problem with tns system, where does the customer stand??

[egginyourface]

did a job the other week and on completion found earth was taken from lead water pipe .

put in temp earth rod and advised customer to get energy provider to come have a look and sort it out. A week and a half later after we called them they said they will come and look but it sounds like they want to charge for the repair works as this is house holders responsibility?

is this true that customer will have to pay?

has anyone experienced this?

 

[malcolmsanford]

Unforunately yes if the DNO are going to provide an earthing system then they will charge you for the work. The chances are they will have to fit a new head, as most systems they offer now will be TNC-S. I think about the average price is about 150 pounds, but of course that will depend on the local DNO.

IMO it's worth doing as I think you will get a safer installation with TNC-S rather than a TT

 

[egginyourface]

thanks malcom

 

[Geordie Spark]

I think it's way past the time when the government should be ordering these DNOs to get their kit updated.

Every customers supply should have new tails - instead of the bits of string we often see, an isolator AND a proper earth.

There should be a time limit set for this to be completed & if it isn't done within that time, there should be a penalty tax of some kind imposed.

That way, we may see some money being re-invested where it's needed, instead of being stuffed into the back pockets of the directors & shareholders of the DNOs.

As an aside, two weeks ago, I phoned our DNO to enquire if my customer's house was within a PME area. I was told that they couldn't disclose that information over the phone & would write "within 5 working days". I'm still waiting !!!

 

[mogga]

DNOs are a law unto themselfs Unlike GAS electricity doesnt build up and cause massive explosions and leak under the street causing buildups ( This is one of the reasons BGN are upgrading gas pipes all over the place The power network is being pushed more and more towards the limits but it just breaks down it doesnt explode taking a couple of houses with it
IMO its like GasSafe versus Electrician safe it SHOULD be done it NEEDS done but the government dont see the problem wit JoeBlogs killing himself or his family by boogling the electrics but if he boogles with gas he could cause whols row of houses to go up Ita also a monetry thing who would pay IMO All those shareholders who are willing to reap off the top and cutback on repairs to boost their own coffers

 

[Geordie Spark]

<< This is one of the reasons BGN are upgrading gas pipes all over the place >>

The old fashioned Town Gas which was made from coal & which we used until the mid 60's (I think) when we changed to Natural Gas was quite wet so much so that Water Traps were needed at strategic ponts in the distribution network. The Gas Companies had special trucks with pumps to remove the water from these traps when they became full.

There was an advantage to all this moisture though, & it was in keeping the pipe joints leak-free. The joints were filled with hemp which expands when wet - thus helping maintain a gas tight seal - but contracts as it dries out.

The "new" gas is dry & this caused horrendous problems with the old hemp-filled joints. the company I worked for at that time was working with the Gas Council Engineering Research Station to find a way to stop these leaks & one of the things we tried was encapsulation. This involved shotblasting the joint to make it clean right down to bare metal, wrapping the joint in a rubber band (like the inner tube of a tyre) & pumping the space between the rubber band & the pipe joint with epoxy resin.

Tests in lab conditions seemed to show that it would be a success but it wasn't really, so the next trick was to shove plastic pipe inside the old iron pipe & that developed to where we are today where we dig a trench & lay the plastic pipe directly into it.