PME and supplier responsibility

[Spark123]

I used to have TT overhead cables from poles to my house and a earth rod under my paving slab, 10mm to earth block next to fuseboard ( as part of upgrade for electric shower in 1995 ) a few years before the electricity Board remove all poles and rerun new cables under ground in my street. I had a pole in my back garden and they used to pay a small fee for siting their pole in my garden, now stopped.

They ran it from road to my house wall and up to connect to existing cables.

I still have a old rewireable board as earlier post. ( I still haven't start yet as I have been advised to call Building Control first )

Do this count as a TT system?

Possibly, where do you get your earth from now? Is it still from the earth electrode or is it from the suppliers cable?

 

[Taylortwocities]

Danny, It could be anything. Post a pic of the cable head (where the supply comes into your house, next to the meter) and we can probably tell from that.

Or (if you want to spend half a day on the phone) call your supplier - they are supposed to know!

 

[bernardgreen]

Distributor suggested that I get the electrician to install an RCD and earth spike. Is this correct or are they just fobbing me off?

They may be fobbing you off. But a local earth that is effective enough to trip safety isolation of the power in a fault situation is always an added safety feature.

Loss of the distributed earth means all earthed equipment in the property may rise to dangerous high voltages relative to the real ground potential. This is not a danger for someone inside the house ( equipotential bonding makes it safe ) but there is a high risk if someone standing on the ground makes contact with metal connected to the "earth" system of the property during the fault condition where the "earth" from the faulty distribution system is a high voltage.

 

[stardanny]

I used to have TT overhead cables from poles to my house and a earth rod under my paving slab, 10mm to earth block next to fuseboard ( as part of upgrade for electric shower in 1995 ) a few years before the electricity Board remove all poles and rerun new cables under ground in my street. I had a pole in my back garden and they used to pay a small fee for siting their pole in my garden, now stopped.

They ran it from road to my house wall and up to connect to existing cables.

I still have a old rewireable board as earlier post. ( I still haven't start yet as I have been advised to call Building Control first )

Do this count as a TT system?

Possibly, where do you get your earth from now? Is it still from the earth electrode or is it from the suppliers cable?

Hi, I can confirm earth is from earth rod under paving slab and it goes from rod to earth block, earth clamp from gas and water also goes to same block as well. When the Board came to connect to new underground main, they connect to where the overhead cables end ( below the roof line ) and join it up. I still has the same head ( 2 core 60 amp fuse ).
My parents and I fitted a new shower room in 1995 ( fresh from college ) we had an electrican in to upgrade earth system and a 80 amp 30ma rcd, (as state on label), and connect that RCD to old fuseboard, ran new cable to electric shower.

9 years later the Board came and removes all the poles and buried new cables underground. They did not do anything about earth, so I think it still a TT system? Is this still safe?

Dan.

 

[RF Lighting]

Sounds like it.

Having a single RCD protecting the whole installation is not ideal, but it is MUCH safer than having no RCD at all.

 

[stardanny]

I know. Bit fed up as if something go wrong and it tripped all during evening, time to get torch out. Even when the light bulb blown, it tripped, hence why I am going to get it replaced. With full RCBO on all circuits (10)and dump 80 amp RCD.

Dan.