How is earth supplied?

[olneys]

Hello all

I have just found out that my main earth connection is via the water pipe, obviously not good.

How do you find out how your earth is being supplied?

My main supply cable has no armour visible for a clamp for a TN-S setup and it is not setup as a PME (TN-C-S) configuration, and I would be surprised if it a TT.

Is my electric supplier responsible for telling me this and hence providing me the earth via an engineer visit?

Any advice would be appreciated.

olneys

 

[Adam_151]

Speak to your local DNO, they'll be able to have a look and will be able to tell you if they are able to provide an earthing point, which will either be TNS or a TNCS (depending on such things as supply cable type and local network setup)

Worst case they will tell you that they can't provide an earthing point, and you'll need your own local electrode and a suitable RCD setup

EDIT: You;re in london, so you'll be in EDF area, so make sure you have a MET and suitable bonding before calling them, or they'll refuse to install TNCS if thats what they have available, as opposed to more northern DNOs who will bang a terminal on the board and leave it there for sparky to hook his main equipotential bonding and earthing condcutors into

 

[plugwash]

What you have right now is a TT system with the water pipe as the earth electrode, this is not satisfactory because at any time metal water mains could be replaced by plastic leaving you with no earth.

speaking to the DNO to see if they can provide an earth terminal is the first step. If they can't/won't then you will need to get an electrician in to do a proper TT install with main RCD and properly installed and tested earth rod.

 

[JohnD]

can you post a pic?

we like pics.

 

[olneys]

Chaps

Thanks for the advice.
I will contact Southern Electric my electricity supplier and get them to send someone out to have a look.

I will post some pics tomorrow.

thanks

olneys