40 years overdue for replacement

Electrical equipment from the early 1950s

This is where fuses can be replaced

1950s electrical installation This shows the incoming supply, meter and various fuse boxes in a cupboard. Everything inside is connected to the supply, and there are multiple exposed live parts.

The only recent items are the cutout, meter and wires between them. Everything else has been there for at least 50 years, and in some cases is well over 60 years old.

Meter and Cutout

Henley plastic cutout and Actaris electricity meter These are the only recent items in the whole installation. A standard single phase Henley cutout in black plastic, and an Actaris electricity meter. The black and red wires between them are also recent, as is the earth block and wiring.

The various wires leaving the meter are cloth covered rubber insulated, and are decades overdue for replacement.

Revo cast iron splitter

Revo splitter and bell transformer This is a 2 way fuse box with double pole fusing. The outer casing is cast iron, and it wasn't connected to earth. The slender wires at the bottom are the incoming supply fused at 100A.
This item has it's own page.

The cream coloured box above is a doorbell transformer.

There is also a round junction box and a wooden box containing a buzzer of some kind.

The white cable is a slightly more recent PVC insulated type. All of the other wires are rubber insulated.

Double pole fuses

A rack of ancient and dangerous electrical equipment This array of disasters starts with a ceramic fusebox with fuses in both the line and neutral. The front cover is broken, has fallen off and is on the floor below.

In the centre is a joint box, a bakelite fused switch and a small Wylex switch with bare exposed wires.

The item on the right is a wooden box containing more ceramic fuses.

Ceramic fusebox

Double pole cearmic fusebox from the 1950s This fusebox contains 3 circuits, two fuses for each. One fuse for line and one for neutral. Such an arrangement hasn't been allowed since the mid 1950s.

The metal parts are mostly live, and as the cover is broken there is no way of properly covering them.

It is at that strange angle because it is fixed to the wall with a single screw. It could fall off at any time.

Further details on this item

Switches

Two old and dangerous switches The journey along deathtrap avenue continues with this junction box supplied with rubber insulated wires.

The larger switch contains a fuse, and although the incoming wires are plastic, the outgoing ones at the top are the usual crumbled rubber mess.

The smaller item is a Wylex 30A switch with no fuse. Note the wire at the top right - the outgoing live with no insulation on it. Touch here for instant death.

Wooden fusebox

Ancient wooden MEM fusebox Another 3 circuit fusebox, this time made from wood with ceramic fuses. Fuses in both the line and neutral.

This one has suffered from substantial overheating and fuse failures, and supplied several socket outlets in the property.

 

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