Hi there. I found this forum through Googling for an answer to a question I have regarding main protective bonding. I have read so many 'answers' but am not really any closer to an knowing what I should do. Perhaps one of you experts on here can help me out.
I am currently refitting my kitchen. This doesn't involve changing any electrics other than straight replacement of socket outlets and so I didn't envisage any problems in this area. However on taking out the sink units I find that there is no earth bond cable on the incoming water supply. Now from what I have read, the incoming water supply pipe should be connected by a cable from within 600mm of the stopcock to the Main Earth Terminal back at the consumer unit and should be less than a certain resistance, (I can't remember the exact figure I saw mentioned but it was quite low, a fraction of an ohm). In my case the stopcock and the incoming electricity supply are opposite sides of the house. The Gas supply enters the house right next to the electricity supply and there is a earth wire between the MET and the Gas pipe coming off the gas meter so ok there I guess, but to reach the cold water supply the earth wire would have to be of a ridiculous length such that the resistance of it would surely reduce it's effectiveness anyway in the event of a fault, especially by the time it was routed neatly across the house, which would be quite a task in itself. Now perhaps I have totally mis-understood it all and so would be grateful for any advice or clarification anyone could give me.
I might add that I am an electronics engineer by trade and so understand the principles involved in electrics, although having said that, getting my head around the regulations as to what the unqualified homeowner can and cannot do himself I find a nightmare. How do you guys manage to keep up with all the seemingly ever changing regs?
While on the subject of the regs could I be cheeky enough to ask another question in the same post? Could I legally extend the existing 45amp radial cooker connection myself in order to re-position the cooker? I know I'm not allowed to install a whole new cooker circuit but this would just be extending an existing one.
Thanks in advance for any help or advice you might give me.
Donald.
I am currently refitting my kitchen. This doesn't involve changing any electrics other than straight replacement of socket outlets and so I didn't envisage any problems in this area. However on taking out the sink units I find that there is no earth bond cable on the incoming water supply. Now from what I have read, the incoming water supply pipe should be connected by a cable from within 600mm of the stopcock to the Main Earth Terminal back at the consumer unit and should be less than a certain resistance, (I can't remember the exact figure I saw mentioned but it was quite low, a fraction of an ohm). In my case the stopcock and the incoming electricity supply are opposite sides of the house. The Gas supply enters the house right next to the electricity supply and there is a earth wire between the MET and the Gas pipe coming off the gas meter so ok there I guess, but to reach the cold water supply the earth wire would have to be of a ridiculous length such that the resistance of it would surely reduce it's effectiveness anyway in the event of a fault, especially by the time it was routed neatly across the house, which would be quite a task in itself. Now perhaps I have totally mis-understood it all and so would be grateful for any advice or clarification anyone could give me.
I might add that I am an electronics engineer by trade and so understand the principles involved in electrics, although having said that, getting my head around the regulations as to what the unqualified homeowner can and cannot do himself I find a nightmare. How do you guys manage to keep up with all the seemingly ever changing regs?
While on the subject of the regs could I be cheeky enough to ask another question in the same post? Could I legally extend the existing 45amp radial cooker connection myself in order to re-position the cooker? I know I'm not allowed to install a whole new cooker circuit but this would just be extending an existing one.
Thanks in advance for any help or advice you might give me.
Donald.
