Hi all,
So, Thames Water has identified a leak in the pipe leading from the water main to our house, and is going to replace it with a plastic pipe.
They've advised that if our house is an oldish one (which it is) there's a chance that our electrics might be still grounded through the water supply. Obviously if they replace our connection with a plastic pipe, that's going to screw things up a bit.
So I've got an electrician coming over to check it out, but I want to make sure I really understand what's going on before making a monkey of myself.
(a) Should it be really obvious whether or not our electrics are grounded through the water pipe, or is it something that's going to involve a lot of digging around and detective work? (b) There are a couple of earth wires coming out of the distribution panel, one of which is connected to a water pipe. Is this evidence that we're grounded through the water supply, or is it just this 'bonding' thing I've heard about that stops us getting electric shocks when we touch the taps? (c) If we *are* grounded through the water supply, what do they replace it with? A ground rod in our cellar? (d) How much does that kind of installation usually cost? Big job?
Cheers for your help, Chris