What's This For?

Is this a line to a private tank for oil or gas?  If so to ensure the tank and plumbing are at a similar potential to the ground upon which it stands, partly for exposed conductive part into a definite extraneous, and partly as antistatic - more of a concern with LPG /propane than heavy oils.. However, if the clamp is over the plastip pipe sleeve it serves no useful purpose at all.  Be aware that pipe joints with ptfe or sealing compounds can be a lot poorer connections than the pipe, and the fluids tend to be dielectrics.. If it is not a fuel line, sorry, but the installers intention is probably similar.

Mike

It is a domestic oil pipe for an oil boiler Mike. It seems to be common practice around here by oil boiler engineers to install earth electrodes.

Z.

well if the tanks are steel cuboids stood on sleepers or concrete blocks, as they are in more rural Hants, then the tank is neither solidly earthed nor electrically floating. It might be the intention that ensures something trips if a boiler or pump fault tries to make it live.

It may not be that useful in many cases with PME earthing, but round here the sort of rural places that burn oil are normally TT supplied on bare overhead singles installed in the 1950s, so  all additional electrodes capable of sinking multiples of 30mA will be gratefully received ;-) For the oilmen it was probably easier to fit one every time than to ask.

Mike

I bet that it is someone’s idea of a main protective bond! 

The supply is P.M.E. and the boiler and pump will be effectively earthed Mike.

Z.

then it not that much use, but it is probably easier to always fit one, and PME+ rod is certainly not wrong.

M.

There's a thing. The tank is plastic and raised off the ground. The oil pipe is covered in plastic so normally is not an extraneous-conductive-part. But the earth rod makes it an extraneous-conductive-part thus it needs bonding. So now the P.M.E. earth is exported to the outside pipe. Is that good? A lost neutral may raise the metal pipe up to mains Voltage and anyone touching it at the oil filter position may receive a shock. A sideways picture of the oil tank..........

Z.