Diverted neutral currents

Most new underground gas pipes are plastic. The possible problems occur with legacy metal pipes.

Topic: Requirements for Hi-Fi enthusiast   Posted: 18 April 2013 07:21 pm   Subject: Requirements for Hi-Fi enthusiast

Far be it from me to tread on the toes of the music buffs, but 99.99% of what is proposed or postulated in this sector is complete bloody nonsense. Where I have to deal with systems that might be likened to the issues surrounding hi-fi and earthing, then avoidance of earth coupling and socket outlets supplied via electrical seperation transformers (with or without voltage stabilisation cores) would seem slightly safer and successful route for the OP than risking his client binning the RCD. Try a look for such companies as Claude Lyons for examples and take a read through Regulation Group 413. For those into TT'ing sockets in PME areas (ie virtually everywhere) - spend an hour with a low amperage reading clamp meter - try it around anything that looks metal and see what's really flowing in the ground - and into your earth rod. I was standing outside a building with the BOD a little while back and we clamped the handrail of a recently installed disabled ramp and also the adjoining scaffolding for facade repairs - we were seeing levels of earth leakage that would have us in 543.7 territory Regards OMS And another topic link that was prior to "me too". https://www2.theiet.org/forums/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=205&threadid=35309&messageid=292718 Apologies. I couldn't find a way to put this at the start of my reply Kelly, but the above are topics that relate to the widespread presence of diverted neutral currents in handrails and scaffolding. And pretty much everything else! Regards BOD

...  I was thinking that maybe a new rule should be that allgas pipes must be plastic coated where they enter the ground. Now I know if a gas pipe gets broken its likely to tear the plastic but its better than nothing.

Connection with true earth is only small part of the problem - a bigger one is connection to the earth of the supply elsewhere - e.g. via bonding in a neighbouring property. To stop that you'd need a complete break in the continuity of the gas pipe.


   - Andy.

I never thought scaffolding and handrails could carry diverted currents is there anywhere they can't get? im tempted now put my clamp around some metal railings near here and maybe some in town although the ones in town have an earth attached because there is a LV boat supply cabinet mounted on it.

I never thought scaffolding and handrails could carry diverted currents is there anywhere they can't get?


To the extreme, I'd even think that a worm orientated in the line between the transformer star point earth and consumer's cut out could have some current passing though it Kelly!


I bought my first "leakage clamp meter", must have been in 1993/4 and at some £400, it got used everywhere. The novelty has worn off since but still very useful to demonstrate to consumers having RCD tripping problems, by clamping around the meter tails (NOT the earthing conductor), the presence of "leakage".


It's also interesting, well to me anyway, to clamp the earthing conductor and measure with with main switch on and then off to see the presence of diverted neutral currents, entering/exiting the property. The most I've measured is 6 Amps.


Regards


BOD