earthing a meter

soups05

Hi guys, a quick question for you. while i was at work yesterday a guy from the ESB called to my house and took out the old meter and installed a new one.
He pointed out a grey box beside the meter which he told my wife we would need to get an electrician out to earth.

he says that as my house is 60 years old they never earthed them back in those days and we should get this box earthed.

this new box,set beside the meter, was installed by him. I can't understand why we would have to pay to get someone out when the ESB have already sent this guy out. is he just being lazy or is it something that is down to me?

i dont know too much about the meter side of electrics, what happens if i dont earth it?

when he left he did not put the main trip switch back on so my wife had to get on a step ladder (short arse lol) and flip the switch back. then she goes and falls off the ladder. so this guy has really pissed me off at this stage.

any advice? should i get an electrician or ring the ESB and demand they fix it.

lods

soups05 wrote: »

Hi guys, a quick question for you. while i was at work yesterday a guy from the ESB called to my house and took out the old meter and installed a new one.
He pointed out a grey box beside the meter which he told my wife we would need to get an electrician out to earth.

he says that as my house is 60 years old they never earthed them back in those days and we should get this box earthed.

this new box,set beside the meter, was installed by him. I can't understand why we would have to pay to get someone out when the ESB have already sent this guy out. is he just being lazy or is it something that is down to me?

i dont know too much about the meter side of electrics, what happens if i dont earth it?

when he left he did not put the main trip switch back on so my wife had to get on a step ladder (short arse lol) and flip the switch back. then she goes and falls off the ladder. so this guy has really pissed me off at this stage.

any advice? should i get an electrician or ring the ESB and demand they fix it.

Anything after the meter is your problem.

soups05

cheers iods. good to know. i thought since he put the box in he should have earthed it. guess i better call an electrician

Davy

Did he say about upgrading your earthing? That your earth is only 2.5 or similar which isnt up to spec now. You need to get a sparks to sort your side of things first

trad

As a matter of interest why did the ESB change the meter?

Davy

trad wrote: »

As a matter of interest why did the ESB change the meter?

Old 40amp type meter i would say

soups05

Davy wrote: »

Old 40amp type meter i would say

well it was one of those old fashioned ones with the spinning wheel in the centre. really old looking lol. thanks guys

trad

Check your electricity usage with the new meter. I have an ongoing issue with the ESB and the accuracy or lack of it of the old type meters. I suspect they are aware of this and are quitely replacing the old meters.

soups05

sorry, dont know how to post pics

M cebee

soups05 wrote: »

sorry, dont know how to post pics

i got it-he fitted a new cutout:p

he means your installation isn't neutralized


he was doin you a favour-ring him up and thank him:D

RoundyMooney

M cebee wrote: »

i got it-he fitted a new cutout:p

he means your installation isn't neutralized


he was doin you a favour-ring him up and thank him:D

I'd say you're correct.

If someone was present, there was no reason for him not to turn on again though.

RoundyMooney

trad wrote: »

Check your electricity usage with the new meter. I have an ongoing issue with the ESB and the accuracy or lack of it of the old type meters. I suspect they are aware of this and are quitely replacing the old meters.

Wholly incorrect.

M cebee

installation is prob in bad nick

i've been called out plenty in these circumstances-they spot a problem and advise that a sparkie checks before re-energizing

RoundyMooney

They'd normally say that though, if they did yer man didn't mention it.

The meter exchange was probably done as it was found to be a 15/40A one ( I think you might have said this somewhere earlier).

As an aside, seeing that someone was suspicious of meter readings, a major program of meter replacement was done in the early 90s, where these little Siemens etc., meters were replaced for more substantial ones.

Many people (particularly farmers with milking parlours) were surprised to find their bills went up. The original meters, which seldom carried little more than a socket, a light, and a sacred heart lamp when installed, had over the years become saturated under high load conditions (electric showers etc.,) with the result that they under-recorded for years during high current demand. This was discovered almost by accident as the replacement programme progressed!

M cebee

the old installations that were earthed directly-i don't recall seeing main rcds much for automatic disconnection

metalwork work used to go live frequently


suppose it was hobson's choice in pre-rcd days

-independent earthing or connect to supply with a possible dodgy neutral
when lines were unreliable and trafos could be some distance away

RoundyMooney

They were there alright, but seemed to be more common in rural areas, probably because they were connected at a later stage than the towns in many cases.

I've seen plenty without them too, of course.

I've also seen contractors baffled by zloop readings of 100ohm or greater, and at a loss as to why, obviously none of them post here!

M cebee

all final circuits 30mA protection is best for TT

either rcbo's or a dual rcd type board

a fault loop impedance of around 200 ohm max preferably(can go up to about 1700 ohm in theory for 30mA)

not common here now anyhow-but work in the UK and you need to be able to work with TT,TNS and TN-C-S