Hi all - I have an electrician in, wiring up a loft conversion and he decided to have a nose in my cellar at the consumer unit etc. There is an earth cable running from the terminal near the service head to a bonding clamp on the cable gland at the end of the armoured supply cable coming in front the street. He said that the cable wasn't thick enough and that bonding using the type of clamp used on 15/22mm copper pipe does not meet with the current IEE regulations and would have to be upgraded before he could complete his work. He also said that EDF would need to do this work as he isn't allowed to. Has anyone else experienced this type of issue and is he correct in what he's saying ?
yes he is correct an earth bonding clamp is not suitable for use in this fashion.
the supplier should be contacted as it is possible that if no earth termnal has been provided, that the armour of the incoming cable is not a suitable earth.
He is basically right, although I suspect the electricity company will fix it free.
They will probably do one of 3 things:
They might turn around and say that they don't provide an earth, in which case you must convert to a TT system, with RCDs everywhere and an earth rod. This could be expensive.
They might fix your TN-S earthing using a proper clamp. This will be the cheapest and simplest option.
They might upgrade you to TN-C-S. This will be safer, but can sometimes require some work on your installation to bring main equipotential bonding up to spec if it is undersized, amongst other potential problems.
OT, but be prepared for the most unbelievable amount of muddle and hassle in dealing with EDF Energy or their subcontractors (Morrison Utility Services in my case). I don't have the time or energy to detail all the failures-to-show, faulty referrals to other companies etc I've had since EDF Energy wrote in January to say they wanted to change my meter. Suffice it to say that they couldn't pull the main fuse and five months later I am still waiting for someone to turn up who can, or who will change the service head if they can't. Next appointment 1 June after they failed to turn up last Monday...
I asked them to upgrade my weedy main earth when changing the fuse/service head/meter: the OSG suggests 16mm csa minimum and it looks like the existing one is 6mm or even 4mm only. They agreed to look at it but I'm not holding my breath, given the progress so far.
You may not have these problems but be ready.
I'm a Whitehall civil servant and if my performance was as pathetic as this bunch of supposedly efficient private service providers, I'd have been sacked long ago. A case for bringing back some of the nationalised industries? Can't be worse than this. Rant ends.
Oh, but it can get better - keep the dates of the no-shows, and remind them that under the guaranteed standards of service you are entitled to a payment - and not telling you you were entitled to a payment incurs another payment :-)
Indeed; point taken. But in this case it isn't as straightforward as missing appointments for something easily defined. It's all the buck-passing: "sorry guv I can't touch that bit of your installation" and "sorry guv I'm only a subcontractor" etc. And then the basic incompetence, like repeatedly leaving last-minute messages for me only on my work phone where the voicemail clearly says "I am not at work today", they know it's my work contact and they know it's about my home anyway (where I am sitting waiting for them to show).
Remember this one, I kept 'cos I enjoyed writing it a couple of years ago.
Washing machine not working in a flat. OK it's the 13A fuse (32A MCB ring circuit no RCD) replace fuse all is well but .. fuses don't blow by themselves so I thought I'll check to see if the current consumption during heat/pump/spin are plausible. (E.g. there might be 20A being drawn by a broken heater - say). So I gently eased my tong-tester (clip on ammeter) around the meter tail.... flash and darkness ... as my eyes adjusted to the dark I saw the meter tail had _fallen_ out of the meter (meter replaced an Sub-sub-sub...contractor of Siemens Metering only a month or two ago).
Decided that whilst I _could_ pull the fuse, break the seals etc. and fix fault in minutes I would do the 'right' thing...
1) Phone EDF Emergency Eastern Service. (Formerly 24-7 Formerly Eastern Elec. Formerly the EEB). Menus & music one level (MM1). Nice guy. Asked me precisely which wire had falled out. Told me outgoing meter tails are handled by the supplier. Don't come back to us _they_ must fix it.
2) Got tenant to find recent bill. (Nobody except a verified cusotmer can speak to a supplier) Phone NPower. MM1. Another nice guy. Explain situation carefully. Put on hold.
2 minutes later... "This is the number you need...."
3) Phone "needed" number. MM2 (2 levels of menus & 'soothing' music). Actually was "Eastern Contracting" or some such. No person at all but the number your need is ... the one for EDF Emergency Eastern Service like I got from the phone book before at stage (1).
4) Try previous number again but take different route through MM2 to hold for an advisor. Engaged tone 3 minutes before giving up.
5) Try Npower again. MM1. Another nice guy. Explain situation carefully. Unfortunately this guy has short term memory problems.
NP:"You'll need a qualified electrician to fix it." ES:"Really! I thought this was seriously off limits." (Knowning full well it is). NP:"No, all you need is a qualified electrician." ES:"Just to check, we are talking about the connection on the meter itself." NP:"I'll just check with my supervisor."
... more music ...
NP:"Oops sorry, You can't fix it." ES:"Right-oh. When are _you_ going to fix it?" NP:"I'll give you a number." ES:"Been there, done that, I'll be back here. EDF won't fix meter outlet problems. _When_ are you going to fix it?" NP:"It does need fixing." ES:"Yep. It does indeed." NP:"I'll ring you back."
5 minutes later. NP:"It's OK for you to get a qualified electrician to fix it." ES:"We are talking about the wire which has falled out of the METER." NP:"I'll check and ring you back".
10 minutes later. NP:"Someone will be there in the next 9 hours." ES:"OK what's the job reference." (So I can progress chase if needed). ....
Experienced guy turns up one hour later, fixes it in 5 minutes. (Also checks all the other terminals at his own suggestion which saved me the bother of requesting he did so). He holds unprintable views about 'contractors'.
Tenant: It has taken a lot of work, I think things are simpler in Japan.
This is the 3rd time in about 6 years that I have directly experienced a serious fault on an electrical installation associated with a meter replacement. Twice it was loose tails, Once it was polarity reversal.
If I were a campaigning sort of bloke. I'd be saying this has got to stop: Negligent contractors. Squabbling and buck passing between the Electric companies. Door step energy sales.
We need: One emergency number like the gas. One emergency provider like the gas. The criminal offence of selling energy door to door.
With appologies to JRRT.
Three ring tones for the Powers of Hell. Seven for the Gen Co.s and yet some more. Nine for the Supply Co.s doomed to sell. One for a saleman at every door. In the Land of London where the shadows lie. No number to rule them all, nor one to find them, No number to ring them all for service by them, In the land of London where the shadows lie.
If the meter operator is already on site and can`t carry out work due to the failure of equipment belonging to the REC it needs to be passed as an emergency call - you effectively have no means of isolation if there was a fire (and you had no DP isolator switch fitted).
The RECs` shift sparks are authorised to do whatever is required to put the customer back on supply - which includes bypassing the meter entirely if necessary, and the meter operator to rerurn at a later date.
I would love to see letter from Energywatch if the customer was on a dialysis machine, and the shift electrician didn`t get the customer back on supply by hook or by crook (*where safe to do so).
I think its reasonable to reject that as a means of contact if they`re only trying to get hold of you on the day. Strongly suggest they make the payment or you`ll refer it to energywatch anyway.
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