Please help. No earth to electrical meter

Hello,

I'm a domestic customer with a question, all advice gratefully accepted.

Due to small extension the electrical meter and consumer unit had to be moved. SW Power Distribution moved it. Our electrician provided meter tails from new meter/CU position to existing fuse board. Supply company fixed meter tails to new meter.....only they didn't attach the earth wire.

Following this our electrician came and did the electrical work for en-suite bathroom extension (electric towel rail, extractor and lighting) and said he would provide certificate.

Some days later I saw that the earth had not been connected to the consumer unit. I sent him a photo text that evening and he came around the next morning to attach earth to CU. I asked him if there was any danger from leaving the house without an earth and he said there was a very slight chance that anything could have gone wrong.

My question (eventually I hear you sigh)

Could the completed work undertaken by the electrician have passed a Certificated Test without the earth connected to the CU?

The installation was completed in September. I have been asking for the final invoice and Certificate since then so I can get the en-suite signed off by building regs. I keep getting promises that invoice & cert will arrive, but they never do.

Thank you so much for your patience and advice in advance

All the best

Wallaby

Modern meters would not have an earth connection so is it possible to show a pic to explain what you mean.

If you mean the electrician omitted to connect the earth from the consumer unit to the suppliers earth terminal on the supply head, then yes his testing would have discovered the fact and thus any certificate is likely to be a work of fiction.

But we can only speculate as you talk about an earth to the meter, which by their design they don't have an earth connection.

Any chance of a photo of what you mean?

Thank you so much for your replies. Here is a photo. Apologies for my lack of clarity. The earth wire was not connected to the thing (i presume consumer unit?) on the left.

thanks again

Wallaby

So it wasn't connected to the left part, the service head.

Any test results provided without that earth connected would BS of the highest order. One of the main tests we do is Zs which is a loop test of Live and Earth - no earth connection means that would be not possible. Is said cable fiddler registered wth Napit or NICEIC? If so complain to their registration body and do not pay the bill. Buildin Control should also be very interested in any short comings in the electrical testing - I would also talk to them about this issue.

Hi Fleeting,

Thank you for your answer.

Correct, it was not fitted to the block on the left, where the earth wire now enters from the side adjacent to the black rubber removable bung/plug.

Hi Binky
Thank you so much for your reply.
The electrician is registered with NICEIC.

Perhaps this explains the lack of invoice since September.
I guess the advice would be to get another electrician in to test and provide certificate?

Cheers Binky

Brad

I would suggest you write to the electrician but I doubt you will get anywhere particularly as he has been and fitted it.
Perhaps he hasn’t produced a certificate and final invoice because he knew he hadn’t finished and is too busy to pop back!!
I would suggest that you write to him formally requesting the certification give him 7 or 14 days days to respond (your choice) explain if he doesn’t then you will seeking support from his CPS scheme - I’m assuming that he is registered with a scheme?

Wallaby said:

Hi Binky
Thank you so much for your reply.
The electrician is registered with NICEIC.

Perhaps this explains the lack of invoice since September.
I guess the advice would be to get another electrician in to test and provide certificate?

Cheers Binky

Brad

Click to expand...

His scheme will give him the opportunity to complete the works in first instance if he fails to do so his insurance via the scheme will allow them to send an alternative member, or at least that’s how it use to work?

HI Sharpend,

Thank you for your time, it's most appreciated.

I'm not sure if he is a member of a CPS scheme. He is NICEIC
You're right, I've been too patient just relying upon texts. I will write tomorrow and give deadline.

Cheers Sharpend

Wallaby

Wallaby said:

Hi Fleeting,

Thank you for your answer.

Correct, it was not fitted to the block on the left, where the earth wire now enters from the side adjacent to the black rubber removable bung/plug.

Click to expand...

Looks to me like someone has bodged a makeshift hole in the service head..

Then stuffed a closed grommet in their bodged hole!

Also... looks like that fuse carrier has no seals on it??

But I may be wrong????

Wallaby said:

HI Sharpend,

Thank you for your time, it's most appreciated.

I'm not sure if he is a member of a CPS scheme. He is NICEIC
You're right, I've been too patient just relying upon texts. I will write tomorrow and give deadline.

Cheers Sharpend

Wallaby

Click to expand...

CPS = Competent Person Scheme..

NICEIC are a CPS..

NICEIC have a customer complaints procedure where you can log a problem if one of their registered contractors fails to provide satisfactory goods or services...

https://www.niceic.com/find-a-contractor/complaints

Have you double checked they are a valid NICEIC contractor?

https://www.niceic.com/contractor

Its not uncommon to find rouge traders falsely claiming membership of trades bodies they are NOT entitled to use!

Rather sadly it seems that providing electrical certificates are few and far between - and if the "spark" is a CPS member they may just do the Part P so the LABC get confirmation.

This seems to be getting more and more common from what I encounter

SPECIAL LOCATION said:

Looks to me like someone has bodged a makeshift hole in the service head..

Then stuffed a closed grommet in their bodged hole!

Also... looks like that fuse carrier has no seals on it??

But I may be wrong????

Click to expand...

That's a newer type head which do have access to the earth terminal, it's not been bodged

Wallaby said:

Hi Binky
Thank you so much for your reply.
The electrician is registered with NICEIC.

Perhaps this explains the lack of invoice since September.
I guess the advice would be to get another electrician in to test and provide certificate?

Cheers Binky

Brad

Click to expand...

If he still has not invoiced you, I would just keep quiet.

ProDave said:

If he still has not invoiced you, I would just keep quiet.

Click to expand...

That had occurred to me, but will still need cert for BC, an inspection should surfice under the circumstances?

its also possible that the spark did verify the earthing originally, it was then removed by others and not reconnected (arguably, whoever fitted service head has been negligent in their duty by leaving the installation in a potentially dangerous situation by not reconnecting it). further work was then done and loop / Zs tests were fine because of parallel paths so all appeared good, although condition of earth hadnt been verified because it already had been previous visit...

binky said:

That's a newer type head which do have access to the earth terminal, it's not been bodged

Click to expand...

Now that is interesting, I have never come across one of those, yet.

Others have addressed earthing incomptence. Hope it gets resolved.
My query is how far is it from the new meter to the consumer unit? If more than 3m why was a switchfuse not installed?
And if less, why wasn't a double pole 100A switch installed for safe isolation?!

I also notice lack of seals on fuse carrier, and also terminal cover of meter. Big no-no.