Just bought a new kitchen sink from Howden's (a bog standard metal one), and on the cardboard wrapper was the following admonition:
"This sink must be earthed to your mains supply. Use on of the holes on the sink fixing rail for this purpose. If in doubt, consult an electrician."
Perhaps Howden's ought to be consulting their own electrician, no?!
David
At least it's a real metal sink. It's even more fun on a plastic/composite sink. :))
Are you nit-picking at the detail of the instruction or is it that don't you know that the sink should be bonded to earth?
Brian
Kitchen sinks do NOT need to be bonded to earth.
Owain
It sounds like he realises that is should not be earthed, but was commenting on Howden's incorrect advice that it should be.
Which is the way I read it as well so if it should NOT be bonded it is Brian Reay that needs the electrician ..:-0
kitchen sinks do need to be earthed if there made from a conductive material, such as stainless! this is usually done by bonding to the cold water pipe and in turn the cold water pipe should be earthed to the mains with a 10mm earth cable.
I have a stainless sink in the kitchen and it isn't earthed. The water pipes aren't either (plastic... )
Darren
Besides - it does not say that. It says it should be earthed to the *mains supply*. Which bit of the mains supply is that, I wonder, the live or the neutral?
The message from "Jason" contains these words:
Mains water, of course!
The IEE disagree with you. See page 26 of the OSG
Adam
Our local council electrician who came out as part of the building control Part P police failed my rewire of the house because of lack of kitchen sink bonding - coincidentally, a Howdens sink like the OP.
Mains water comes in just under the sink so it meant running about a metre of earth cable and he was happy and passed the whole installation. If I were the OP I'd connect it now anyway 'cos it was a pig of a job getting to the earthing point once the sink was fitted - Howdens instructions that came with the sink specifically state to make the earth connection *before* it's fitted and I now know why :o(
John.
You should have challenged that. Part P's enough of a nuisance without building control sending people who don't know their stuff.
Yes exactly the same happened to me (although in my case it was pre-Part P and a regular - qualified - electrician)
No chance! These people can be as anal as they feel like it when carrying out an inspection; how do you think they are likely to react when challenged on technical stuff by a totally unqualified d-i-yer (especially when they are proved to be in the wrong). Me, I shall duly apply my bonding cables, for all the effort that involves, and will smile sweetly at the inspector when he comes calling.
Mind you, I think I will be forgiven if I refrain from "earthing it to the mains supply"! ;-)
David
You are incorrect
They get better than that.
I rewired some council flats in Leeds. The IEE is ignored and the local councils own rules apply.
The rules were (and probably still are) that the kitchen sink and the hot and cold pipes supplying the sink had to be cross bonded and taken back to the main incoming stop tap. One of my installations failed the test by an "inspector" as the 6mm (why 6mm?) earth cable loop between the hot and cold tap was too long. He claimed that someone might get their hand trapped in the loop. I was fired shortly afterwards (thank god) for not wearing a high viz jacket on site whilst I was f*****g the woman at flat no 34.
Adam
ROFLMAO Oh I love this newsgroup.....!
I was imagining the council issuing their workmen with Condoms, High Vis, Workmen, For The Use Of.
Mind and always wear protection!
Owain
I can imagine some lawyer advising his client to sue a Council because they hadn't.
Just don't forget to remove them afterwards. The last thing you want in a kitchen is a sink with a reliably low earth impedence to more reliably electrocute yourself with.
Christian.
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