Earth goes bang!

[Khan]

Hi all. Just went to a property where the water and taps were given a shock to the house occupiers. The boiler was cross bonded and had a bonding conductor run to the MET. But however surprisingly the property did not have the main earth. So I had connected a 16mm earth to the ccu and when I was connecting it to the met, it went bang when the 16mm came in contact with the met and let off a little spark. What could this be? The electric was on while I done it, the occupier a has relatives over so could not turn it off.

 

[Marvo]

Thanks Glenn, I'm not one to hold a grudge either for your pic in the general forums

Seriously though with this kinda thread the thing that worries me is it's very easy to jump on the guy and give him hell but if he was lacking in confidence and thinking about getting someone to assist him on site then getting a load of flak is likely to reduce the possibility of this happening.

I agree with Voltz as well a spark is very likely given that the earth is functional as well as protective but the word 'bang' kinda suggests a more sinister problem.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Thanks Glenn, I'm not one to hold a grudge either for your pic in the general forums

Seriously though with this kinda thread the thing that worries me is it's very easy to jump on the guy and give him hell but if he was lacking in confidence and thinking about getting someone to assist him on site then getting a load of flak is likely to reduce the possibility of this happening.

I agree with Voltz as well a spark is very likely given that the earth is functional as well as protective but the word 'bang' kinda suggests a more sinister problem.

but then he just thought `f**k it`...i`ll just crack on anyway....

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Thanks Glenn, I'm not one to hold a grudge either for your pic in the general forums

Seriously though with this kinda thread the thing that worries me is it's very easy to jump on the guy and give him hell but if he was lacking in confidence and thinking about getting someone to assist him on site then getting a load of flak is likely to reduce the possibility of this happening.

I agree with Voltz as well a spark is very likely given that the earth is functional as well as protective but the word 'bang' kinda suggests a more sinister problem.

lol.....lol..

 

[monjoor]

Safety of yourself and those in that building should come first!

Good luck with the fault finding.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Safety of yourself and those in that building should come first!

Good luck with the fault finding.

eh?...`im?...

 

[kingeri]

Hi all. Just went to a property where the water and taps were given a shock to the house occupiers. The boiler was cross bonded and had a bonding conductor run to the MET. But however surprisingly the property did not have the main earth. So I had connected a 16mm earth to the ccu and when I was connecting it to the met, it went bang when the 16mm came in contact with the met and let off a little spark. What could this be? The electric was on while I done it, the occupier a has relatives over so could not turn it off.

Erm.....you need to grow a pair and start putting the safety of your customers first.

 

[telectrix]

ha, so she got relatives for dinner. how does she like them, fried or roasted?

 

[GLENNSPARK]

ha, so she got relatives for dinner. how does she like them, fried or roasted?

baked....in a pie

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probably the annual 4 & 20 club...

 

[uksparks]

ha, so she got relatives for dinner. how does she like them, fried or roasted?

Probably boiled if it was only a little spark just to light the hob!

 

[Engineer54]

Hi all. Just went to a property where the water and taps were given a shock to the house occupiers. The boiler was cross bonded and had a bonding conductor run to the MET. But however surprisingly the property did not have the main earth. So I had connected a 16mm earth to the ccu and when I was connecting it to the met, it went bang when the 16mm came in contact with the met and let off a little spark. What could this be? The electric was on while I done it, the occupier a has relatives over so could not turn it off.

A connection from the MET to the CU is ''NOT'' the main earth connection!!

But what test could I have done if the fault wasn't there at the time I was at the property. You could only test something when the fault is present. No safe isolation wasn't done it was only connecting a earth. We all do a quick fix on a Sunday evening it wasn't dangerous it's all in good working condition

How the hell would you know, if you didn't conduct any tests FFS??

Words just escape me on this one!!

 

[44ALLAN]

Did the earth go BANG or did you get a small spark when connecting it?

I have seen small sparks when connecting earths before.


Big difference between a BIG BANG and a small difference in potential.

Exactamundo.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

A connection from the MET to the CU is ''NOT'' the main earth connection!!



How the hell would you know, if you didn't conduct any tests FFS??

Words just escape me on this one!!

you cant educate pork eng....you just cant..

 

[Knobhead]

I really can’t believe I’ve read this!

Marvo, regardless of the forums wish not to upset members, this guy is a liability!

I wouldn’t give a ---- if the Queen was guest of honour, disconnect until the fault is found.
I take it this fault is resent or have they had a pair of marigolds handing at the side of each tap since moving in.

On a practical note. Sounds like a N→E internal fault in conjunction with a high resistance supply neutral. I take it there’s a functional RCD? Maybe not given the OP’s response so far.

 

[uksparks]

There's just no excuse not to follow safe isolation, this is how people end up in wooden boxes!

 

[GLENNSPARK]

I really can’t believe I’ve read this!

Marvo, regardless of the forums wish not to upset members, this guy is a liability!

I wouldn’t give a ---- if the Queen was guest of honour, disconnect until the fault is found.
I take it this fault is resent or have they had a pair of marigolds handing at the side of each tap since moving in.

On a practical note. Sounds like a N→E internal fault in conjunction with a high resistance supply neutral. I take it there’s a functional RCD? Maybe not given the OP’s response so far.

can be unreliable as well on N-E faults...

 

[GLENNSPARK]

There's just no excuse not to follow safe isolation, this is how people end up in wooden boxes!

the man`s a div...its as simple as that i`m afraid...