Excatly. It's bare, and connected to the earth terminal of the device, and in applicable cases to a metal box. What else would it be but an earth/ground?
Not sure what BS7671 says about those now, but the one which used to be required to be insulated throughout its length was the conductor running from the earth electrode to the "E" terminal of the old voltage-operated ELCB. Wiring on the "F" side of the coil didn't matter.
Well, yes, but that conductor from earth electrode to the VOELCB would effectively be what we would now call an extraneous-c-p, and which (under fault conditions) could be at a very different potential from that of the CPCs, exposed-c-ps etc. in the installation - so it would be essential that one could not touch it at the same time as CPCs/exposed-c-ps etc. However, that's only because of the relatively high impedance of the VOELCB coil. If, as now is always the case, all parts of the CPC/earth electrode etc. system are connected together via very low impedance connections, that risk does not arise, so I can't see that there is an argument for any of the protective conductors to be insulated (unless to provide {a small degree of} 'mechanical and environmental protection').
Well, yes, but (a) I thought we were talking about cables and (b) I think busbars come into a different category, not requiring any 'identification' - I have not seen any requirement for busbars to be 'sleeved' with identifiers of an appropriate colour!
They very often are. I mean distribution busbars, not the things you get in a CU.
I think it's really just people trying to appear "clever" by thinking up off-topic scenarios which contradict what I have said about the on-topic issue.Yes John, it's off the topic, not something you would do is it
Well, this is a DIY forum - and I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I have hardly ever seen, and never have worked with/on, "distribution busbars".
I think it's really just people trying to appear "clever" by thinking up off-topic scenarios which contradict what I have said about the on-topic issue.Yes John, it's off the topic, not something you would do is it
Kind Regards, John
The reason it needed to be insulated though was to avoid possible parallel paths so that the "E" side of the coil was connected solely to the reference electrode, which needed to be placed outside the resistance gradient area of anything else connected to the "F" side. If you ran a bare conductor from ELCB to electrode, there would be a good chance of creating a path via the building fabric to equipment which was connected directly to the "F" side of the coil.
I'm not so sure about that. IF they "knew anything at all about electricity", I think they probably would (as well as should) realise that! If they did not realise that, then I would say that they did not "know anything at all about electricity"!
Well, that's a functional reason for wanting insulation. However, what I said about the 'safety' reason also applies, since there could be an appreciable pd between the E and F terminals (potentially up to almost full supply voltage, until the device operated). These days, of course, deliberate introduction of a significant impedance anywhere in the protective conductor system would be a definite non-no!
Bernard might manage to create that scenario with a combination of ELV lighting on exposed cables and his penchant for discarding separation and earthing ELV supplies.
I really think that if you are going to make statements that are only true in a particular context, you should specify that context.
That is strictly true, but I think that the name of this website (and, in this particular case, the nature of the discussion) should have made the context extremely clear to everyone - even to those who were able to think of a commercial/industrial context in which the statement might not always be true.
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