- This topic has 15 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 1 month ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Hi 🙂 been to a washer today and repaired it ok but checked the socket and got no earth customer said she had a bloke in to fit new tiles and sink and worktops but found that one of the sockets in the kitchen the earth wire had come out which sorted the earth problem to the washer socket but the sink was not earthed .does the sink need to be ❓
mark 😕
Re: should sinks be earthed
Yes..
now days with all the plastic pipework thats used…it should be.
bryan
Re: should sinks be earthed
r600a wrote:Yes..
now days with all the plastic pipework thats used…it should be.
bryan
Agree 100{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d} especially if sink is near to washing machine. A quick simple check is to check resistance between appliance (plugged in but not switched on at socket) and the sink or taps if unpainted. should be minimal resistance.
ie < 0.1Re: should sinks be earthed
All metal sinks and associate metal pipework should be electrically bonded, and an earth path must exist.
Alex
Supplementary bonding of metal work surfaces, etc, is not a specific requirement of BS 7671. The designer of the electrical installation may, however, perceive there to be an increased shock risk in that particular location and specify additional bonding.
S1MON wrote:Supplementary bonding of metal work surfaces, etc, is not a specific requirement of BS 7671. The designer of the electrical installation may, however, perceive there to be an increased shock risk in that particular location and specify additional bonding.
I can concur that S1MON has it spot on in that the 17th edition regs DO NOT require additional earth bonding to sinks or work surfaces in a kitchen …correct!:D
However the water supply taps (if they are copper or lead and not plastic) have to be cross-bonded directly to the incoming mains stop-cock). The same regulation likewise equally applies to utility rooms.
However they do not apply to shower rooms, wash-rooms/cloakrooms and bathrooms. So if you find (say) a washing machine wedged into a small downstairs cloakroom (as I did recently) and that small sink is not cross-bonded then it darn well should be (even with the old 16th edition regs).
Re: should sinks be earthed
The pipe work is earthed but when the plumber refitted the metal sink he fitted 2 plastic valves which then broke the earth bond to the sink and left a earth wire dangoling free. I spoke to a plumber and he said it was ok but spoke to a sparky and he said it should be earthed as the path had been broken ❓ hence the confusement 😕 😕 so I thought one of you guys may know ❓
Re: should sinks be earthed
mbdas wrote:The pipe work is earthed but when the plumber refitted the metal sink he fitted 2 plastic valves which then broke the earth bond to the sink and left a earth wire dangoling free. I spoke to a plumber and he said it was ok but spoke to a sparky and he said it should be earthed as the path had been broken ❓ hence the confusement 😕 😕 so I thought one of you guys may know ❓
In this instance the plumber is correct and not the spark. If the water supply line has been switched from copper to plastic (as you appear to suggest when you referred to “2 plastic valves”) the metal sink need not be earthed. However as the plumber has left the existing earth wire dangling free I’m sure it would be a simple task to earth the metal sink to re-establish an existing earth bond if you wish.
Re: should sinks be earthed
yes thats what Ive done but plumber has put willys 😆 into the customer by saying the sink need not be earth coz if she was washing pots and a lighting strike happened she would get zapped :zap:
Re: should sinks be earthed
mbdas wrote:yes thats what Ive done but plumber has put willys 😆 into the customer by saying the sink need not be earth coz if she was washing pots and a lighting strike happened she would get zapped :zap:
Again the plumber is correct because whether the sink was earthed or not and lightening struck whilst she was washing the dishes, she could indeed get zapped. But it’s interesting to note that the chances of getting struck by lightening are around 1 in 3 million. That’s based on being outdoors and unprotected at the time. The chances of your house being zapped are slightly wider odds at 1 in 4.5 million. However, the chances of being in your house and washing the dishes during a lightening strike then the odds are getting far greater at 1 in 75 million.
Finally, the odds of someone directly, rather than the house they are in, actually being “zapped” by lightening whilst washing the dishes is almost astronomical in proportion to imagine. Bearing in mind that the highest point of the house (i.e the chimney, the TV antenna, roof ridge tiles etc) are the points where lightening will strike (i.e the easiest point to ground). I would venture to guess then that the odds may be somewhere in the region of 1 in 8,000 million?
So, if you give those somewhat hypothetical statistics some or any credence at all, I would think there’s more chance of the plumber “putting willys into the customer” has more chance of occurring than any of the above, don’t you think? Personally I’m not sure as I’m not a betting man.:twisted:
Re: should sinks be earthed
im just mildly concerned about the plumber actually possibly being a pimp…
Re: should sinks be earthed
think you have to use common sense….i cover my arse every call by completing electrolux safety reports for un earthed sinks……i dont care what the electrics are, i follow the proceedures and cover my backside as a serviceforce engineer……what a world it has become !!!!…sad really
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.