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THE CAMPAIGN FOR REAL EARTHING

John Peckham
I think that we were considering adopting PME earthing systems today on what we know now we would say no thanks?


I strongly believe that the use of PME earthing systems is inherently unsafe. I am keen to hear any technical arguments to defend the use of PME?


Most PME DNO new distribution cable use 3 core Wavecon cables for UG distribution with single phase concentric cables tapped off for single phase users. For overhead open wire supplies of newer installs ABC cable.


There is no reason not to use 4 core Wavecons and distribute a much safer TN-S earthing system other than the cables will be a 1/3rd more expensive.


 I believe that the DNOs having been tentatively asking government  for a £trillion pounds to upgrade their networks for when we stop burning fossil fuels and go all electric. No doubt the DNOs hope that the government, civil servants and politicians will have forgotten that these private companies purchased a public assets for a knock down price with the idea that the public would no longer have to subsidies a public body! 


A good start would be that no new supplies will be PME, no replacement cables will be PME and no repairs to cables will be PME conversions. For instance a new housing estate would have to be an all TN-S installation. I understand that WPD are already installing TN-S earthing systems for new housing estates. If this is the case then well done WPD. Can anyone confirm this?


I am also concerned about the degradation of the of the Global Earthing System with use of all plastic covered cables, no bonding to metallic service pipes and the failure on DNO contractors to install earth rods and joints to save time and money. Will we start to see 442 type over voltages?


Look at my EV charging thread and the measures we are having to deploy due to PME earthing, we are having to do this because the PME system is inherently unsafe!


Is there support for my proposed campaign?
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  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    mapj1:

     the hard pressed linesmen go into the substation block, or up a pole, do some magic, the power goes off and then is restored, and the lost PEN part misses the official stats.




    Back in a previous life, I worked with ESKOM in South Africa - we had several UK line crew and jointers who had given up the cold and wet life with UK area boards for a life of sun and apartheid. It wasn't that uncommon for linesmen to admit to tightening line taps and then slacking them back a turn to generate call outs that kept their bonus at the highest possible. At one point we were using line taps with shear heads that once tightened and sheared couldn't be re opened (as they had no hex head left). Ditto for the jointers. Similar situation as the "on shift" guys who used to drive around looking for street light outages and submitting them back the next day, until they got an emergency call - one character I worked with kept an air rifle handy in the van to ensure the outages were sufficient to keep his brother in law gainfully employed repairing them.


    To be fair, these were then still nationalized industries  - but old attitudes die hard in some areas.. The nearest factory to me where I grew up used to make ammunition boxes and jerry cans for MoD - almost every house had a red oxide front step and a jerry can green line post and back garden gate. Under the kitchen sink, the shoe cleaning kit was usually in a flip top cannister designed to carry 7.62 link ammunition. Several houses had clear glass tungsten lamps that when lit would project "NCB" onto the front parlour wall.


    Such is life


    Regards


    OMS

Reply
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member

    mapj1:

     the hard pressed linesmen go into the substation block, or up a pole, do some magic, the power goes off and then is restored, and the lost PEN part misses the official stats.




    Back in a previous life, I worked with ESKOM in South Africa - we had several UK line crew and jointers who had given up the cold and wet life with UK area boards for a life of sun and apartheid. It wasn't that uncommon for linesmen to admit to tightening line taps and then slacking them back a turn to generate call outs that kept their bonus at the highest possible. At one point we were using line taps with shear heads that once tightened and sheared couldn't be re opened (as they had no hex head left). Ditto for the jointers. Similar situation as the "on shift" guys who used to drive around looking for street light outages and submitting them back the next day, until they got an emergency call - one character I worked with kept an air rifle handy in the van to ensure the outages were sufficient to keep his brother in law gainfully employed repairing them.


    To be fair, these were then still nationalized industries  - but old attitudes die hard in some areas.. The nearest factory to me where I grew up used to make ammunition boxes and jerry cans for MoD - almost every house had a red oxide front step and a jerry can green line post and back garden gate. Under the kitchen sink, the shoe cleaning kit was usually in a flip top cannister designed to carry 7.62 link ammunition. Several houses had clear glass tungsten lamps that when lit would project "NCB" onto the front parlour wall.


    Such is life


    Regards


    OMS

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