Earth at gas meter not connected - Danger??

[Screwed]

Hello,

We went travelling a while back and had tour flat re-wired for a certificate required by our estate agents. I'm now putting ina new kitchen and have discovered that the earth leading outside to the gas meter box is simply pushed up into it and not connected. Firstly, is this hideously dangerous?? Secondly, can I connect it or do you "have" to be qualified?? Second question is...where do you install cooker sockets? When the re-wire was done, they didn't put in a cooker circuit, just plugged the cooker into the kitchen ring under the cooker unit (Ididn't find this until I pulled it all out!). I don't really want one of those big fat cooker switches on the wall, what are the options? Can this be put under the worktop behind the cooker with a fused switch above the worktop?? What is the normal practice??

Thanks!

 

[JohnD]

1) The gas main should be earthed, generally in a single, un-jointed piece of 10mm G&Y, to the main earth terminal which may be in the consumer unit, or on (or next to) the incoming electricity cable head. You can do it yourself. It goes on the metal pipe at the consumer's side of the meter, within 60cm. You can do it yourself, it's easy. There's unlikely to be any voltage on it but you can turn off the main switch before connecting it if you like just in case theer should be a small spark. You can get some regulation pipe clamps which include an embossed metal label "Safety electrical earth Do Not Remove". The incoming water main should be earthed in the same way, on your side of the main stopcock and within 60cm of the metal pipe entering your house.

2) I wonder what sort of cooker it is? A single electric oven can usually be plugged in to an electric socket, or an FCU. Gas rings are fine that way. Electric rings/halogen hob are not as they take too much power and need a dedicated radial circuit with its own MCB.

Cooker switches do not have to be huge these days, and you're better off having a neat one without an integral socket for the kettle, assuming your kitchen has a proper supply of sockets.

It's usual to have the cooker switch on the wall beside (not behind) the cooker; where it's easily seen and operated, obvious what it does, and you can reach it easily without having to lean across the cooker e.g. in the event of a chip pan fire.

 

[Screwed]

That's great, thanks! I will connect the earth up myself. I have put some more sockets in the kitchen (just swapped the two singles under the oven to a double chased into the wall and added a couple more in.). I will have a cooker circuit put in, it's going to be a single fan oven below the work top, gas hob and a hood. What's the best way to wire in the hood and the ignition for the hob, should these be on the oven ring or switched into the kitchen ring? I'm no expert but I'm not stupid either so if it sounds as if I cannot do it, I wont!

 

[JohnD]

What's the best way to wire in the hood and the ignition for the hob, should these be on the oven ring or switched into the kitchen ring?

FCU for each of them off the kitchen ring, with 3A cartridge fuses, and possibly run in chases to a flex outlet next to the appliance to avoid trailing wires.
as it's in the kitchen it comes under part P

When you say oven ring I think you mean cooker radial.

 

[Screwed]

When did Part P come in? I am a bit worried as, as i say we had it rewired a year or so ago and got an NICEIC certificate for it, i have simply chased in previously trunked wires and added a couple extra. If a socket is say, behind a built in fridge, would this be illegal (I'm sure the sockets under the oven would have been!)??

 

[Adam_151]

When did Part P come in?

First of January 2005, but there was a grace period until start the of April for finishing work already in progress

 

[Screwed]

Right, this work was done before then, would what I have done since complicate anything? As I say, I have simply put three extra sockets in and chased in the wires, I am getting a cooker radial put in also?

 

[JohnD]

1/1/2005. For most DIY folk, kitchens are the main worry, as you often feel the need for an extra socket or FCU in there, but the other stuff you hardly ever need to do.

There's a vast amount of discussion on here about it.


For example, http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1130907

"You do not need to tell your local authority's Building Control Department about:

* repairs, replacements and maintenance work; or

* extra power points or lighting points or other alterations to existing circuits (except in a kitchen or bathroom, or outdoors).

You need to tell them about most other work.

If you are not sure about this, or you have any questions, ask your local authority's Building Control Department."

 

[securespark]

Main & Supplementary Equipotential Bonding is no longer notifiable.