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Bonding

My house was rewired for me 20 years ago by an NICEIC registered firm of electricians. Concurrently a new BS7870PVC concentric cable was run down a pole on my land from overhead cables, then underground and finally up a hockey stick into a DNO head in a new external meter cabinet. Separately a 10mm cable from a new earth rod was run up an adjacent tube, to a MET in the same cabinet.  A conventional TT system, I presume. 

 

The (then) new internal CU (less than 2m from this cabinet) was fitted with 2 x 30ma RCDs between them feeding 14 circuits. One of these (protected by a 16a MCB) goes to a detached fuel store (copper tube connects a steel oil tank to the central heating boiler within the house). Another (also protected by a 16a MCB) goes to a detached now metal framed greenhouse and adjacent twin garage. Sub distribution boards in each outbuilding are fused down to 15a radials to every twin socket and to 5a for lighting. There is no EV charger yet. 

 

2.5mm 3core SWA cables connect the main CU to the sub distribution boards.

 

Does the armour in the SWA qualify as 10mm bonding ?

 

Should separate earth spikes be driven in, near the sub boards in each outbuilding?  If so, how should the (3 core) SWA best be terminated at origin (CU) and at each outbuilding?  

  • It could easily be a plastic consumer unit given its age, making not having an upfront RCD not so much of an issue.

  • Could be split phase TN-S then ,with bare wired earth, as you suggest.

    In that case I'll still take the TT please ?, as that is not the sort of TNS that survives the full PSSC, nor has a touch voltage of Vphase/2. 

    A reduced diameter overhead earth, if it really is,  is not appealing.

    Rather nice to see a metal filial on the post top even if ungrounded - posts here are simply saw cut ~ 30deg to horizontal.

    Mike.

     

  • Sparkingchip came closest ~ the pole with the rather nice galvanised Prussian cap can be found in Upper Wensleydale, Northern Powergrid territory.

    Having looked more closely, the cables going off lower left serve 2 of my neighbours - not just 1. They each connect to the thin (neutral?) cable, one neighbour picks up what I called L1 and the other picks up L2.

    I have also looked at other poles up and down the line.  More distant neighbours appear to connect to any 2 from L1, L2 & L3 but not to the thin wire.  Would the thin wire interconnect Northern Powergrid  transformer cases ?

    143a790daeca73a1d668ee1749de9ce6-original-cimg7-~-lewden-2.jpg

     

    The DNO is comfortable with this plastic Lewden 4/55ENC enclosure being installed in my meter cabinet. It contains a Fusebox RT1001002S 100a Time Delayed 100ma RCD with a Fusebox SPD2PT2 surge protection device (L-N & N-PE) in parallel alongside. The DNO equipment and meter will be protected against SPD (short circuit) failure by a Shawmut Mersen FR1 OAM40V32 fuse.  This lot will be installed for me when my CU is upgraded to 18th Edition metal ~ post Covid.