To Earth or Not To Earth that is the question

[JohnW2]

Sorry john, I have made it clear exactly what i and any other electrician would do. end.

You have made it clear that you would earth exposed conduit. However, for some reason you seem unable, or uninclined, to tell me whether you would earth non-exposed conduit.

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

OK - referencing Guidance Note 8 (and recognising that this is merely guidance from the IET): ....... I will admit that this suggests that where sheathed cables are used then the conduit need not be considered an exposed conductive part ....

Indeed. However, they don't actually use the phrase 'exposed-conductive-part' and I suspect their intent is that, if the cable is not sheathed (i.e. SI singles), the conduit has to be earthed even if it is not 'exposed' - which is analagous to the requirement for the armour of buried SWA to be earthed, even if none of it is 'exposed' in any normal sense.

... however in principle conduit is always considered to be.

That's really what this part of the debate (essentially started by riveralt) is about - if the conduit is not 'exposed' is it actually true that it must always consdiered to be an 'exposed-c-p'? In terms of the words, it would obvioulsy not make sense but I'm not sure of the 'intent'.

In fact one has to wonder why people install conduit and then don't pull singles through it, but that's another discussion.

Indeed. My first contribution to this thread was to question the need for conduit at all (for T&E) and to point out that if conduit were being used, T&E wasn't really the right thing to be trying to put into it!

Personally I wouldn't like to see unearthed conduit.

I almost agree. I would say "Personally I wouldn't like to see unearthed exposed conduit".

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I will admit that this suggests that where sheathed cables are used then the conduit need not be considered an exposed conductive part, however in principle conduit is always considered to be.

Why?

Personally I wouldn't like to see unearthed conduit.

What about cable tray carrying sheathed cables?

 

[Risteard]

What about cable tray carrying sheathed cables?

Different scenario. It is not a fully-enclosed containment system. As I said conduit is for singles.

 

[DetlefSchmitz]

end

Sorry, you can't say that on here.

 

[bernardgreen]

end

Sorry, you can't say that on here.

Especially after a radical statement that reads

I have made it clear exactly what i and any other electrician would do.

 

[Risteard]

Here's a topic you may find interesting:

http://www.theiet.org/forums/forum/...70&highlight_key=y&keyword1=unearthed conduit

 

[lxboy]

Away back to your knitting.

Now that's radical or is it radial ?

Regards,

Lxboy

 

[bernardgreen]

Here's a topic you may find interesting:

http://www.theiet.org/forums/forum/..._key=y&keyword1=unearthed conduit[/QUOTE]Very often the ends of these un-bonded lengths of conduit are bell ended or otherwise treated to remove the hazard of the cable being damaged by sharp edges. Or the cable has an earthed woven wire screen.

 

[sparkwright]

By bell ended, I presume you mean the rubber end caps, which often perish.

Usually a piece of plastic oval conduit can be pushed onto the end of the metal tube, just to prevent the cable rubbing against the metal.

I would certainly try to fit an earth clamp on the conduit in the loft, and bond.

I wouldn't be too worried if it wasn't bonded though, when you consider all the lengths of galvanised capping buried in walls in the UK that aren't connected to earth.

 

[RF Lighting]

and bond.

Earth, not bond.

bonded

Earthed, not bonded.

 

[lxboy]

yes james

 

[RF Lighting]

What does that mean?

 

[sparkwright]

James Bond.

 

[RF Lighting]

Do you mean James Earth?