- Joined
- 27 Jan 2008
- Messages
- 23,679
- Reaction score
- 2,668
- Location
- Llanfair Caereinion, Nr Welshpool
- Country
This house is now TN-C-S with a new metal consumer unit with not problems, however there were problems, and I wonder what happened.
Built 1954 with a Wilex consumer unit 3 circuits ring final, immersion heater, and lights, cooking was solid fuel and there was no cooker point.
Over the years alterations as with any house, telephone installed with party line which has a steel earth rod and a bar 1.5 mm² earth wire approx to where telephone was originally. That is only earth rod found.
I know playing in 1960's I caused a line - earth fault which ruptured the 13A fuse so at that point there was clearly an earth connected. At that point no gas in the house.
Around 2004 wanted to install a wet room and the electrician employed offered to swap whole consumer unit for £100 extra so we said yes. He had problems with RCD tripping so swapped one for an isolator promising to return next day, we never saw him again, and shortly after the builder also ran off so it was left to my son and I to complete.
So on inspecting we found the GPO earth was the only earth connected to the consumer unit, hunting we could not find any other earth and the ELI was some silly high figure around 700Ω so the DNO was called and we asked what earth we should have, they did not know so sent some one who then gave us TN-C-S, we ran new bonding wires to gas and water.
It has had me scratching head ever since wondering what happened to the earth? No earth wires found connecting to water, and at time I know there was a good earth no gas to house, I did not remove the old Wilex consumer unit so unknown what went to earth bar, but there were no wires other than twin and earth connecting to earth bar other than the GPO earth, which did not go in until 1956 I remember Suez Crisis and petrol shortage when telephone fitted and not made into party line until around 1958 and that wire was never connected to the electric supply.
Incoming water main originally in pantry, this was moved other side of wall into kitchen when wet room combined pantry and outside loo, I found no wires in the by then bare walls which could have connected incoming water main to fuse box under the stairs.
Had I not as a lad caused faults line to earth which caused both 13A and 30A fuse to rupture I would have said there was never an earth, there was never any earth to lights, but to blow those fuses shows there was at one time an earth. So thoughts as to what happened to it, and how many more houses have lost earths?
I do wonder if at some point a meter change caused loss of earth, always been under ground supply.
Built 1954 with a Wilex consumer unit 3 circuits ring final, immersion heater, and lights, cooking was solid fuel and there was no cooker point.
Over the years alterations as with any house, telephone installed with party line which has a steel earth rod and a bar 1.5 mm² earth wire approx to where telephone was originally. That is only earth rod found.
I know playing in 1960's I caused a line - earth fault which ruptured the 13A fuse so at that point there was clearly an earth connected. At that point no gas in the house.
Around 2004 wanted to install a wet room and the electrician employed offered to swap whole consumer unit for £100 extra so we said yes. He had problems with RCD tripping so swapped one for an isolator promising to return next day, we never saw him again, and shortly after the builder also ran off so it was left to my son and I to complete.
So on inspecting we found the GPO earth was the only earth connected to the consumer unit, hunting we could not find any other earth and the ELI was some silly high figure around 700Ω so the DNO was called and we asked what earth we should have, they did not know so sent some one who then gave us TN-C-S, we ran new bonding wires to gas and water.
It has had me scratching head ever since wondering what happened to the earth? No earth wires found connecting to water, and at time I know there was a good earth no gas to house, I did not remove the old Wilex consumer unit so unknown what went to earth bar, but there were no wires other than twin and earth connecting to earth bar other than the GPO earth, which did not go in until 1956 I remember Suez Crisis and petrol shortage when telephone fitted and not made into party line until around 1958 and that wire was never connected to the electric supply.
Incoming water main originally in pantry, this was moved other side of wall into kitchen when wet room combined pantry and outside loo, I found no wires in the by then bare walls which could have connected incoming water main to fuse box under the stairs.
Had I not as a lad caused faults line to earth which caused both 13A and 30A fuse to rupture I would have said there was never an earth, there was never any earth to lights, but to blow those fuses shows there was at one time an earth. So thoughts as to what happened to it, and how many more houses have lost earths?
I do wonder if at some point a meter change caused loss of earth, always been under ground supply.
