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jamesBoater

HI...

Would i right in saying that it is important to first check that a property is earthed sufficiently and that readings are within what they should be for T-N-C-S, T-N-S, TT systems.

Upon discovering a house has no main earth route back to star point would it be correct to say that no work should be carried out at the property until the installation has a sufficient earth fault path?

any guidance from a more experienced body would be greatly appreciated.




James
 
you are correct in both those statements.
 
Also an installation protected by an RCD (30MA) but has no main earth fault path to star point. In terms of potential danger how would you rate this?

james :)
 
dangerous. at least with a good earth fault path, the OCPD will trip. the way RCDs are manufactured down to a price these days, i'd not trust one as far as i could throw it.
 
So in the event of an earth fault and say a metal switchplate becoming live it would take me to touch it and become the earth path in order for the RCD to operate?

james :)
 
could be, or it could track down the wall, esp. if damp.
 
Have been doing a 2357 since september 2012 and just wanted to verify some concerns i have witnessed while being at work.

As an apprentice i have many questions , after all i will be out on my own in the not so long future so need to be sure i don,t get things wrong.


james :)
 
You have witnessed a transformer with no earth applied to the neutral point?

Try reading about TT systems and the provision of local earthing systems.
 
It was a house that appeared to be PME however on doing a Ze no earth path was present. whichever electrician had previously undertaken work their had connected the main earth to the Met block on the service head but obviously not done a test to ensure the block was actually linked to the neutral return path.

The DNO have been notified of the problem. so i guess if PME is not an option then a TT spike will get installed.

I have alot to learn so advice from more experienced people always helps.


james :)
 
James,
Did you or whoever you were with consider the danger of leaving the installation as it was or did you do something about it?

Notifying the DNO doesn’t constitute doing something about it.
 
I am only an apprentice so my boss has been notified of the situation so its on his head now i guess.

personally i would have thought it best to install TT straight away while PME may still be a possibility it was not going to happen straight away.
 
James,
Did you or whoever you were with consider the danger of leaving the installation as it was or did you do something about it?

Notifying the DNO doesn’t constitute doing something about it.

I was assuming the property would have been condemned and isolated until an earth rod had been installed!!! Is this not what happened????
 
Your boss if he had any sense would have told you to isolate the installation and lock it off until safe to energise.
 
I thought we have no legal cover to isolate an installation, we can only inform the client that it is unsafe.

I don't know the legalities of it but I would rather get prosecuted for issuing a danger notification, isolating and not killing someone than doing nothing and getting some poor sod electrocuted.
 
I thought we have no legal cover to isolate an installation, we can only inform the client that it is unsafe.

Commonsense and a danger notice would allow you to isolate an installation as your the last one in the property, but if the person who lives there switches it back on your covered. IMO
 
To cover your back even more get your findings and actions on paper, and get the customer to sign it, if he then introduces power back into the building and something happens you have some documentation to say you deemed the property unsafe and did something about it, instead of just leaving it and walking away while it was unsafe.
 

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