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Bonding Question

Hi All


Hope you are well - just looking for a bit of guidance on bonding on a job - schematic picture attached.


Basically, 200A head to busbar chamber (TNCS)


63A SPN switch fuse to Building 1 - a big metal shed - 35mm buried SWA 3 core. For main bonding, I understand I have to put 35mm bonds to metalwork. Incoming pipes are plastic. Will I need to bond the incoming BT? Single copper line off the road.


200A isolator to central plant room - 185m away with a 200A MCCB board. This is to feed 5 buildings inc. a 3 phase. Plant room will have an MCB board also for external lighting and air con units which will serve 2 buildings via buried refrigerant pipe. Also a booster pump with metal pipework which is plastic as it leaves/enters the room. Also a central TV/radio system to feed coax out to the 5 buildings fed from here.


As I understand, I need to do 35mm bonds for structure, air con, and also BT incomer and aerial. Believe latter two to be 6mm? Also supplementary 2.5mm bonds for pipes, pumps, metal door frames.


All 5 properties fed from plant room have 35 or 50mm feeds and I understand these all need 35 main bonds for structure, AC pipes (where fed from ac outdoor units at plant room). For coax and BT cables - 6mm bonds? 


In a nutshell - am I correct in my understanding of the bonding sizes, in particular  telecoms and BT feeds? Using combined CPC and bonding conductors. I tend to see 6mm for comms and TV stuff.


A sanity check would be very welcome.


Regards


Muhammad

 
 

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Parents
  • There is little point in bonding to antennas and telecom equipment in a cable size that is much larger than the telecom or antenna cable itself - all that happens if a large current really can flow is  that the thinner cable acts as a fuse to protect the system.


    BS7671 does not handle the (quite likely) case of  earthy metalwork that is not going to be neutral bonded off-site particularly well -  an antenna mast that looks like a pylon with deep footings may  be earthed as well as the local substation, and so be able to carry a substantial fault current, but pipes out to an oil tank on a concrete slab or wires to a TV antenna that goes on wall or chimney and is earthed by wet brickwork is not really in the same league. Sadly the regs see no difference.


    Do the pipes in the out buildings come from the water supply that is already bonded in the first building, or are they external.? You mention plastic - if there is no metallic path to the outside for the pipes then the bonding can be relaxed.


    For mechanical robustness reasons 2.5mm is usually seen as the smallest size cable and if the cable is exposed then 4mm.

    The 35mm sounds like you  need where there is a potential low impedance path that may carry more or less the full  supply neutral current - so from the incoming service head to any metal pipes that go off site, as those metal pipes can be assumed to be bonded to  supply neutral at other sites that share the same substation.




Reply
  • There is little point in bonding to antennas and telecom equipment in a cable size that is much larger than the telecom or antenna cable itself - all that happens if a large current really can flow is  that the thinner cable acts as a fuse to protect the system.


    BS7671 does not handle the (quite likely) case of  earthy metalwork that is not going to be neutral bonded off-site particularly well -  an antenna mast that looks like a pylon with deep footings may  be earthed as well as the local substation, and so be able to carry a substantial fault current, but pipes out to an oil tank on a concrete slab or wires to a TV antenna that goes on wall or chimney and is earthed by wet brickwork is not really in the same league. Sadly the regs see no difference.


    Do the pipes in the out buildings come from the water supply that is already bonded in the first building, or are they external.? You mention plastic - if there is no metallic path to the outside for the pipes then the bonding can be relaxed.


    For mechanical robustness reasons 2.5mm is usually seen as the smallest size cable and if the cable is exposed then 4mm.

    The 35mm sounds like you  need where there is a potential low impedance path that may carry more or less the full  supply neutral current - so from the incoming service head to any metal pipes that go off site, as those metal pipes can be assumed to be bonded to  supply neutral at other sites that share the same substation.




Children
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