Number 7 on the Beaufort scale

[JoceAndChris]

I think it might have even got to Number 8 at times! So very windy - I hope all your houses are alright?

My lean to, a Perspex roofed structure, has lost a section of Perspex roof. This is extraordinarily worrying as the consumer unit is housed directly under it. Chris is 40 today so we can't do anything about it apart from sliding the wooden rack along to the gap ( the wooden climbing rack was constructed by the previous owner to allow ascent to the gutters)

If the rain drove in, what would happen to the consumer unit?

We can't decide what to do about this roof at all! Any suggestions?

 

[Lime]

If the rain drove in, what would happen to the consumer unit?

From nothing to a major explosion, same as how long is a piece of string.

The wiring needs to be protected by something that will stop rain gaining access to the consumer unit, the DNO head (the main service fuse of the electricity supplier) and anything else electrical.
A simple plastic sheet held in place using drawing pins should suffice.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks Lime. I'll make sure that's done. Xx

 

[Moo]

Chris is 40 today so we can't do anything about it

er - does he suffer from annual attacks of paralysis?

 

[Feltwell]

Water + non-IP rated Consumer Unit = very bad combination!

Lime is quite right, nothing could happen, it could take the supplier's fuse out (which means no power to you until the electricity board came out - and they wouldn't reconnect if there was risk), or it could just simply go bang.

I would personally as a strictly temporary measure wrap and tape the consumer unit in a hole-free strong plastic bag (garden rubbish / rubble sack would be ideal) then put the plastic sheet over the top as suggested, which as Lime said must also cover the supplier's fuse.

Clearly the roof needs fixing urgently. Is there not a better location to have the consumer unit in though?

 

[Ixia]

Force 9 here (and again tonight) and the ferry still went out :shock:

Would echo the advice to get your consumer unit waterproofed temporarily.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Gosh, I don't think I'd go on that ferry if you paid me!
Thanks for all the advice. Feltwell - yes, that consumer unit should be elsewhere. I'd like to get the lean to turned into an ensuite as it's next to the bedrooms and is currently a redundant ( and inauthentic) structure but £££, so that may be in around ten years or so. For now, I think we'll just have to beef it all up.

 

[JoceAndChris]

The previous owner said he found evidence of this kind of thing for that bit, but the Victorians made a brick wall there instead - god knows what kind of roof they had there.

http://www.fineiron.co.uk/balconies_verandas_canopies.html

If we can't afford the ensuite idea, that would also be lovely, but the consumer unit would need to be moved to the kitchen.

 

[robgil]

Proper blowing here , i love storms. I need to go out and fix the landy this evening as well, its parked under some massive and very old trees that big branches fall off all the time. Looking forward to that , i might wear my hard hat.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Very gusty winds here too. Just to make matters worse the new owners of the house next door but one, have got scaffolding up and the builder has been cleaning the front brickwork with a drill, hence we all have red dust everywhere, in our house and outside the house too---- I knew that I should not have told the window cleaners to c;lean the windows last Monday, and that I was wasting my time cleaning the house thoroughlylast wednesday --- work started yesterday. durrrrrr
Added to that, they have cut down 2 enormous Leylandii trees which acted as soundproofing from road noise, now that the wind is a southwesterly we have a horrible traffic roar from the MI, the A6, the A521 and the town bypass----

 

[Flyfisher]

If the rain drove in, what would happen to the consumer unit?

Possibly nothing to complete loss of power, with various scenarios in between - most of which would spoil Chris' birthday celebrations.

Personally, I would spend 5 minutes with some plastic bags and a roll of duct tape and cover up the consumer unit. This will keep the rain our for a few weeks and you'll be able to sort it out more permanently at your leisure.

But, more importantly, you'll be able to stop worrying about it and enjoy your birthday celebrations. Cheers!

 

[robgil]

Proper blowing here , i love storms. I need to go out and fix the landy this evening as well, its parked under some massive and very old trees that big branches fall off all the time. Looking forward to that , i might wear my hard hat.

Well that was lucky ,i heard a big crack and crash and a big branch fell down onto the drive way.

Out of curiosity , my landy is parked there, the trees are growing in a neighbouring field. If one fell on my car would it be the field owners insurers responsibility to repair it? The trees overhang my drive.

 

[Pford75]

No...because you are within your rights to prune the tree (as long as you return cuttings) where it overhangs your land.

if the tree was clearly dead etc and had not been maintained and fell on to your land, then they may have a liability...but in storms like this, it would most likely be considered force majeure and your problem.

 

[robgil]

Bugger , thats not good, what if a branch fell on my head?
I cant prune them without permission . What constitutes a dead tree? The wood was dry and light and didnt look healthy at all but whether or not its dead i dont know.
Edit - if i said to the owner he had to prune them because they were over hanging my drive would he have to? I dont see why i should foot the bill to have someone elses trees pruned to prevent them from killing me.

 

[Me!]

I cant prune them without permission

Actually, I believe you do not need his permission to chop just the bit of an overhanging branch that is over your side of the boundary, as long as they are returned to the owner. http://www.gardenlaw.co.uk/trees.html

 

[robgil]

i would need permission from the council though.

 

[michael]

Consumer unit. Whats that? I thought you were talking about a fridge freezer.

 

[Penners]

My lean to, a Perspex roofed structure, has lost a section of Perspex roof.

Joce, you're clearly going to have to do something at least semi-permanent about roof, given the forecast time before you do a full conversion of the little annexe. We have a lobby that was created many years ago by our predecessors in the house. It's essentially the area between the house and the garage that was just roofed over in corrugated perspex. It's a bit scruffy but very useful.

I have now replaced the corrugated perspex with triple-wall polycarbonate. It's very much stronger and more substantial than the perspex, but is still translucent. You might want to think about doing that. It would probably be cheaper than having the consumer unit moved (but get quotes to be sure).

 

[Penners]

Consumer unit. Whats that?

It's the correct name for your fuseboard:

 

[Moo]

I knew that.
(she says with pride).