Electrical check meter

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

Sometimes people ask here about electrical check meters. I have just installed one and here it is:

[Davo36]

What is it for Michael?

[Beano]

Sometimes people ask here about electrical check meters. I have just installed one and here it is:

What was the cost of the meter and installation ?

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

What was the cost of the meter and installation ?

The meter cost $103.50 and I also bought 1 meter of 4mm 2C+E TPS cable costing $4.65 to install this. Prices include GST. I expect you will probably pay a bit more then this.

I did the installation myself.

Here is how it is wired. Please do not attempt this unless you are familiar with MEN distribution board wiring and appropriate electrical standards.

[Perry]

A lot niftier than my older ones. I don't have a pic, but they're much bigger, separate items, rather than something that goes on a DIN rail.
Can they be zeroed, Michael? (I see a red button)

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

Can they be zeroed, Michael? (I see a red button)

I have not tried it but I expect it will reset 1 of the 2 readouts.

[Beano]

The meter cost $103.50 and I also bought 1 meter of 4mm 2C+E TPS cable costing $4.65 to install this. Prices include GST. I expect you will probably pay a bit more then this.

I did the installation myself.

Here is how it is wired. Please do not attempt this unless you are familiar with MEN distribution board wiring and appropriate electrical standards.

No i will get a sparky to do it
But it has been costing me about $750 plus gst per meter. ..where did you buy the meter from
I get my sparky to buy there ?

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

No i will get a sparky to do it
But it has been costing me about $750 plus gst per meter. ..where did you buy the meter from
I get my sparky to buy there ?

The meter is DDS-1Y-36L-80A-M at this link: http://www.carrel-electrade.co.nz/metering.htm

They have a 40A model which is only a few bucks cheaper and reads vertically. If you have a 2-wide DIN space available, I'd recommend the 80A model for ease of reading.

I have no idea why it's $750. If you have an old fashioned board this would add extra because they would also have to mount it as well. In my case I have all modern componentry so it was literally a 15 minute job to install.

Keen observers will also note there is no heavy duty circuits running off this board so I simply used 4mm cable on the output connections, which is the same as the board is fed with.

These meters can be obtained through Stewarts or Ideal... Your Sparky doesn't need to be told where to get it because they will already have accounts with these 2. Clearly, they asked for a price which represents a huge margin and you accepted it. I have just told you what they are paying for the parts. Don't get me started on what a racket the electrical industry is. If you are working on your own place and are willing to spend the time to study ECP51 and the relevant electrical regs, you can literally save bucket loads of cash. Oh, and being willing to crawl through tight spaces helps on some tasks.

I sometimes wonder if I should have trained as a Sparky. Their margins are huge.

[JonnyB]

How much was the bill from the electrical inspector to certify the work done?

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

How much was the bill from the electrical inspector to certify the work done?

It was $100 to ROI (Record of Inspection) my solar system. I'm getting him back soon to COC the subsequent work. In context he is a (probably retired) older guy in provincial NZ. I expect you will pay more in a city.

[Perry]

Don't get me started on what a racket the electrical industry is. If you are working on your own place and are willing to spend the time to study ECP51 and the relevant electrical regs, you can literally save bucket loads of cash.

Too true. I did my own house and outbuildings. However, I'd had some informal training from a sparky, over the years, and I did not do the switchboard. The sparky signed the job off, after doing the board.

Sparkies are - like so many other trades - ensnared by rules and regs. One example is strap wires for two-way switching. Sleeving the ends had been OK for decades. Then - suddenly - it wasn't. Special cable was needed for strap wires and special = expensive.