Earth wiring fault!

[Agile]

I went down to a small cellar of a friend's house and saw the gas meter outlet pipe had a 6 mm earth wire joining it to the consumer unit.

This installation was actually VERY dangerous! But I suspect that 95% of gas engineers would not have noticed the problem.

Can anyone guess what it was? Magnetic pick-up tool to be posted to the first correct NON professional!

Tony

 

[kirkgas]

as i am a pro and cannot post the answer, i can kid on that i know the answer

 

[Fluffster]

Earth wire was connected to the busbar
Pete

 

[Agile]

No Pete! That should have blown one of the fuses or given someone a serious shock!

It had been like that for quite a time I expect.

Tony

 

[doitall]

I'm a NON professional!

 

[Agile]

I'm a NON professional!

Perhaps!

But I have seen you posting in the gas engineers closed forum! That would imply that you have the status of a professional !

If you think you know the answer then make the suggestion.

Its only the pros who will not win any prize.

But if they stumbled on the right answer they would close off the opportunity for the non professionals to win a prize!

Tony

 

[seco services]

i'd be using 10mm

 

[picasso]

earth connected to the neutral

 

[AlanE]

i'd be using 10mm

Maybe not up to current standards but in no way unsafe let alone 'VERY dangerous'.

earth connected to the neutral

Again not correct but not something that would make the installation 'VERY dangerous' (bearing in mind the earth and neutral are very effectivly bonded at various points in distribution network) plus it would require Tony to remove cover of consumer unit to check in all probability. Certainly not an action of most gas persons would undertake - because why?

So that would probably leave something that was more visual such as connecting earth wire to wrong side of an insulation piece, a 'non approved' earth clamp or wire not terminated in clamp correctly. However how this would make installation 'VERY dangerous' cannot see. Even no earth wire wouldn't - countless without equipotential bonding out there and they are not 'VERY dangerous'.

However, as with all Tony's little teasers, think of the impossible and you will probably be right! So on that basis corroded gas pipe on side hidden from view.

A picture would have helped then we could see situation as he saw. it.

 

[Agile]

No, the gas pipes were fine having been replaced during the last 10 years !

A 6 mm earth bond on the gas pipe is NCS but will never be dangerous and was the normal wire size until fairly recently.

In this case I consider it VERY dangerous.

I will take a photo when I go past there next but unfortunately I have a problem with my computer because the BTA10CW1 Bluetooth Dongle does not seem to have drivers available. It was working with a windows driver but still reported that it was not working and at one point I deleted that driver but have not had time to try to get it back to the half working state so I cannot communicate pics between phone and computer at the moment.

Tony

 

[doitall]

I reckon it was loose and arcing on the pipe, due to an electrical fault.

 

[Agile]

All earth connections were tight and making good contact !

Very luckily there were no faults in the house!

Tony

 

[kirkgas]

All earth connections were tight and making good contact !
Very luckily there were no faults in the house!

Tony

i had thought connected to tracpipe or similar, i suppose not "very dangerous"

 

[Agile]

Everything was very standard and ordinary!

 

[kevplumb]

sent my answer to dia

if im right he can post it

if im wrong he can bin it