type of supply

[timmyquick]

Hi this is an earlier post i made //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14883

so i wrote an email to the REC asking them what type of supply i have and this is the reply

Mr Lhear,

Thank you for your email.

Pleased to inform you that we are able to help with your query.

To move things forward as quickly as possible you will need to contact our
Service alterations department on 0191 448 2752

What do you think they are likely to say tommorrow, when i ring them as its the Service alterations department? thought they would just tell me what i have in the Email. only just recieved this email this evening.

And very curious as what they will say when i ring, worried that they think i'm stupid or something ( probably not far off ).

 

[Lectrician]

LOL - Thats the DNO's / REC's for ya.

If you say to them you suspect you have no earth, an engineer will be out with in they day. You will find out for sure that way.

Looks like TN-s, but they may grant PME on that cable also. You could ALWAYS go for TT.

If you leave an earth ready for them to connect, and request a connection, if they cant connect the earth, the worst is, that you wil need to install a 100mA TS RCD, and a ROD.

 

[timmyquick]

Well i phoned the number as stated in the reply email, they then passed me to Central Networks Western Region.

They said they would do nothing about having no earth until i have a certificate to say the electrics in the house are up to regulations (or something along those lines) and that the mains water is bonded as well as the gas mains.

They then said i need an engineer to say if my supply is suitable to convert to PME ( would an electrician know this?). If i did this they would sort my earth out. So i do not know how to proceed shall i pay and have all the above done? or simply just pay an electrician to bang in earth rod into the ground?. As money is tight and do not need an electrician to say to me have a whole rewire just for a certificate and i do not want the mess just want a new CU and some bloody earth!

Any help appreciated

 

[Beanzy]

The problem here is your wants and theirs are not the same. You want to believe the existing set-up is safe as it hasn't malfunctioned yet. But without proper testing of the installation you can't tell. They want to ensure that the system they're supplying is safe, and that their work isn't going to cause danger or expose them to liabilities they are prohibited by law from taking on.

Only safe solution here is to have a Periodic Inspection Report done and act on it's recommendations. Then have them finalise the situation by upgrading it if required. If you think a rewire is needed, then how wise is it to ignore this?. How will your insurers react in the event of a fire as they'll now have the recommendation from the Distributor to go back to. They'll try anything to squirm out of a claim, and they're good at it.

If money is very tight one possibility is to extend the mortgage to cover the necessary upgrade work. It raises the value of a property to have fully certified electrical systems, and mekes it more attractive to prospective buyers as they aren't exposed to an unknown situation when buying.