Earth Bonding! Electrician says not all house needs doing!!

[acurachris]

Hi

I just have a couple of questions. I am having a new comsumer unit fitted and a feed to a detached garage installed on Thursday. A NICEIC qualified electrician is doing it; shouldn't really have a reason to question!!

He said the earth only needs to be bonded to the gas meter and mains water stop tap. Nothing else apparantly.

1. Is this correct?
2. I have a mixture of copper and plastics in bathroom/kitchen water fittings, do the copper fittings not need doing?
3. He is going to run the earth from the house to garage (25m from consumer unit to unit) Is this sufficient?

I feel a little awful questioning his skill , i'm sure he knows what he's doing but would rather not ask him directly as he'll think i'm a pain in back side!

Oh yeah, i was rather impressed that EON arranged for an isolator switch to be fitted to main feed. For FREE!

Cheers

Chris

 

[JohnD]

Main bonding to incoming metallic services (gas, water,oil etc) is correct

kitchen does not need supplementary bonding, this has been the case for 20 years or so

bathroom may not need supplementary bonding under certain conditions, this is a recent rule change, your electrician should be able to explain if the conditions apply in your case.

radiators do not need bonding.

Gas installers like to bond pipes round the boiler but this is not an electrical rule.

Were you expecting bonding anywhere else?

 

[TopTrumper]

thats correct,

you have EON in Lancashire?
thought you woulda been scottish power

 

[TopTrumper]

Main bonding to incoming metallic services (gas, water,oil etc) is correct

kitchen does not need supplementary bonding, this has been the case for 20 years or so

bathroom may not need supplementary bonding under certain conditions, this is a recent rule change, your electrician should be able to explain if the conditions apply in your case.

radiators do not need bonding.

Gas installers like to bond pipes round the boiler but this is not an electrical rule.

I almost always do this

Were you expecting bonding anywhere else?

I almost always do this

 

[Spark123]

thats correct,

you have EON in Lancashire?
thought you woulda been scottish power

Are you getting mixed up with Lanarkshire?

 

[JohnD]

I almost always do this

Very sensible, IMO. While the boiler is being installed or repaired, some or all of the pipes will be isolated from the boiler, and could be at different potentials, especially if a fault exists. The gas fitter may have his hands on two pipes at the same time

 

[acurachris]

Hi, cheers for response

I have seen in some houses that earth bonding has been done to the copper in bathrooms and seen it my previous house to hot and cold water taps under the sink. I guess this may have been over precaution!

Electrician didn't go up to bathroom, just asked where gas meter and mains water came in. Made a lot of notes, quoted me a lot and he's coming to do job on Thurs. He was recommended, so i'll try anything once (well almost anything!!)

I see people on this site talk about the equipotential (something like that) bonding. Is that different?

TopTrumper - EON go where the money take 'em!! Except when changing isolator switches!

Just one more thing actually, since the isolator got fitted i noticed a new main fuse has been fitted labelled 80 amp. (not 100!!) i currently have 2 x 45 amp fuses, 32 amp, 2 x 6 amp and will be having initially a 20 amp for garage and was hoping to put a 20/32 amp for double oven.

The supply seems a little on the low side doesn't it? Reason being the hob (45) and double oven (20) and likely some draw off garage and house at same time. No showers whilst someone cooking i guess!

Cheers guys

Chris

 

[JohnD]

If you feel like it, you can supplementary-bond the bathroom yourself. It is not notifiable work and the materials are cheap, it just takes a bit of time and crawling around. As an old geezer I like it. We can advise further. But ask the electrician why he is not doing the bathroom, he will probably say he is working to latest regs which do not require it, and be able to tell you why.

Company fuses are very slow to blow, and will carry more current than their nominal rating for some time. It may be because the meter tails are 16mm not 25mm so not rated to 100A. If you do ever blow them they will change the fuse very quickly, and if it happens more than once they will think about upgrading you. The actual fuse inside the holder need not be the same as the label says. In my house I have a 100A fuseholder but a 60A fuse inside it.

 

[acurachris]

Cool!

Cheers for that

Chris