Randomusername

That’s good to know thanks. Uniblock are on my list of preferred systems at this point simply because they’re U.K. manufactured, and I really don’t want the guilt of importing a massive bulk of insulation product 100s of miles, if at all possible!

I’ve been researching various ICF systems for my build/s. JUB looks interesting but as far as I understand they do a set of pre-configured designs, due to the nature of the construction meaning that blocks are all formed as the finished piece and do not require cutting. However I’ve searched in vain for an overview of these designs, in vain. Does anyone have any pointers? I’d like to know in advance whether any of them will be suitable for the plots dimensions/scale/outline planning/dimensions etc. Many thanks for any help.

Yes. The problem with earth rod protection to car charger unit supplies, as I understand it, is that the charger lead length could be such that the “local” charging unit earthing arrangement is no longer sufficiently near to the large metal object which it supplies… In this respect, a fault-based disconnection system is likely to be far more “end-user proof”…

I do agree with you, but not everyone will… To my mind, it’s a sensible way to effectively reduce the possibility of dangerous PEN faults, in the event that the supply cable becomes damaged on its way to the property. But there’s likely to be an inference by many that the DNOs are attempting to shift the responsibility for effective earthing arrangements from themselves on to the end user. Which is quite a regression from the modern tendency to provide PME wherever available, with TT only being used where the supply arrangement was considered to be too outdated to provide a sufficiently “safe” assurance of protective earthing? Regardless of the changes it’s likely that provision of safety features such as automatic disconnection of the protective earth connection in the event of a probable PEN fault being detected will still need to be routinely fitted into electric car charging installations, going into the future…

Yes, you should definitely use the PME earth terminal in the kiosk to provide earthing for the wire armour up to the caravan. There shouldn’t be any need to put any additional earthing into the kiosk at any point, HOWEVER there are some new regs coming in which are not terribly clear, but seem to suggest that from some point in the future in new houses and structures, there will need to be an additional earthing arrangement built in - effectively putting a TT onto every new PME installation! Exactly what form that will take is still unclear… These guys probably explain it better than I can… and they’re well worth following. Very clear and informative electrical insight.

EDIT: I notice that the DNO seem to have provided a connection from the service head/cutout to an earth block which you might well expect to provide a suitable MET tied to the PME. This goes against everything which I’ve been advised and have read about temporary/site supplies. THEREFORE it’s entirely possible that the DNO views this as a permanent supply due to the nature of its construction and the fact that any supplies taken from here will be classed as private sub mains? Should this be confirmed I would immediately rescind my previous assertion that the PME cannot be used to provide cable armour earthing up to (but still not including) a temporary structure.

You’ll need an earth rod and MET next to the cutout/meter assembly, this will only provide the earthing for the SWA cable armour up to the caravan but you shouldn’t export that earth right into the caravan itself. You will then need a separate earth rod at the caravan CU to provide the TT earth as close to it as possible. Site/temporary supplies are not usually allowed to be supplied as PME, so even if there is an earth terminal at the cutout, you shouldn’t connect up to it. You're basically making a TT earth at the meter cabinet to protect cable armour earths, and then a separate TT earth to locally earth any “temporary” structure that you have taken the supply to.

Shipping container, static caravan, builders hut or just the tourer I’ve already got. Short access strip to boundary. Just thinking, what about some old carpet... years ago we used to have it on the allotment for weed suppression! ?

I’m having 40 tonnes of limestone delivered to site on Saturday to provide a base for entrance access/shipping container and caravan base. It is “temporary” as such, although some parts of it may well be retained as finished driveway/parking area - with an additional dressing/surface finish over the top. Groundworker I was chatting to on the telephone suggests that I need to put “polythene or Terram or something” down first, to “stop it all sinking into the top of the soil”. I’d really rather not spend hundreds more on something which is, in essence, temporary (although it’s relative as that might mean 2+ years) and I may well end up moving the stone around, I’m really not able to tell at the moment. I’m willing to top up the areas regularly trafficked by vehicle if necessary - the bits which are around the temporary buildings will mainly have foot traffic only. Thoughts and experience please?

From exposure to electricians over the years, I’ve come to understand that meter tails are correctly described as “insulated and sheathed”. I've never been entirely certain exactly what that difference actually implies in reality though... ?

Meter is installed!

I’m not at all surprised that they’re unconcerned, because that’s the sort of attitude that normally goes along with that sort of poor quality installation! It’s one of the reasons that just leaving trades to get on with it terrifies me... what sort of issues will go undetected because they’re hidden away, and escaped oversight while in progress... ? Has the MDPE pipe been properly sealed into the side of that chamber, or is it just pushed through a hole? Because that’s a much greater concern if so...

From my recently acquired knowledge of such things, I’d concur with the assertion that it’s the pumped outlet from an STP. Looks thoroughly bodged together. Additionally it shouldn’t be in blue MDPE as that causes confusion with fresh water supplies - you can get a black equivalent for non-potable applications.

@ProDave - see attachments On a connected subject, SSE failed to turn up to fit the meter today - I’d taken a day off work so I’m furious. ?

Reposted photo with obscured identities as the photo was clearer than I expected, and I didn’t have specific consent to post...

I imagine so, I didn’t investigate as I was keen to get off site before the rain!

WPD installed the cable and cutout two days ago, 4 men, one van, 3 cherry pickers - and they only needed to use a ladder for the connection to the pole! All done very quickly and without issue. They did leave me a hockey stick but it was agreed that there was little point in installing it to a box on a pole - I’d left the ducting long on purpose so they just ran that up the post. It’s much less likely to get damaged than the hockey stick would have done... New style Henley cutout - no Earth terminal, as was predicted...

Are you suggesting that people called Colin smell? ? But getting back to the subject, ish, I’m presumably not the only one who is baffled by the fact that only the U.K. is in special quarantine, when it’s been reported that this “new” mutation was first recorded in Brazil back in April? ???

I understand the why - and in just about any situation a static caravan or even a metal shed should be TT earthed as near as possible to it, even if it’s being fed by a PME supply inside a nearby building. I just don’t get what circumstance might arise which could lead to the loss of the neutral/earth conductor in concentric cable, where the phase conductor is not also severed or shorted out sufficient to blow the main supply fuse at pole or substation...

I’m assuming that as they’re going to be providing power from a PME feed but insisting that I TT on site, they will not provide a MET and I’ll have to fit one in the cabinet attached to my earth rod, and completely separate from their cabling? However that doesn’t change the fact that their supply neutral will still be tied to their PME earth as there is no way of keeping them separate when they’re visibly connected on the casing of the local transformer! ?

Western Power Distribution here in Lincolnshire have confirmed to me that they have no interest in finding an earth spike in-situ when they come to run the supply from the pole to my TBS supply. Until something is supplied from the box, ie there is a meter and main switch/consumer unit in place, it’s not classified as a usable supply and does not require a TT at the point of connection. However by the time that the meter installer arrives, they would expect to see the earthing rod in place as the supply is then classified as live and usable on completion.

Worthy of note is how much easier it was to deal with SSE than it was with EON (so far anyway). For a start I only had to speak to one person, who I got through to straight away, and who seemed to know what he was talking about. I perhaps made the process easier by not getting mired down in the detail of what the connection was for - instead of emphasising that the connection is a temporary building supply, I (completely honestly) stated that it’s a new connection for a caravan in which I will be living. The MPAN reference is for TBS when he looked it up on the database, so I’m not concealing the fact. But it seems better generally to be on a domestic arrangement, with the protections and choices that offers, than having a commercial metering agreement anyway?

SSE now booked for 29th December! ?

FFS... they can’t install until late Jan/Early Feb! ☹️

CLARIFICATION RECEIVED - No charge to install meter. Hooray! ?