External gas supply bonding

[MikeAustin]

I have a gas supply and boiler just outside my house in a garage that is not part of the house structure. It is a felt-roofed building with an up-and-over door next to my kitchen. The gas never enters the house - only the water pipes from the boiler come through the 15"-18" of solid stone wall. The gas supply has no earth strap at all. Do I need to run a 10mm2 cable from the MET outside my house to meet present day requirements?
Secondly, if this is necessary, I may have to poke the cable through the same hole as the hot water pipes, that reach up to 80C. Is it acceptable to route cables in close contact to hot water pipes like this?

 

[RF Lighting]

Yes and yes.

 

[MikeAustin]

Yes and yes.

Thanks. My wiring is very old - some going back 50 years - and would clearly be improved if my services were earthed to current standards, even if I were to do it myself. I have just read that I am not allowed to put this earth cable in myself because it is 'notifiable'.

 

[JohnW2]

I have just read that I am not allowed to put this earth cable in myself because it is 'notifiable'.

Nonsense. Where did you read that?

Kind Regards, John

 

[EFLImpudence]

I have just read that I am not allowed to put this earth cable in myself because it is 'notifiable'.

That is not the case.

This is because it is not Earthing; it is Main Protective Bonding.

Earthing is not now notifiable in England anyway.

 

[MikeAustin]

I have just read that I am not allowed to put this earth cable in myself because it is 'notifiable'.

Nonsense. Where did you read that?

Kind Regards, John

I read it here http://community.screwfix.com/threa...o-consumer-unit-cable-size-requirement.60727/, the last post in the thread.

 

[JohnD]

Hahahaha!

You think Screwfix is a reliable source?

Q5, here, is a bit better
http://electrical.theiet.org/building-regulations/part-p/faqs.cfm
though the page needs updating.

 

[MikeAustin]

Hahahaha!
You think Screwfix is a reliable source?

No, that is why I am posting here!

Q5, here, is a bit better
http://electrical.theiet.org/building-regulations/part-p/faqs.cfm

Thanks. That's more like it!

 

[EFLImpudence]

Q5, here, is a bit better
http://electrical.theiet.org/building-regulations/part-p/faqs.cfm
though the page needs updating.

That's now out of date in England.

Now in England this is the actual law - not an interpretation:

“(6A) A person intending to carry out building work in relation to which Part P of Schedule 1 imposes a requirement is required to give a building notice or deposit full plans where the work consists of—

(a)the installation of a new circuit;

(b)the replacement of a consumer unit; or

(c)any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location.”

That's all there is.

 

[JohnD]

thanks, I couldn't find an up-to-date link quickly enough, but I thought it would do for Main Bonds.

I thought it was funny that IET was out of date.

 

[EFLImpudence]

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/3119/regulation/6/made

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Secondly, if this is necessary, I may have to poke the cable through the same hole as the hot water pipes, that reach up to 80C. Is it acceptable to route cables in close contact to hot water pipes like this?

Yes and yes.

Surely you mean yes and no?

 

[JohnW2]

Yes and yes.

Surely you mean yes and no?

He might have done - but, quite frankly, the very worst that could happen would be for the insulation to melt (and even that not with temps anything like as low as 80° C), and I don't think I'd lose any sleep over a bonding conductor losing a bit of it's insulation. Indeed, without looking I'm not even certain that there is a requirement for it to be insulated at all!

Kind Regards, John

 

[RF Lighting]

It would be interesting to do an adiabatic equation and see what size is required at an 80 degree ambient temperature, but off the top of my head it'll be fine and it's not going to have any real detrimental effects to a bonding conductor.

 

[MikeAustin]

Having, er, 'sparked' a conversation about proximity to hot pipes, I found another hole anyway!
Now I have an MET connection question. I have an old TN-S supply with what appears to be a 10mm2 earth (could be 16mm2) coming from the supply cable before the cutout. This is connected to a 2-way earth block adjacent to the cutout. The other connection to the block is a 6mm2 cable going to an isolator a few cms away on the same board. This isolator then goes to an old 6-circuit consumer unit with fuses located about 5 metres away.
In due course, the isolator and consumer unit will be replaced. Meanwhile, as there is effectively no MET for gas, water etc as the earth block is too small. What I want to do is replace the 2-way earth block with a 6-way block, making that the MET. I will connect this with 16mm2 to the isolator and with 10mm2 to my gas and water supplies. Am I OK to do that? Am I OK to move the earth from the supply to this new earth block?