If the electricity company's neutral gets disconnected at the meter or somewhere outside the house
- Thread starter akist
- Start date
If the neutral gets disconnected 'at the meter', then you simply lose your electricity supply - nothing else.
If the neutral gets disconnected 'somewhere outside the house', then 'what happens' will depend upon exactly where that 'somewhere' is, whether the disconnection has affected other houses and what sort of 'earth' your supply has.
Kind Regards, John
You have no power, but the whole install is live, so don’t touch any L or N wires. cus u will still get a shock.
Are u on PME
Are u on PME
Interesting question. Why ask it?
A neutral is only a neutral because it is deliberately Earthed somewhere along its path from the generator to your meter (at least once but may be a few more).
Both the L and the N are considered "Live" because they can carry current as part of their intended function, treat them as potentially dangerous.
L & N stands for Line and Neutral or you might prefer Phase and Neutral.
Both the L and the N are considered "Live" because they can carry current as part of their intended function, treat them as potentially dangerous.
L & N stands for Line and Neutral or you might prefer Phase and Neutral.
- Joined
- 3 Feb 2020
- Messages
- 187
- Reaction score
- 43
- Country
It happened here a few years ago
Lights were really dim and flickering
Consumer box tripped as soon as a load was put on a socket.
Phoned the distribution company
Had to argue with the woman-"how do you know the cable is down? "
"I KNOW the cable is down because its lying on the floor..."
They were there within a half hour and added another join to the six others on a 200 yard run from the transformer.
Lights were really dim and flickering
Consumer box tripped as soon as a load was put on a socket.
Phoned the distribution company
Had to argue with the woman-"how do you know the cable is down? "
"I KNOW the cable is down because its lying on the floor..."
They were there within a half hour and added another join to the six others on a 200 yard run from the transformer.
nothing else other than the possibility that the potential on the Earth wires and Earth bonding wires ( relative to Ground ) rises up to 230 V
Items that bonded such as the gas meter will be at a hazardous voltage above Ground.
It happened to us! I did not know this could ever happen.
Supplier's neutral snapped off away from the house. We did not realise. For many days some people were getting mild shocks in the shower when touching the shower tap, but nowhere else. Finally, one day, we got a *much* larger shock in the garden, about 30m away from the house, while working on some copper mains water pipes. That was quite the shock, my hand was numb for a day.
My explanation is that the house's neutral is connected to the earth at the meter (and then to an earth rod as well as various copper pipes above and below ground). When the neutral was lost away from the house, the circuit completed to the earth and no one suspected. As this was done outside the house, the fuseboard's RCD did not trip because the current entered on the live and left the house on the neutral normally. I suppose.
I had thought that the RCD is a life saver, but in this case it did not trip and did not prevent all those small and big shocks.
Why would that happen if the disconnection (break in neutral conductor) were "at the meter" (i.e.downstream of any N-E connection in a TN-C-S installation)?
Are you sure that the earth is connected to the neutral at the meter, and also to an earth rod?
I take it you have overhead wires to the house, right?
This doesn't sound right. (Post some photos?)
Anyway... if you start getting electric shocks off e.g. the shower, you should take it seriously! Turn off the power, and don't touch anything until it has been properly investigated!
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2008
- Messages
- 27,420
- Reaction score
- 3,310
- Location
- Llanfair Caereinion, Nr Welshpool
- Country
It does depend on supply type, and where the break is,
this is one borrowed from Do I need an Earth Rod Fitted? which has developed along similar lines.
The big question not answered is will the data from smart meter alert when this happens?
The problem is if there is a similar usage of all three phases, then the neutral can remain at near earth potential even when not connected. Read the other post, no point in starting again from scratch.
this is one borrowed from Do I need an Earth Rod Fitted? which has developed along similar lines.The big question not answered is will the data from smart meter alert when this happens?
The problem is if there is a similar usage of all three phases, then the neutral can remain at near earth potential even when not connected. Read the other post, no point in starting again from scratch.
Quite so- but,as I said in my first response, there is only a possible problem/danger (other than 'loss of supply) if the break in the neutral is upstream of any TN-C-S 'earth' connection to the incoming CNE (hence not if the break is "at the meter").
In fact, "break of a neutral conductor" is never a problem (other than 'loss of supply') - it's only break of a CNE conductor' which can be a problem/danger.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
