Another day, another visit by the electrician...

[cavac]

There are many things that are cool about retro-electrics. But when your heating crops out again, because some bloke took the wrong kinds of drugs in the early 1960s while putting your fusebox together...



What are your war stories when it comes to ancient electric installations?

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[DenzilPenberthy]

When I see old stuff like this I wonder if a cheap consumer unit that comes with 12 breakers and two RCDs for £60 that's being installed today will still be working in sixty years' time?  100% no I think is the answer

Can't beat a bit of porcelain, copper, bakelite and asbestos

[cavac]

When I see old stuff like this I wonder if a cheap consumer unit that comes with 12 breakers and two RCDs for £60 that's being installed today will still be working in sixty years' time?  100% no I think is the answer

Can't beat a bit of porcelain, copper, bakelite and asbestos

Oh, this gets better and better by the minute.

First thing to understand is, that this house was split into two apartments in the 1980s. Both have a 24-hour supply and a night supply circuit.

Just realized that a few days ago another electrician swapped one of those night storage heaters at my neighbors apartment to a modern single phase IR heater.

Since there was only one three phase cable for that room and the next, the electrician just cut two phases, switched the remaing one to the 24 hour supply and left.

Now my neighbor has one unheated room.

And since the ONE fusebox for the whole house is in my apartment, i'll have to spend another day at home next week, watching yet another guy untangle that unholy mess.

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[station240]

When I see old stuff like this I wonder if a cheap consumer unit that comes with 12 breakers and two RCDs for £60 that's being installed today will still be working in sixty years' time?  100% no I think is the answer

Darn right, virtually every breaker in this 10 year old house has been replaced, the RCD lasted 30 days.
Seems even some of the good brand breakers aren't rated for use in outdoor switchboard cabinets.

[cavac]

Darn right, virtually every breaker in this 10 year old house has been replaced, the RCD lasted 30 days.
Seems even some of the good brand breakers aren't rated for use in outdoor switchboard cabinets.

I think modern breakers, when in doubt, rather take themselfs out then letting spikes through.

The old fuses are rather lazy in comparison. Depending on age and manufacturing tolerances and ambient temparatures, they can take anywhere from a tenth of a second to a few seconds to blow.

And there is always the light risk of electrocution in this screw-in type fuses. The ceramic insulation is prone to shattering and spalling over time. Not to mention that the fuses themselves can get scalding hot in some circumstances (for example, if you pull 17 amps over a 16 amp fuse, it may hold up for 15, 20 minutes with a red hot glowing wire inside before burning through). Had that happen to me before.