Unofficial earthing

Why don't you just Google for "electrician" and give them the number, surely they are not helpless! It might not be a modification. I have seen the arrangement you describe many times - often done by the local electricity company before privatisation. Why have they suddenly become concerned about the earthing arrangements? Don't go trying to scare people when you don't have a clue what you are talking about. Are you a salesman by any chance? You might do well in the double glazing industry!

Well, it confused me because that's how mine is done, with a braided strap and the house was built in 1955. Am I missing something ?

Andy.

I was waiting for the part where you decribed what what was wrong with the installation, but all you described was a normal TN-S installation. Why do they think anything is wrong?

Supplier earth AND RCD, what more could one ask for

NT

Earthing to the cable sheath is still one of the approved methods where PME isn't available. And will still be provided by the supply company. It can be tested in the usual way.

On Thu, 31 Jan 2008 08:15:46 -0000 someone who may be "Autolycus" wrote this:-

Nothing wrong with this in theory. It is a standard method of earthing.

However, there may be problems in the details. If it is a "standard" clamp applied to a lead sheath, which is not reinforced with steel, then it is likely to be deforming the lead, making the clamp lose over time and perhaps crushing the paper insulated cores of the cable.

If you could take a photograph and put it somewhere publically accessible someone might be able to help more.

Thanks for the comments so far.

Pete: Having a bad morning? The point about asking here was either to receive reassurance, or to be an informed buyer when asking an electrician who, particularly if found through random searching, may have his own agenda. The abuse didn't seem strictly necessary.

Andy: Yours may have been done professionally - the owners think the one I asked about may be an amateur job.

Andrew: I had remembered references to the distributor providing an earth - I wanted to check that it was OK for others to have provided it to the supplier's cable sheath. The OSG (4.9 (vi)) refers to the use of lead sheaths as earth electrodes for TT, with various conditions, and in

Dave P: As above - amateur as against supply company.

David H: I noticed the clamp was still tight, but with no apparent distortion of the sheath.

I think that the overall conclusion is that the method is reasonably sound, if not strictly compliant, but should perhaps have its earth electrode resistance checked.

What's the reason for the belief that it is unofficial, untested, amateur, not strictly compliant etc?

Why don't you take a photo of it, upload it somewhere, and post a reference to it here? We'll all know what you're talking about then!

No, he always seems to be like that.

... an imaginary problem.

NT