopus Go Tarriff at the end of the month when I get a smart meter installed so happy days.

The hypervolt is state of the art and will auto update over the wifi too

I'm very pleased with my HyperVolt, altho' it's the only one I've ever had, so.... Ditto InstaVolt, they "Just work"... No app, no soddin' about; they seem to be one of the few that actually looked at how a self-service petrol pump works and said, "Yeah, that makes sense 'Pull-up - Pre-pay - Pump'.. & Oh, maybe that's how people will expect it to work.. Let's do that!.."

 

[Hairyfool]

I alway drill at a slight downward angle from inside to out (or up if from the outside) if running anything through an outside wall. If possible I will also include a drip loop but the slope stops any moisture.

In my case the house DP is on the opposite corner of the garage from the incomer and meter which is where I wanted the WallBox mounted. This made it a “non standard” install due to the cable length and run. The cost hike made putting an extra DP in the corner using a Henley block to split the meter tails cheaper. That DP runs the charger, 16A commando for the motorhome, external 13A socket with EL trip and driveway lights.

Then got the DNO to replace the incomer fuse block as the value of the original Bakelite fuse was unreadable so I could not confirm it was the required 100A. They also provided an incomer earth so I could ditch the earth rods, one was under a 40 year old garage base so hadn’t been inspected in that time.

 

[kevkdg]

I alway drill at a slight downward angle from inside to out (or up if from the outside) if running anything through an outside wall. If possible I will also include a drip loop but the slope stops any moisture.

In my case the house DP is on the opposite corner of the garage from the incomer and meter which is where I wanted the WallBox mounted. This made it a “non standard” install due to the cable length and run. The cost hike made putting an extra DP in the corner using a Henley block to split the meter tails cheaper. That DP runs the charger, 16A commando for the motorhome, external 13A socket with EL trip and driveway lights.

Then got the DNO to replace the incomer fuse block as the value of the original Bakelite fuse was unreadable so I could not confirm it was the required 100A. They also provided an incomer earth so I could ditch the earth rods, one was under a 40 year old garage base so hadn’t been inspected in that time.

Did they replace the bakelite cut out or just the fuse? Did you get 80amp fuse in the end?

 

[Hairyfool]

No the entire termination block was replaced with a grey styrene block including neutral isolator and a 100A fuse fitted.

 

[Lovemyev]

Did they replace the bakelite cut out or just the fuse? Did you get 80amp fuse in the end?

After speaking to some DNO guy's who was carrying out an main cut out fuse upgrading a few doors away.
The guy told me that they can in many cases, just upgrade a 60 Amp fuse to a 80 Amp fuse, simply by replacing the fuse because it uses the same head unit / carrier.
However, when upgrading to a 100 Amp cut out fuse, is head unit itself is larger to carry the larger size fuse, therefore the complete head & fuse carrier has to be replaced.
For this reason some DNO's will charge for this extra work, while others do it FOC regardless.

 

[Hairyfool]

My primary reason for the work is I couldn't even read the value to see if it met the requirements of having an EV charge point.

Even when they took it out the label was unreadable. This is the fuse block they fitted as well as installing the TN-S earth Point for me to connect to once the rods have been disconnected.

 

[Alb]

After speaking to some DNO guy's who was carrying out an main cut out fuse upgrading a few doors away.
The guy told me that they can in many cases, just upgrade a 60 Amp fuse to a 80 Amp fuse, simply by replacing the fuse because it uses the same head unit / carrier.
However, when upgrading to a 100 Amp cut out fuse, is head unit itself is larger to carry the larger size fuse, therefore the complete head & fuse carrier has to be replaced.
For this reason some DNO's will charge for this extra work, while others do it FOC regardless.

That was my experience.
When I spoke to my DNO (Western Power Distribution) they said upgrade from 60A to 80A was free of charge but 100A was likely to incur a cost. In the event I already had a 100A Carrier and fuse fitted.

 

[Kithmo]

That was my experience.
When I spoke to my DNO (Western Power Distribution) they said upgrade from 60A to 80A was free of charge but 100A was likely to incur a cost. In the event I already had a 100A Carrier and fuse fitted.

That's what Northern Power said to me when I had mine upgraded, but they had to dig up the drive anyway to isolate the supply, because there is no isolator switch on mine and so they fitted a 100A anyway FOC.

 

[Lguk]

UK Power Networks are doing 100a upgrades for free.

Mines been a right merry-go-round. We have overhead low voltage lines that run across the back gardens, which makes them difficult for UKPN to access, the pole serving my house has so much ivy on it looks like a tree. They said I needed new tails consumer unit to meter, new tails meter to fuse. I had consumer unit tails completed by a local electrician, octopus came to do the meter tails to discover they were rounded off in the fuse holder (UKPN Should have checked this on their first visit imo), UKPN came back, changed the fuse holder live, Octopus back for a 2nd visit changed tails, now UKPN tell me they have to check tails on the top of the pole that looks like a tree so have to wait at least 6 weeks of the ivy to die!

 

[Alb]

Did they chop the Ivy off at the base then?

 

[biffo]

I've got three fuses labelled 100A (only one connected) but once opened up, turns out it's really an 80A. Since the Hypervolt has a clamp to limit current, and I'm about to replace electric shower with a mixer one anyway, I don't think an 80A will be an issue.

 

[Lguk]

They are yet to gain access to the private garden where it is located, the property is owned by a guy that comes home every other weekend.. Thankfully I have an 80amp fuse which is more than sufficient especially as I'm not an idiot and wont be charging whilst cooking a roast and using the electric shower. Whilst I didn't 'need' the upgrade, whilst it's currently FoC it seemed smart to request it, at some point in the future I may want/need a 2nd EV charge point installed.

 

[Alb]

I've got three fuses labelled 100A (only one connected) but once opened up, turns out it's really an 80A. Since the Hypervolt has a clamp to limit current, and I'm about to replace electric shower with a mixer one anyway, I don't think an 80A will be an issue.

It's common to find the fuse carrier labelled 100A but that doesn't necessarily mean a 100A fuse is fitted. There may also be a label saying "100A fuse fitted" and that makes it more likely that is the case but it is still no guarantee.
The only way to achieve certainty is getting the DNO to open it up and perform the Mk1 Eyeball test.

 

[biffo]

It's common to find the fuse carrier labelled 100A but that doesn't necessarily mean a 100A fuse is fitted. There may also be a label saying "100A fuse fitted" and that makes it more likely that is the case but it is still no guarantee.
The only way to achieve certainty is getting the DNO to open it up and perform the Mk1 Eyeball test.

The electrician who installed my Hypervolt opened mine up and checked - they seemed comfortable doing it and then reported an issue to the DNO relating to the earth, so didn't appear to hide their actions. But they said the same, the label on the outside doesn't mean anything really

 

[Lovemyev]

The electrician who installed my Hypervolt opened mine up and checked - they seemed comfortable doing it and then reported an issue to the DNO relating to the earth, so didn't appear to hide their actions. But they said the same, the label on the outside doesn't mean anything really

I have a 60 Amp main disconnect DNO fuse fitted to my property.
We also have a 100 amp double pole switch isolator switch fitted, in-line with the meter tails.
When my energy company came to install a new SMES 2 Smart meter, it was interesting to see the guy, first he isolated the power with the 100 Amp isolation switch ( rendering everything above the switch as dead ) but then went about pulling the main fuse disconnect ?.
Safety first I guess ?.
He then spit the case of the main fuse to check what was installed.
It was marked as 60 amp's and it was indeed a 60 Amp inside.
When I asked him he was going to upgrade the rating, he said only the DNO can carry out that upgrade.
Fair enough, so we are still running on the original 60 Amp fuse.
Although the fuse is rated at 60 Amp I do feel that the actual "Fail" rating of the fuse is a little higher than the 60 Amps stated to be honest.
I have been charging regularly from my wall box for the last 6 years plus now without any issues.
I charge overnight on the cheaper "Off - Peak" rate to limited the demand on the system.
My cheaper rate is also all weekend, so is I do need to charge in the day light hours, you just have to be mindful of what other items that are running at the same time as charging.
It's just common sense really.

 

[Hairyfool]

My DNO is also UK Power Networks and no issues about payment.

As they were due out (but delayed by Covid) I fitted the second DP and replaced the meter tails ready for the fuse block upgrade

 

[Alb]

There's a useful guidance document I came across online:

https://www.energynetworks.org/industry-hub/resource-library/low-carbon-technologies-cut-out-rating-guidance-to-electric-vehicle-or-heat-pump-installers.pdf

 

[Alb]

Although the fuse is rated at 60 Amp I do feel that the actual "Fail" rating of the fuse is a little higher than the 60 Amps stated to be honest.

You can see what it will do on the BS1361 Curve: