My source of electricity

[ytmachx]

That's very interesting service equipment. The drop looks like our tv or telephone. I guess it is some type of SEA cable. I'm guessing, you are aware, what we have here in the U.S. is almost entirely metal service equipment with molded case circuit breakers of the plug on or bolt on type. Overhead drops are aluminum #6, #4,or 2 gauge individual conductors twisted "triplex" for residential services. We also have 3 phase. Mine is 200A 120/240v with a stinger leg.

[deahera]

I did not expect to see these things in NZ, here in Italy we have only one digital counter that receives the current from the outside and which is combined with a switch life-saving, very simple and easy. We use the two-phase current at 220 and usually have a contract with the company  for a power of 3000W (16A). I can not understand why you are not enough 100A for a home.I understand the various fuses, switches and control instruments, but the electrical system is hurt, too in bulk.

[favret94]

@deahera I live in Italy too, and i have to correct you on some points, first, the switch in the meter won' t save your life, don' t dare to trust it, I' ve seen cables melting with the switch in the meter steady on...

Second, we usually have one phase and one neutral in our homes.

But yes, i still cannot understand why in other counrties is needed so much currtent, maybe for heating?

[deahera]

favret94- You right about the phases, I messed up when I wrote. It's true that we have the monophase, then have 3 wires: phase, neutral and ground. With regard to life-saving it's like I said, not worth the case of the old and not standards, I live in a new condominium and in a local we have all counters with their switch (which is not life-saving), then we have a life-saving for the apartment and other one for garage and basement. I assure you that the lifesaving works at my house. Grazie..

[RODALCO2007]

@deahera We use electric cooking 8 kW. electric heaters 4 x 2.4 kW , electric hotwater heating 3 kW. Then all other appliances.

Ok they are not on all the time but significant power is sometimes drawn from the system. Howater is controlled from the POCO via the relay with the blue led.

I have a maximum demand meter as check meter and in winter that goes up easily to 10 to 12 kW over 15 min. period.

[deahera]

RODALCO2007-I imagined that was the problem, do not use at all the gas and you need a higher consumption of electricity. We use gas for heating, for cooking and domestic hot water, just enough 3kW, almost all of what we have, it is obvious that we don't use all together otherwise if there are problems is increased to 3.5Kw, but you can still ask for more. The normal consumption for the washing machine is 2Kw, the oven (for those who likes electric) is about 2.5kw .

[deahera]

RODALCO2007- Certainly the powerful equipment that you have needed a lot of energy and your houses are larger, a typically house that we have is 100sqm and seeking to cure the insulation. My brother in law, into Melbourne, has installed solar panels (I think with a government contribution), that helps a lot. Hope you can resolve your problems. Greetings..

[RODALCO2007]

@deahera The panel in the beginning is the main panel with one digital urility meter.

The second panel is a sub board for the rear part of the house, on which I installed a couple of check meters for certain power circuits like heating and cooking. Our house is 224m². I am aware that Australia subsidizes solar heating. Not in NZ unfortunately.

[zordmaker]

3Phase 80A/Phase here.

three phase in Aus is very common. Even new houses today have 3 phase to the board although quite often only one phase is connected.

When I was in NZ I was amazed at how much 3 phase they had in rural areas, far more than us. Also the size of the pole subs was very small - 25kVa and 50kVa was common, rarely find anything smaller than 100kVa here

[RODALCO2007]

@zordmaker Rural 25 and 50 kVA is very common

In suburbia most TX's are 100 and 200 kVA padmounted units.

[bait28]

lucky. i only have a 100 AMP service. although, the city listened to my request for a bigger power supply. we are getting a 500 AMP main in the next 2 weeks.

[Wahnsinnsr1nd]

at home in germany you would be disconnected

[urbex2007]

@Wahnsinnsr1nd Same here in the UK! My electric supply is from an underground 3phase cable, each house on different phases. The electric meter measures about 4 inches by 3 inches and the consumer unit (fusebox) is next to it. 2x5A for lights up/down stairs, 3x30A ring circuits for sockets, 1x15A cooker, 1x40A electric shower circuit. 1mm cable for lights (240v), 2.5mm sockets, 6mm cooker & shower, various stuff for doorbell transformer, alarm panel, security lights etc. Electric is 13p/KWh here

[RODALCO2007]

@Wahnsinnsr1nd Glad I don't live there

[daewooparts]

@0:17 thats your source of static electricity ?

[favret94]

PS: I' ve wired my lab. panel with early 1920-1950 switches, and trust me, they' re long way better than modern ones XD

[favret94]

Wow, I love that kind of stuff, I hope you' re not going to rewire it!

[7ReyZor]

How old is this work? I'm surprised to see that you still use fuses. I'm also surprised at how..custom those panels are. Panels in the US are all standardised, at least for residential/commercial.

An electrician here would probably have his license taken away if he made up a panel like that. The NEC and inspectors are extremely strict.

But hey, if it works well and nobody sees it, it's all good.

[RODALCO2007]

@7ReyZor Most older houses from before 1980 will have these type of panels.

[NightWolfx03]

That's a really interesting way for everything to be setup o.o!

[computerjlt]

So much different than here (usa).  I thought our 240V 200A residential service was small lol

[RODALCO2007]

@More350Power 11 kV in 240 / 415 V out

[mrmatt2525able]

nice one, are you allowed to rewire your house without having it inspected ?

[HDXFH]

Nice Cat!, our service is well over 100 Ampere, (to supply the 3 Phase Plant on our farm)

[BoomBoxDeluxe]

Hiya, What is the capacity of your house service? Here in the UK, modern installs ( I'd say in the last 30 yrs ) can be between 60-100A. Fuse sizes would be 60A, 80A or 100A, like the one seen in my "house service fuse" videos. Later fuses are made to BS 1361, but I do have an older one made to BS 88, and it's made by Brush. :-) You know, those people who also made the substation transformers. :-D

{^_^} BoomBoxDeluxe {^_^}

[RODALCO2007]

@BoomBoxDeluxe Same as in the UK 63, or 80 Amps is very common in NZ

[CableWrestler]

@BoomBoxDeluxe

The 60898's have completely different internals to the 3871's. you can't get better than 60898's at the moment apart from 61009 which is an RCBO but you'll be very hard pressed to find them to fit that board (if they even make them)!

[yun342]

Wow ceramic fuses. Have not seen them in a longtime

[towrecker]

wow is all I can say compared to what we have here in the U.S.A. that actually looks a bit scary , night and day differences...but you know that , you have been here lol

[ChumpusRex]

The electricity company don't have very good taste in meters.

Also, I'm surprised at the lack of power enclosures for the breakers/fuses. They're just stuck onto cutouts on what looks like a fibreboard panel.

[CableWrestler]

Those push button retrofit 3871's come out of calibration after about ten trips.

[BoomBoxDeluxe]

@CableWrestler Do they really? :-D I have a few of those made by Wylex. They're still made, but with a more modern look. They have a switch on them instead of the push-button, and are made to BS EN 60898 instead of the oler BS 3871. :-)

-BoomBoxDeluxe.

[MrGerbilBrain]

here, we got above ground transmission(13kv), transformers are mounted on tele-poles (usually power 3-5 houses, either 25 or 50 kva), and we got a 200A hookup, of L1(120v)-neutral-L2(120v); appliances that need 240v are hooked up from L1-L2. we got a smart meter (rolls-eyes) outside, and a circuit-breaker panel inside, in our basement.

[MrGerbilBrain]

@MrGerbilBrain also, rarely a 25kva transformer powers 15+ houses, and they usually have the red overload light on.

[Jaytheozzi]

in aus you cant have any exposed wires in your meter box, everything has to be run behind chipboard (bit foolish seeing as its not at all flame retardant, you would think Bakelite or even pvc would be better). interesting to see the difference

[zordmaker]

Those fuses like like the NZ equivalent of our old GF (Gordon Field) fuses circa '50s. Gawd the were awful things to work with, absolute crap. Must have replaced thousands over the '80s and '90s.

Gosh Rodalco - Single Phase! How can you live in such a place? Ooh the thought of it makes me squirm

[flamesecureUK]

i'm glad all our wiring is underground :)

our houses were built in the twenties too!

[RODALCO2007]

@flamesecureUK It doesn't bother me. as long I can draw power in the amounts I want I am happy.

[BoomBoxDeluxe]

@flamesecureUK Hiya. I highly doubt that the service cable you currently have is original, seeing as you have Dual Tariff electricity. That service cable was probably put in some decades after the house was built ( definitely after WW2 ) when Economy 7 started to become popular. Maybe very late 60s, early 70s perhaps.

I think from 1975 onwards, houses were installed with the more modern PME / TN-C-S earthing setup. Yours is the older TN-S, with the earth clamp around the service cable.

-BBD.

[flamesecureUK]

@BoomBoxDeluxe sorry, i was talking about my mums house who is just on single tarrif (but yes,i doubt the cabling is original too) PM me your email address and i'll send you some pictures of my mums meter.

[BarneySaysHi]

What a difference with Holland! Creepy.

[RODALCO2007]

@BarneySaysHi Lots of overhead stuff here, but underground wiring too in the newer suburbs.

[BarneySaysHi]

@RODALCO2007 Yeah but also the meterbox. In Holland, as you probably remember, you can't see the wires and everything is boxed in.

[RODALCO2007]

@BarneySaysHi Yep I know the Hazemeyer panels very well.

[iToasterman]

Make it explode into flames... :3

[BurtBartlow]

That cat looks to be rated at least 5MW/

[RODALCO2007]

@BurtBartlow LOL !!

She is the boss as you can see on her shredded ear