Earth Rod - Advice please!

[Kaydee]

Hi, I am not an electrician, but need some advice from one, if you wouldn't mind helping, please?
We've just paid £3,500.00 to have a 3-bed semi completely rewired and are told the job is now finished. (We paid half up front, they now want the other half).
Outside the front of the property, they've installed what they've told us is an 'earth rod'. There's a long piece of thick, black, plastic tubing, leading to a unit that is fixed to the ground.
It comes almost onto the driveway, right in front of an attractive bush to the side of the front door and looks really unsightly.
We questioned them about it and were told it was 'regulation' that it had to be installed that way, a metre from the house, in a straight line.
I haven't seen anything like this in front of any other property, including ones that have been recently rewired, but want to check my facts before challenging them on this.
Is this normal? Can it/should it be buried underground?

 

[telectrix]

it may be that when the 18th comes out, that will only apply to new installations and maybe rewires.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

it may be that when the 18th comes out, that will only apply to new installations and maybe rewires.

We can but hope!

 

[davesparks]

it may be that when the 18th comes out, that will only apply to new installations and maybe rewires.

I doubt it because the danger that it is there to reduce is more likely to occur in older installations.
I believe the regulation is coming as a reaction to the reported increase of cne conductor faults.

 

[bigspark17]

I think that earth rod set up is poor.. cheap s**t box and not buried.! Id get him to change that even if he wanted some extra money for doing so, but he should have buried the conduit!

 

[Midwest]

I think that earth rod set up is poor.. cheap s**t box and not buried.! Id get him to change that even if he wanted some extra money for doing so, but he should have buried the conduit!

Bury it, how deep? Someone might attack that out of control 'bush' with a shovel.

 

[bigspark17]

In the OP it states in front of an ""attractive bush""... haha

 

[Risteard]

I doubt it because the danger that it is there to reduce is more likely to occur in older installations.
I believe the regulation is coming as a reaction to the reported increase of cne conductor faults.

And long overdue - most of the rest of the world were way ahead with having Earth electrodes on TN-C-S systems.

 

[Midwest]

And long overdue - most of the rest of the world were way ahead with having Earth electrodes on TN-C-S systems.

You explain that to Mrs Miggins when she wants a new socket for her curlers

 

[Dave OCD]

That Mrs Miggins is a good customer of yours Midwest !

 

[NDG Elecs]

I didn't fully follow the 18th edition changes post around a month ago. And I dare say that my concerns were mentioned in it. I don't think it is necessarily a bad idea at all, and it will give me a chance to dust off my rarely used SDS maxi! On the ground though, doing work day to day, I think all it will achieve is my quotes bring undercut hugely. There are plenty of cowboys out there already, and this will only help them IMO.

And I agree that the rod installation in the piccy is pretty tatty. Yeah ok it's in conduit, and the rod is enclosed, but I don't think that it is in a suitable location. Once that vegetation grows it could be forgotten about completely. I would have discussed it with the client and put a proper pit in, at the visible edge of the flowerbed at least.

 

[FatAlan]

Why not just get the DNO to provide a TNCS connection? I'm on at TT system and my Ze was too high. DNO came out and connected up to head to give a TNCS connection. I was advised to disconnect the earth rod as it could result in nuisance tripping.

 

[bigspark17]

They may not always provide a pme facility, how could an earth electrode cause nuisance tripping?? This is why DNO opreatives should stay meter side of installations.

 

[Wilko]

Why not just get the DNO to provide a TNCS connection? I'm on at TT system and my Ze was too high. DNO came out and connected up to head to give a TNCS connection. I was advised to disconnect the earth rod as it could result in nuisance tripping.

Hi Alan - just interested in them advising you to bin the rod, how could it cause nuisance tripping do you reckon?

 

[Midwest]

Why not just get the DNO to provide a TNCS connection? I'm on at TT system and my Ze was too high. DNO came out and connected up to head to give a TNCS connection. I was advised to disconnect the earth rod as it could result in nuisance tripping.

Should of left it in, you might be putting it back in a few years time

 

[FatAlan]

Funnily enough I haven't touched the existing rod and have had no problems with any tripping