PME on an earth cable?

[Nicky Tesla]

I did a test the other day at a small block of flats with 2 storeys and 6 flats in each block. When i looked in the meter cupboard on the ground floor, i noticed that there was a 3 phase incomer feeding 6 mains fuses, but there was no neutral.

The neutral from the meter and the earth were connected together as expected for TNCS, but this then connected to a green/yellow cable strapped to the side of the incoming 3phase cable as a combined neutral/earth and not just earth as the colours suggest.

:|

Surely this is not right, but it is not part of my PIR as it is on the supply side.

 

[Sidewinder]

Record it and report it to the local DNO & forget about it.

 

[Andy™]

what cable was it? if its TP concentric, then the outer cores are neutral (& earth if TNCS)

 

[Nicky Tesla]

No not concentric......PEN conductor was a 35mm or more earth cable strapped to the side.......I dont know where it went, but all the blocks were the same.

What colour should a PEN conductor be any way?

 

[Andy™]

so what type cable was it?

 

[Nicky Tesla]

SWA 3 phase with seperate earth and no neutral

 

[steptoe]

headbang

and people wonder why I have a go?

 

[Andy™]

SWA 3 phase with seperate earth and no neutral

so the armour of the SWA is neutral? definately not right. best contact DNO and see what they say about it

 

[Nicky Tesla]

No, armour not connected as far as i could see. just the earth

 

[Andy™]

nothing to stop separate earth alongside SWA, but not for use as a neutral. this comes under ESQCR anyway, but im sure its not allowed in 7671 (all live conductors should be within the same ferrous enclosure/cable or something like that).

 

[Sidewinder]

Hang on Nicky, that does not sound right, is this actually a DNO cable?

 

[Nicky Tesla]

Yes, all the keep off stickers are in place!....Feeding the meters, but i assume all these supplies to the blocks may go to one point somewhere, but where, i dont know.

 

[Andy™]

any pics for the black museum?

 

[Nicky Tesla]

I took some on my phone, iv got loads through the years. Il get round to posting them some day.:Neil

 

[steptoe]

right,

so is it an armour or a concentric?

do you know the difference?

 

[Andy™]

right,so is it an armour or a concentric?

do you know the difference?

3C SWA with separate earth (also used as neutral) by the sounds of it (well, thats what i think he means)

 

[Nicky Tesla]

its not concentric.......3 seperate 35/50mm red blue and yellow ( not heat shrinked) conductors come out of a thick black cable which has been buried into the concrete floor with a 35/50mm earth strapped to the side. The 3 conductors go to 3 fuse holders each with two fuses, which then feed a meter each. The required neutral goes to a block fom each meter, which then joins to the MET and this all joins to the earth cable strapped to the cables side. Most of this is done inside plastic trunking with DNO stickers. But these can easily fall off before we even turn up:innocent

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

If the meters are at the feed end of this cable then its the consumers property

 

[Andy™]

its not concentric.......3 seperate 35/50mm red blue and yellow ( not heat shrinked) conductors come out of a thick black cable

so its now not SWA then?

any chance of deciding what cable it is and sticking with it?

 

[steptoe]

and what size it is...........