Incoming service earth or lack of

[EddieB]

Who is responsible for an earth at the service head, I looked at a job last night and noted the following, the supply cable is standard underground cable about 40years old with a lead inner sheath and a form of bitumen armoured on the outersheath. In nearly every house in the area the same sort of service cable is used. I would have expected to see a earth strap sweated to the sheath but it wasn't in fact there was no earth presented at the head, (this is not an area where a earth spikes are used before you ask) the norm is TNS or TNCS. The house owner called the provider and the reply he got was stick an earth rod in, or if you want to cough up £400 we'll turn it into a TNCS. so the question is should the service supplier as a duty of care to the customer ensure that an earth is supplied at the head.

 

[Eggster71]

Loads of places like that round here, I find quite a few, one on Monday actually with a tenby on the lead sheath but an earth loop of several hundred ohms! The earth from the sheath gets lost when the cable's terminated into a resin joint in the street. Also tenbys shouldn't be used as they can damage the cable.
TT supply mate, had EDF out the first time I came across it, luckily it had a fused neutral so no charge for the PME.

 

[EddieB]

Thanks Eggster 71

 

[Eggster71]

No worries.

 

[marksparky]

the supply authority are useless thats they're answer to everythin stick a spike in! i had a similar situation on a site im doin tncs supply at least it supposed to be and was gettin silly readings for earth loop turned out it was a bad connection by the nie ( supply authority) and they couldnt have been less interested - told me they were in the business of selling electricity not earths needless to say i throttled him down the phone.

 

[Tester Steve]

Is there any evidence that at some time there was an earth provided by the dno? If so, the are legally obliged to maintain it.

Steve.