What type of earth if any!

[wondadust]

hi can someone tell me what type of earth system i have at the moment it looks as though there is none, there are stranded bare wires that are attached to conduit entering the cu which house the circuit wires and then on to an earth block in the cu but apart from that nothing, even the gas pipe next to the cu has no earth wire attached is this right?
thanks for any help confused!

click on pic for larger image

 

[luminaire]

It looks as though it could be a T-N-S system.

It sounds as though you need to get it looked at and the earthing arrangements put right.

Bboth gas and water pipes should be properly bonded.

 

[davy_owen_88]

By the look of the earth clamp it probably is T-N-S unfortunately it isn't being used. Whether that is because it isn't functional any more or because it was just disconnected by some idiot before you that remains to be seen.

Get a sparky in pronto to install main bonding conductors to the gas and water pipes and to connect up the main earthing terminal.

Check all of your sockets for the twisted earth wire. Bare stranded wires were sometimes used as a form of earth which just went from socket to socket and usually to a water pipe. This will not suffice now and should really be upgraded because during plumbing jobs/adding sockets etc. they get disconnected and become totally useless.

Davy

 

[JohnD]

Can you take a picture of the service head from the other side please?

Those tails look extremely old. Are any of them rubber (not shiny PVC)?

If you write to your electricity supplier (the address on your bills) and ask them to provide a PME Earth, they probably will for £50 or so. Tell them that the service head is very old and the tails from head to meter look perished (if that's true) and they will probably change them f.o.c.

If the tails to your Consumer Unit are also old and perished, it is your responsibility to provide new ones, but your electrician can do that. You cannot safely do it yourself.

Connecting Main and Supplementary Bonding you can do yourself (it is not notifiable and does not have to be done by a qualified electrician) but you need an earthing point to connect to. Buy an earthing Block and some 16mm G&Y and fit it prior to the Supplier doing their work. You could connect it to the old earthing clamp which would be a start.

 

[wondadust]

JohnD / davy
the tails from the main fuse are pvc coated into the meter then they seem to be cloth covered to the cu. So are you saying that i can install a 16mm earth wire to the main clamp on the service block to the gas and water pipe.
Thanks for your help.

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[JohnD]

Yes. Buy yourself an earth block and fix that fairly near the old clamp or beside your CU.

Then you can run your cables to the block without having to touch the old clamp again. You need 16mm from the clamp to the block, and the block to the CU; and 10mm from the block to the gas and water pipes.

Do not tighten the clamp, and disturb it as little as possible. If there is any sign of damage where the clamp meets the cable sheath do not touch it, call your electricity supplier and tell then it looks dangerous.

I have no way of knowing how good that old clamp is, so I recommend you ask the supplier to provide you with a new earthing point. You also need an electrician to change your tails to the CU. I imagine the CU and the rest of the wiring are also very old in and poor condition. Cloth covered cables and rubber have not been used for many years.