House next Friday!

[Bailes1992]

I've never really understood earth bonding in a house, see my house is *mega* bonded (even the Bathroom Radiators are bonded separately) but all of this goes back to an incoming Mains Cold Water which converts to MDPE (plastic) before it disappears underground

A potential is a voltage. So the water becomes live you now have a 230v potential. If you touch something that's earth that has a 0v potential then current will flow through you.
By earthing everything together if the shower did rise to 230v so would everything else in the bathroom. That way you couldn't get a shock as everything would be at the same potential.

[steve_earwig]

It might be better to call it potential difference, i.e. the difference in potential between two points e.g. the two poles on a car battery have a potential difference of 12 (or there abouts) volts.

I think the point of earthing anything metal at all in a house is it's not safe to assume anything is actually earthed, stuff like the mains pipe might not conduct electricity (see Welly's plastic supply pipe) and that the joints on plumbing aren't actually insulated by layers of PTFE (or hemp, which is what I have to use here because the tolerances are too big for PTFE ) . A few years ago I heard of someone here who decided to put a metal handrail on their stairs. One of the screws they used penetrated the house wiring and the whole rail was live. If it had been earthed it would have just tripped out the RCD, instead of making the guy dance.

I must admit I have no training in domestic electickery but it's something I deal with on a regular basis through necessity.

The stuff about being electrocuted in the shower is ringing my bell as a couple of years back two Croatian football players were showering in their club house (every village not only has ore than it's fair share of idiots here, they also have a football club and pitch) when something happened to make the showers live and they were electrocuted. This is something I often think about when I'm showering, mainly because I already know that the RCDs that every house has here actually trigger at a higher current than that which would stop my ticker.

Also, what's the deal with this fuse panel? If they're not rewirable how do you get the wires in them in the first place? Do they have connectors that you can only use once (junk) or are the tails already installed so you have to fettle them into your house through new conduit? Inquiring minds etc.

[markw]

The term 'rewireable' just refers to the fuse and to the fact that it's just a piece of fuse wire strung between two points on the fuse carrier. In other words, when it blows, the fuse can be repaired by 'rewiring' it.
Old technology (if the term technology can be applied to this ancient method...) that ought to be replaced at the earliest opportunity with at least mcb's or better still RCBO's so that you get the best of both worlds. Tight overcurrent protection and individual circuit earth leakege protection.

The comment earlier about the mains water pipe converting to plastic as it disappears under the foundations is largely irrelevent. For many years now in the UK, the incoming neutral is solidly connected to the consumer's earth terminal at the intake position and this system is known as PME. (protective multiple earthed). Earthing and bonding practice then becomes statutory as the fault currents flowing under this system are many times higher than would be seen under the old 'earth stake/ water pipe earth' scenario.

But to return to the shower=shock situation....as long as all extraneous metalwork is solidly bonded together and to the main earth terminal, the chances of that happening are remote at the most!

[rwb]

And Rich, what's wrong with a whirlpool? We have one where I'm living now and it's great.

Is it still the 80s in Wales
Just pulling your leg.
The great thing about it being yours is that you can have what it how you want it.

What's all this bonding?

[Bailes1992]

The other half wants to paint and do all sorts before moving in. I just wanted to change the fuse board and enjoy the house for a few months. Apparently not.

[steve_earwig]

The term 'rewireable' just refers to the fuse and to the fact that it's just a piece of fuse wire strung between two points on the fuse carrier.

Oh those I thought you were all referring to some funky new bit of kit. SO yes rewirables then, I thought they went out with the arc in the UK. Unlike certain other countries I could think of...

The comment earlier about the mains water pipe converting to plastic as it disappears under the foundations is largely irrelevent.

It is now, or rather it should be

But to return to the shower=shock situation....as long as all extraneous metalwork is solidly bonded together and to the main earth terminal, the chances of that happening are remote at the most!

Unless whoever put it all together was too drunk to know what they were doing. I've tested all the sockets in this place and they're all fine (now...), unlike at my sis-in-laws where every single one of them tested faulty, not actually because they'd been wired up wrong, just because they were CHEAP CRAP But, you know, it's always at the back of my mind.

The other half wants to paint

Buy here an easel