Query about weak earth wire situation?

[JOB6]

Hi everyone,

A P.A.T test was carried out in my flat a few days ago and the guy said that the earth wire is very weak.
What does that mean and what needs to be done about it as the landlord will need to be informed at some point. From what I know and see 5 years ago the earth wires were connected to the combi boiler and hot water outlets, as there are wires on the pipes with silver labels on them, an important question is "Do the earth wires affect the combi boiler or hot water outlets in anyway?" as my skin has been very bad (rash) every time I use hot water.

Any info would be great thank you.

 

[winston1]

Weak means it is not strong and could break. But I doubt if that is what he means. Best ask him as "very weak" is not a technical term.

No way could earth wires cause your rash.

 

[endecotp]

He may mean that the physical connection of the earth wire to the pipes is fragile and might soon break off.
But it would be better to ask him what he means, as we can only guess!

That is not going to give you a rash.

 

[deadshort]

The earth loop impedance is high = weak earth

DS

 

[endecotp]

The earth loop impedance is high = weak earth

Would a PAT test reveal a high ELFI?

Anyway - we don't know what he means.

 

[Echo the husky]

The Seaward one I use complains if the earth loop is excessive, or there is no earth connection at all, though I'm sure I can just hit ignore and plough on. Not that I wouldn't report it!

 

[flameport]

as my skin has been very bad (rash) every time I use hot water.

Probably due to the water being too hot.
Totally unrelated to any electrical wiring or earthing.

What did they actually test - a PAT is for portable appliances only.

 

[Iggifer]

The Seaward one I use complains if the earth loop is excessive, or there is no earth connection at all, though I'm sure I can just hit ignore and plough on. Not that I wouldn't report it!

You wanna get yourself a battery powered tester then! Much more convenient

 

[ericmark]

The inspection and testing of in-service electrical equipment can result in the machine used putting voltage on the earth so some test the socket before they start testing the appliance. The one I used would simply refuse to test, I had to get other meters out to find out why, but it was go/no go so I could not have reported anything other than there being a fault, maybe other models do say what the results of the socket test are?

But the inspection and testing of in-service electrical equipment was a 6 x 3 hour course, open to both skilled and semi-skilled, so there are many who do so called PAT testing who are only semi-skilled, what they should do is quarantine and faulty equipment and enter it into the quarantine register, once repaired it is removed from the quarantine register and returned to the in-service register. They do not need to repair it themselves. So may not have the skill or equipment to do any more than raise a report that there is a fault.

Although PAT stands for portable appliance testing the real name is inspection and testing of in-service electrical equipment, and every item be it fridge, washing machine, or electric drill should be under the control of the person doing the inspection and testing of in-service electrical equipment, this does not mean he tests it, items like washing machines can be under a service contract so although listed on the equipment register it will just have a note against it like serviced by Hotpoint.

Some portable appliances can be huge, I would test one at work with two other electricians two successive Sundays, it was designed to be moved as 22 wagon loads it made concrete for Heathrow T5, it was higher than normal house, but technically still a portable appliance. It had the wagon wheels built in which made it portable.

So in real terms the owner will need now to have some one with the skills and equipment required come and find out what the first guy was talking about. There is nothing which the forum can tell you with the information you have given to say if it was a loose wire, under size wire, poor earth rod, or anything else, and it is possible the guy testing does not know either.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Hi everyone,

A P.A.T test was carried out in my flat a few days ago and the guy said that the earth wire is very weak.
What does that mean and what needs to be done about it as the landlord will need to be informed at some point. From what I know and see 5 years ago the earth wires were connected to the combi boiler and hot water outlets, as there are wires on the pipes with silver labels on them, an important question is "Do the earth wires affect the combi boiler or hot water outlets in anyway?" as my skin has been very bad (rash) every time I use hot water.

Any info would be great thank you.

Your rash may have nothing to do with weak earth, weak earth could also mean wiring resistance due to poor joints or connections or inadequate sized earth wire. As for your rash, how long now have you been getting this, it is possible that there may be a fault in your boiler where central heating contaminated radiator water possibly with rust inhibiting chemicals is leaking a bit into your domestic hot water through tiny punctures or holes in its domestic plate heat exchanger ,(I am taking it that you have a combi boiler, and do not have a hot water storage tank) has your boiler been playing up lately? does it go up in pressure? or does it go down in pressure and you have to fill it up to bring it to its normal level, when was it last looked at by a gas safe engineer? and where about do you get rash on your body? have you seen your doctor and has he prescribed you any antihistamine medicine? and so the important thing is when it started, and what changes happened in your surroundings, or any problems with the boiler, do you have pets, allergies can develop develop at any age, but there is always a cause behind it. You also need to ask the guy who did the PAT test to clarify this point in more detail, it may be possible that some earth fault currents are passing through copper pipes rather than through dedicated earthing system, and it is possible that somewhere there is also a break in copper pipe as plastic pipes may have been used, so fault currents could travel through a section of plastic pipe but through water itself and causing it to react electrolytically and changing its composition which may cause your rash, I rule out nothing, everything is possible.

 

[Newboy]

Your rash may have nothing to do with weak earth, weak earth could also mean wiring resistance due to poor joints or connections or inadequate sized earth wire. As for your rash, how long now have you been getting this, it is possible that there may be a fault in your boiler where central heating contaminated radiator water possibly with rust inhibiting chemicals is leaking a bit into your domestic hot water through tiny punctures or holes in its domestic plate heat exchanger ,(I am taking it that you have a combi boiler, and do not have a hot water storage tank) has your boiler been playing up lately? does it go up in pressure? or does it go down in pressure and you have to fill it up to bring it to its normal level, when was it last looked at by a gas safe engineer? and where about do you get rash on your body? have you seen your doctor and has he prescribed you any antihistamine medicine? and so the important thing is when it started, and what changes happened in your surroundings, or any problems with the boiler, do you have pets, allergies can develop develop at any age, but there is always a cause behind it. You also need to ask the guy who did the PAT test to clarify this point in more detail, it may be possible that some earth fault currents are passing through copper pipes rather than through dedicated earthing system, and it is possible that somewhere there is also a break in copper pipe as plastic pipes may have been used, so fault currents could travel through a section of plastic pipe but through water itself and causing it to react electrolytically and changing its composition which may cause your rash, I rule out nothing, everything is possible.

Just what the OP needs - a load of mumbo-jumbo!

 

[Mikefromlondon]

May be for you, I am sure OP will see some sense in it if you can't.

 

[JohnW2]

Your rash may have nothing to do with weak earth...

That must be a good contender for "The Understatement of the Year".

As several people have already told the OP, there is no way that anything to do with the electrical installation's earth ("weak" or otherwise) could possibly result in a rash.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Yes John W2, you can't win all, some you can.

 

[Newboy]

May be for you, I am sure OP will see some sense in it if you can't.

I'm all ears - I'm excited to hear the explanations of how water can"react electrolytically" caused by fault currents travelling through the water and may be causing the OPs rash or how the PRV hasn't yet blown as the heat exchanger perforates to allow mains pressure water into the CH loop.

Looking forward to your detailed explanation of the physics and chemistry that I clearly don't understand.