Earth junk outside front door????

[rocker]

There is a street (which is more of a lane) right behind my house on which loads of the houses have really horrible looking earth cable going across their front door steps, and connected to..... something in the ground. I have been wondering about this since I leafleted there a few weeks ago as Ive never seen anything like it, and so many of the houses had it.

I went to price up a job in the street today, and it was one of the houses with this abomonation. Did the usual checks for bonding and found the gas bonding, but no water bonding to be seen. Seems to be something in the c/u (old wylex) but everything is chased into the walls so can't find where it comes out, and the bit that's going into the ground has been concreted in, so impossible to check from that end. Is this the water bonding? It's only a tiny job (replacing 1 s/o) so I don't want to charge fifty quid plus for bonding if its not needed, and the lady isn't ecstatic about me digging up her front step! Has anyone seen anything like this before? It's not an earth spike it's a TN-S supply (which doesn't stop a certain type of person [you all know who I'm on about] telling people an earth spike is needed I spose). Obviously only a minor cert so only have to tick my little bonding box.... but I can't! Until someone tells me this is a water bond.

Oh yes the main external stopcock (the one you need that pole 'T' screwer thing for) is round the back of the house, and so is her internal stopcock, so imagine the water inlet at least is at the back.

 

[bugsy]

I would have thought the Water bond should be at the stop cock

 

[rocker]

Thats what I would think, but it aint, and the gas has been done so you'd think the water will be done, and there's this mysetry cable, see.......

 

[bugsy]

I can only suggest you disconnect it test it ( I/R ) and work from the reading m/o pm x L if it's possibly the water bond

Don't know what else to suggest

 

[Des 56]

Shooting across the doorstep sure seems like its a earth to a spike,maybe old redundant
I would strip back a little insulation and test it to the board and the water pipes to see if its doing anything

Do you need to check all the installation,after all changing a socket could be considered just maintenance

 

[rocker]

Bugs dont know if I'd be satisfied with that

des I thought spike at first, but it is TN-S. Could be old redundant as you say, but earth cable seems fairly new. Could be a rip-off earth spike scam, whole street could have been done when the paddies were operating a few years ago*

Still gotta fill out a minor cert which calls for 'confirmation of bonding' tick box, even on a like for like. Mind you, dunno what stops me putting a lim or a cross in there..... ha ha o/j.

*when i say 'paddies' I dont mean Irish people I mean the rip off pikeys that we all know and love.

 

[bugsy]

Is it just a 10mm cable disappearing in the floor

 

[rocker]

No, someone has gone to the trouble of pushing an aluminium 'safety connection' label off an earth clamp up it. Other than that, yes that is an accurate description.

 

[wattsup]

Maybe a shared main stopcock that shuts off 2/4 water supplies...I've seen it done before zillions of years ago. No stop cock in individual dwellings, then what happens over the years the yard gets paved/tarmacked over and hey presto can't see the water valve

 

[bugsy]

I think the only thing you can do is report as code 4 does not comply to bs7671 - 08 and make nessacery recommendation although getting to the stop cock sounds like it might be a bugger ,

 

[rocker]

Gord knows. All this for a poxy s/o. I think I will just test the pipes and the c/u end of the cable as someone said. If i get a resonable reading then yes leave my recommendation and get on with the job.

Didn't even charge my standard 'lowest' rate as I could just walk over there. What a polaver!

 

[pevvers]

I would put it down in the comments on existing installation. I don't think a like for like change is really covered by 131.8.