Property earth wire

[lumepo]

Builders have been refurbishing my flat. As part of the work they had to rewire the entire flat, change the fuse box and lower the ceilings.

The fist thing they did was to remove the fuse box and fitted the false ceiling.

After re-plastering the flat, installing a new fuse box, fitting the lights etc, they suddenly announced that the flat never had an earth wire and fitted one by drilling a hole on the wall, running it below the gutters and screwing it to the electric box in the stairs. The flat has an external balcony, hence the wire is exposed to all weathers.

No other flats has earth wires running externally. They seem to run through metallic pipes and internally.

I need arguments to persuade the builders to find the original earth wire and do the work properly. I perceive their work to be hazardous and imagine that if there was a fire from my flat affecting the rest of the building the insurance company would make me liable for the damage. Are there building regulations to which I could refer?

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[First-time-buyer]

How would your flat affect the whole property? How does the fitment of an 'earth' wire affect this?

The cable can be clipped externally. Its an earth.

 

[JohnW2]

How would your flat affect the whole property?

...if there was a fire from my flat affecting the rest of the building ....

Kind Regards, John

 

[lumepo]

If there earth wire became disconnected from the box or was physically damaged would be property become more exposed to possible fires?

If a fire could be attributed to a faulty electrical installation insurance companies are unlikely to pay for the damage. Fires in my building have spread from one flat to another.

 

[JohnW2]

If there earth wire became disconnected from the box or was physically damaged would be property become more exposed to possible fires?

Absence of an adequate earth could, in some (albeit rare) circumstances increase fire risk. However, as has been said, there is nothing, per se, wrong with having an earth wire routed externally. Apart from possibly being disruptive (to decoration etc.) routing the wire internally might raise other issues - such as the penetration of fire barriers between flats.

Kind Regards, John

 

[bernardgreen]

The "earthing" arrangements in a block of flats can be complicated by how the gas and water supplies are routed to the individual flats.

If all the flats are "earthed" as PME to the same incoming Neutral then any other connections between flats ( water and /or internal gas pipes ) shouldn't give rise to any problems.

If for any reason the ground floor flat has a TT supply with a ground rod providing the earth then inter-flat connections between a PME "earth" and the TT earth via water, gas or other service can create problems.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

... fitted one by drilling a hole on the wall, running it below the gutters and screwing it to the electric box in the stairs.

Confusing.

They've run an earth wire from what in your flat to what, where?

 

[sparkwright]

... fitted one by drilling a hole on the wall, running it below the gutters and screwing it to the electric box in the stairs.

Confusing.

They've run an earth wire from what in your flat to what, where?

I don't fully get much of this either.

Lumepo, when you say the flat didn't have an earth, are you talking about the main earth that provides the earth for the whole flat?

Or are you talking about a earth bond cable, that gets connected to the water (and gas if you have it) pipes?

It seems unlikely for a flat not to have a main earth. Though this may explain why it supposedly went unnoticed.

Pictures would really be helpful here.

 

[lumepo]

The flat is one of ten along an opened balcony. The fuse box is inside the flat and the electrical box is in the communal stairway.

The builders run the earth wire from the fuse box, through a hole in the seating room wall to the balcony, below the gutters passing three other flats to the stair way and hocked to the electrical box.

 

[JohnW2]

One could speculate that the feed from the 'electric box' to the OP's 'fuse box' may well be SWA, with the armour (and maybe a core) of this providing an adequate earth for the OP's flat - and that the builder did not recognise this and has therefore installed a parallel conductor, thinking that the flat had 'no earth'. The fact that none of the other flats seem to have felt the need to do the same might give some support to such speculation.

Methinks an electrician needs to look at this to ascertain whether the builder's new earth cable is actually necessary!

Kind Regards, John

 

[lumepo]

There was an earth wire.

The old fuse box was replaced with a new one. The builders removed the old fuse box and installed a false ceiling leaving the earth wire above it.

 

[JohnW2]

There was an earth wire. The old fuse box was replaced with a new one. The builders removed the old fuse box and installed a false ceiling leaving the earth wire above it.

So why on earth did they not extend that old earth wire to supply the new fuse box - did they simply forget until it was too late (false ceiling installed)?

Are you happy with these builder's work in general?

Kind Regards, John

 

[lumepo]

They forgot the earth wire above the false ceiling.

In extensive projects it is difficult to change builders half way. There is no easy way of assessing fees fairly. All that remains is to supervise the work as closely as possible.

Thank you all for all your help.

 

[flameport]

If the location of the old earth is known, why not remove a small section of ceiling, retrieve the wire and repair the ceiling.

Tacking cables all over the building surely took far longer and cost more, as well as probably requiring permission before attaching items to the exterior walls of other people's flats or common areas.

 

[JohnW2]

If the location of the old earth is known, why not remove a small section of ceiling, retrieve the wire and repair the ceiling. Tacking cables all over the building surely took far longer and cost more, as well as probably requiring permission before attaching items to the exterior walls of other people's flats or common areas.

Quite so. We all make mistakes, and if I unintentionally 'hid' something that was needed, I would 'unhide it' and deal with associated making good. As you say, the alternative approach they took undoubtedly involved more time, cost and hassle (if they even did get the necessary permissions!). If it were me, I think I would attempt to 'demand' that they do now what they should have done in the first place (and remove their 'new earth' as well!).

Kind Regards, John