MCB thingymajig

[Guest]

1 minute ago, WotEver said:

That’s because the rewireables had been rewired with fag papers, assorted bits of wire, or wire nails

I found a hair grip once, with the varnish scraped off. 

 So true! Paper clips were often used. Then there were people who used genuine fuse wire, but "it kept meltin' so I put a bigger one in!"  We called such fuses "clog irons." 
When on meter inspections, we found some amazing tricks for fiddling meters too! 

[BruceinSanity]

1 minute ago, catweasel said:

 So true! Paper clips were often used. Then there were people who used genuine fuse wire, but "it kept meltin' so I put a bigger one in!"  We called such fuses "clog irons." 
When on meter inspections, we found some amazing tricks for fiddling meters too! 

There was that Yank hunter who earned a Darwin Award by replacing the blown cartridge fuse under his dash with a live round.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, BruceinSanity said:

There was that Yank hunter who earned a Darwin Award by replacing the blown cartridge fuse under his dash with a live round.

Love it!  

[ditchcrawler]

16 minutes ago, catweasel said:

  we found some amazing tricks for fiddling meters too! 

I only found out by accident that if you took the board off the wall and laid it on its back some would just stop

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

I only found out by accident that if you took the board off the wall and laid it on its back some would just stop

The old style meters were easily upset! We had a rogue's gallery at the leccy board and some methods were very clever, though I was gobsmacked the first time I saw a "black box" reverse the meter!

[WotEver]

2 hours ago, catweasel said:

The old style meters were easily upset! We had a rogue's gallery at the leccy board and some methods were very clever, though I was gobsmacked the first time I saw a "black box" reverse the meter!

I knew a chap who had the simplest ever method. During the week when he was at work and the meter reader might call everything was normal. On a Friday night he’d flip off the link to stop the meter turning - it was the weekend and no meter reader would call. On a Sunday night he’d flip it back. It worked for several months until a reader noticed that the seal was missing and had a new one fitted. 

[ditchcrawler]

2 hours ago, catweasel said:

The old style meters were easily upset! We had a rogue's gallery at the leccy board and some methods were very clever, though I was gobsmacked the first time I saw a "black box" reverse the meter!

This came to light when building work was going on and rather than leave the meter screwed on the outside of an outside wall it was laid down and a cover built over it, it remained like that for several months. The owner came to an agreement with the leccy company to pay an estimated amount for the intervening months

[mrsmelly]

9 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

This came to light when building work was going on and rather than leave the meter screwed on the outside of an outside wall it was laid down and a cover built over it, it remained like that for several months. The owner came to an agreement with the leccy company to pay an estimated amount for the intervening months

Gas meters used to be fiddled just as often. When I was a bobby in Castleford there were 8 working pits. ANYTHING known to man used to be produced there and sold in local pubs to mates. The inlet and outlet of gas meters had different sized pipes so they simply couldn't be reversed. A piece of bypass kit was knocked up at the pit and after isolating the gas they could be fitted in minutes and the gas used as normal. People only used to get caught doing this who were too thick to have it removed when the meter man came or thick enough to leave it on too long to give a ridiculously low bill. Gas and lectric was often nicked in those days.

[davem399]

Years ago, I worked with an electrician who had been employed by his local electricity board.  He was sent on a course on fraud and how the punters nicked electricity.  6 weeks later he was made redundant and put his newfound knowledge into practice!

[mrsmelly]

Fixed. New thingy fitted came through the post including VAT and delivery £12.99 so how much discount from Edmundsons £45.04 or the same item would I have needed and fetch it yerself.........kinell we all know things fluctuate in price but flippin eck.

[peterboat]

2 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Fixed. New thingy fitted came through the post including VAT and delivery £12.99 so how much discount from Edmundsons £45.04 or the same item would I have needed and fetch it yerself.........kinell we all know things fluctuate in price but flippin eck.

Biggest electrical wholesaler in the world every branch a profit center they might have paid 3-4 squids for it and sell it for as much as they can!!!!

[MtB]

On 16/01/2018 at 17:20, peterboat said:

Biggest electrical wholesaler in the world every branch a profit center they might have paid 3-4 squids for it and sell it for as much as they can!!!!

 

Yes. I sure as hell hope mrsmelly doesn't try to sell stuff in his cafe at more than 1% more than he paid for it!!!!

[MtB]

I wonder how much a spoonful of coffee costs to buy, and what it sells for in the cafe with a bit of hot water added