Earthing

sparkyste1 · May 29, 2014

Hi all, in December 2012 I subbed for a company and following there instructions I was sent t a job to do a consumer unit change and gas/water bonding. upon my arrival and inspection, I found the bonding to already be present and correct in 10mm. The old /unit was metal clad with metal conduit running off to feed the circuits. Due to the new c/u being pvc I placed a bonding clamp on each of the conduit and earthed as appropriate from the consumer units earthing block. The conduit was the earthing supply hence my clamps and re earthing the conduit.
Can anyone please let me know if this was sufficient????

Customer had just moved in and was renovating, they have recently had another sparky n and within 20mins of being on site he has said my work is wrong.
I gave the completed cert to the company I subbed to a have now found out they have not issued it to the customer (believe they might have lost it). I noted on the cert of the renovations as light fittings were hanging due to plastering and painting being done. I now have no proof of this...

Advise please....

Deleted member 72666 · May 29, 2014

sparkyste1 said:
I can recall one of the lights which was hanging loose waiting to be replaced was the bathroom light. This had an earth wire to the fitting which I confirmed was in fact an earth wire and not just in position to make it look earthed.

I wished you'd mentioned that earlier lol!

sparkyste1 · May 29, 2014

I can't confirm what the property is like now and who else has messed with the lighting circuit. As I say, when I left the property only had pendants in position while the all work was being carried out. The electrician they've had in recently has mentioned metal fittings... They we're not installed when I carried out my work.

trev · May 29, 2014

sparkyste1 said:
I can't confirm what the property is like now and who else has messed with the lighting circuit. As I say, when I left the property only had pendants in position while the all work was being carried out. The electrician they've had in recently has mentioned metal fittings... They we're not installed when I carried out my work.

Did you or didn't you have an earth at every point when you left and did you prove it by a test mate?

Richard Burns · May 29, 2014

The BS951 clamps will look terrible but as Trev says they should provide a suitable earth path, so long as your Zs measurements for the circuits were OK there should be no electrical problem.

It is quite possible that a fitting relying on the attachment to the conduit box for earthing could have been replaced with a different fitting and that could be the problem.

should have used conduit earthing points.

Deleted member 72666 · May 29, 2014

trev said:
No separate cpc, what's wrong with using the conduit?
I know that this set up with fly leads coming from the conduit isn't usual but if the system is electrically and mechanically sound and an earth has been proven at each point of utilisation then I don't see any major problem.
Maybe it's just me

Nothing wrong with that at all if it terminates to the accessories!
And as you've said, fly-leads not very common in this instance.
Plus another spark has declared no earthing to lights!

sparkyste1 · May 29, 2014

No I'm certain all conduits was tagged as I cut, cleaned and put the earth clamp on as I removed the old c/u they was connected to. It's problems like this why I left the company, problem after problem from company bosses quoting electrics when they know nothing or even how to wire up a plug top.

sparkyste1 · May 29, 2014

stantheman said:
Nothing wrong with that at all if it terminates to the accessories!
And as you've said, fly-leads not very common in this instance.
Plus another spark has declared no earthing to lights!

but as I mentioned the other spark has mentioned metal fittings, they was not there when c/u was done so someone else has worked on the installation.... Since me.

Silly Sausage · May 29, 2014

sparkyste1 said:
but as I mentioned the other spark has mentioned metal fittings, they was not there when c/u was done so someone else has worked on the installation.... Since me.

You're in the clear then.

The conduit is the CPC to each accessory point.
Whoever fitted metal fittings should have taken an earth from the conduit to the fitting.

trev · May 29, 2014

I might be on my own here but I don't really see this as your real problem. As you said earlier, you were subbing to this outfit and they (presumably) would have had a QS is place who's job it is to sign off on what you have done. If he/she hasn't gotten off their backsides to check your work then that is their choice.
The customer had a contract with them, not you. Your contract was between you and the company you subbed for.
Furthermore, if you have proven an earth existed at each point of utilisation then at some later date some knacker has installed metal fittings without connecting a fly lead from fitting to conduit then why is that down to you. You walked away from a perfectly serviceable (if unorthodox) circuit, from what you've told us.

Deleted member 72666 · May 29, 2014

sparkyste1 said:
but as I mentioned the other spark has mentioned metal fittings, they was not there when c/u was done so someone else has worked on the installation.... Since me.

Yes and that's why I assumed that only the conduit was earthed on reconnection and that it didn't extend to the fittings themselves or why else would you be concerned about metal fittings?

sparkyste1 · May 29, 2014

Can put my mind at ease now, think I was a little concerned due to doubting myself... But from all your posts it's easy to see I've done everything I needed to, think the next thing I need to do is get in contact with the company (even though I don't want to) and ask for a copy of the cert if they haven't lost it.

Geordie Spark · May 29, 2014

sparkyste1 said:
but as I mentioned the other spark has mentioned metal fittings, they was not there when c/u was done so someone else has worked on the installation.... Since me.

If "someone else has worked on the installation" since you, why the hell are you worried about it now??? It's the "someone else's problem now.

Go and have a lie down in a dark room and chill before you have a stroke or something.

And in furure keep your own copies of all the paperwork yourself. You never know when you may be caught short of bog roll.

sparkyste1 · May 29, 2014

stantheman said:
Yes and that's why I assumed that only the conduit was earthed on reconnection and that it didn't extend to the fittings themselves or why else would you be concerned about metal fittings?

Me I'm not concerned about the metal fittings as I didn't install them, only reason the metal fittings will concern me is.... If the cert can't be found, what proof do I have the fittings wasn't there. This is why I've got to bite the bullet and contact the company for a copy of the cert.

trev · May 29, 2014

sparkyste1 said:
Can put my mind at ease now, think I was a little concerned due to doubting myself... But from all your posts it's easy to see I've done everything I needed to, think the next thing I need to do is get in contact with the company (even though I don't want to) and ask for a copy of the cert if they haven't lost it.

I don't understand why the customer has contacted you mate. What's going on?

sparkyste1 · May 29, 2014

Geordie Spark said:
If "someone else has worked on the installation" since you, why the hell are you worried about it now??? It's the "someone else's problem now.

Go and have a lie down in a dark room and chill before you have a stroke or something.

And in furure keep your own copies of all the paperwork yourself. You never know when you may be caught short of bog roll.

Might have to take your advice.. Don't fancy a stroke tonight.
As per previous messages, I can't prove it was or wasn't me who put the fittings there and can't prove they was or was not there when I carried out my work.