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RCD failure causes shock in neighbours house

Large rural home, family members getting shocks from water pipes when water was running. Owner got a severe shock from the outside tap. Their contractor did some investigation and ruled out a fault in the installation. As the system was TNCS it then looked like a classic case of DNO lost neutral so contractor called them in. Investigation revealed a fault in a nearby farm which was on the same single-phase transformer but was TT. They duly cut off the the offending circuit which they established was supplying the barn. They removed a 45A fuse from the distribution circuit and stuck warning tape over the fuse carrier but left the fuse. Problem solved. I was called in by the home owner when the shocks returned. Unfortunately it was late yesterday afternoon and I didn’t relish the prospect. I stuck a bit of reinforcing bar in the garden and measured 187v between that and the outside tap which was connected to a copper supply pipe. I went to the farm and the old farmer kindly gave me access. He had replaced the fuse that the DNO removed as he needed light to feed his animals but forgot to remove it again. Anyway, his own contractor had apparently dismissed the DNO diagnosis. I pulled the fuse and found that the fault voltage at the house disappeared. Further investigation revealed an almost dead short between phase and earth on a circuit in the barn. The RCD had failed. Given that it was a TT system the fault current was insufficient to blow the 45A fuse. The fault voltage in the house, I speculate, was the manifestation of the voltage drop across the DNO earth electrode. 

The situation does reflect an issue in TTing installations on a TNCS system.
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  • Mike


    Assuming the water pipe is bonded to the incoming neutral in the house which means that it is connected to one pole of the transformer. This is a single phase pole transformer so the HV side will not have an earth screen if an overhead HV supply. One pole is connected to an earth electrode to create a neutral which could have an earth resistance of up to 20 ohms. The house is TN- C - S so as the supply has more than one consumer will be PME but could be PNB. So probably a few electrodes along the cable run. The farm is TT so no connection to the supply neutral but could be a connection via a metal water pipe between the farm electrode and the house neutral.


    We have a 187V potential difference between the supply neutral and the general mass of earth in the house. If every thing Electrical in the house works that suggests the  general mass of earth is rising up to 187V. I know about Hot Sites in respect of HV but not an LV fault to Earth causing a voltage rise of earth some distance away.


    If the house water pipe is not bonded and that pipe is connected to the farm I can see the voltage rise.


    So how else can you get a voltage rise of the general mass of earth some distance away without an earthing or bonding issue?
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  • Mike


    Assuming the water pipe is bonded to the incoming neutral in the house which means that it is connected to one pole of the transformer. This is a single phase pole transformer so the HV side will not have an earth screen if an overhead HV supply. One pole is connected to an earth electrode to create a neutral which could have an earth resistance of up to 20 ohms. The house is TN- C - S so as the supply has more than one consumer will be PME but could be PNB. So probably a few electrodes along the cable run. The farm is TT so no connection to the supply neutral but could be a connection via a metal water pipe between the farm electrode and the house neutral.


    We have a 187V potential difference between the supply neutral and the general mass of earth in the house. If every thing Electrical in the house works that suggests the  general mass of earth is rising up to 187V. I know about Hot Sites in respect of HV but not an LV fault to Earth causing a voltage rise of earth some distance away.


    If the house water pipe is not bonded and that pipe is connected to the farm I can see the voltage rise.


    So how else can you get a voltage rise of the general mass of earth some distance away without an earthing or bonding issue?
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