Thread: Earth to water pipe? IMportant?

I believe that is correct - but there are probably millions of houses wired when it was legal.

Thanks

I have reclamped it back to the pipe.
Will get the leccy to come and do a safety check.
The buildings here are circa 85 - must have been the norm around then?

Originally Posted by gruntfuttock

I thought that it was illegal to earth to a water pipe now??

Illegal for new installations - it’s not (not could it be) a retrospective standard - as mentioned there are millions of installations still like this out there.

Originally Posted by RANDLOVER

I think P38 and Tins are right,

Thanks, but my opinion on the tragic accident wasn't given, as it would have been worthless. I understand the basics of household power, but in no way am I an expert, or even a competent sparky.
I only said that I could see no harm in reinstating a broken earth connection. Even if another earth connection was made elsewhere, two earths are at least equal to one, and maybe there wasn't another anywhere.
OP needs a sparky.

Originally Posted by edddo

The buildings here are circa 85 - must have been the norm around then?

Yep. Never lived in a new house. All the houses I have lived in had something similar.

The case of the poor girl in Perth is heart breaking. But I have to question some of the stuff in those reports:

"This open circuit neutral caused a voltage rise on the property's protective earth system," the report read.

The electric shock hit her with a surge of up to 250 volts of electricity, which is five times the amount that can cause serious damage to the human body.

I realise that both of those reports are not a copy of the actual report, but written by somebody that thinks they know.

Despite at one time holding an electrical contractors licence in WA, I am stuffed if I have ever heard the expression: "equipotential bonding"!
Just as I have been pulled up on here for referring to the MEN system as "Multiple Earthed Neutral"! (supposedly now called something else!)

WHAT ON EARTH IS EQUIPOTENTIAL BONDING

WHAT ON EARTH IS EQUIPOTENTIAL BONDING - Masterspec

With few exceptions, New Zealand and Australia use the Multiple Earthed Neutral (MEN) system as the basis of electrical distribution and installations. Basically within an electrical installation, the earthing system is separate from the neutral conductor, and is connected to exposed conductive parts of equipment. Internationally this system is considered safe and reliable when it comes to dealing with short circuits, earth faults etc.

AS/NZS 3000 Electrical installations (known as the Australian/New Zealand Wiring Rules)

Both AS/NZS 3000:2007 (cited in NZBC G9/VM1) and AS/NZS 3000:2018 (not cited in NZBC) cover the subject of earthing arrangements and earthing conductors in their respective Section 5. The two versions are very similar and for the most part identical in the way they deal with conductive elements of the building that do not form part of the electrical installation.

Homestar, do you have an up to date copy of the SAA wiring rules?

Originally Posted by gruntfuttock

I thought that it was illegal to earth to a water pipe now??

Water pipes on new houses are made of plastic and plastic is not a good conductor of electricity
If a new house has copper water pipes it must still be bonded to the main earth

The Tenesia Woods incident is very controversial
The first photos that I seen of the incident and it’s surrounds showed a trampoline directly underneath the overhead mains cable
The report states that the main neutral was disconnected which caused the flow of electricity flow through the MEN link to the main earth stake and bonded water pipe
The middle of summer in sandgroper country the ground becomes very dry and without water doesn’t conduct electricity, therefore does not become a good “earth”
If the kids were jumping on the trampoline and hitting the overhead mains, there is a good chance the neutral became disconnected at the mains connection box
Jumping on the trampoline causes people to become thirsty
As you drink from the tap there is some spillage of water which then makes the earth conductive
When you get electrocuted the electricity flows through the easiest pass to earth
Usually your hang is the culprit and the electricity will flow through your hand to your arm, either down your leg to earth (oh ****, what the **** moment)
If your other hand is touching a steel earthed object your chest and heart come into play before it travels to your other arm to earth (oh ****, wake up in hospital (if your lucky) moment)
When the ground is wet and you are drinking from the tap which is your neutral link (in the MEN system when the neutral is not connected to the main neutral) your brain comes into play which is why Tenesia has copped brain damage

This has not come from the “official” report and is my opinion from factual information I have obtained from my schooling, life as an electrician and personal observations, so take it as you will

If you decide to reconnect your earth yourself, TURN THE MAINS OFF
I know plumbers who have had a shock from disconnecting earth bonds



Gav

Originally Posted by Gav 110

(oh ****, what the **** moment)


Gav

Is that the moment when you wish you could let go, but you can't?