Sharing Knowledge, a little situation I encountered

[sellers]

Thought I'd share this situation I had a couple of months ago after reading the recent shower thread it reminded me.

Just over a year ago I did an install at a new fish pedicure shop (the ones where women sit and get their feet nibbled)

All fairly straight forward. I tried to treat the tanks as baths using the correct zones for the room, allthough this would prove difficult with 230v items being submerged within them.

The company that installed the tanks asked for RCD socket outlets to be on an non RCD circuit to ensure in the event of a fault, it would be isolated to the specific tank and thus not kill the fish in all 6 tanks due to the filters and pumps being off. All made sense to me.

I was called back 2 months ago to some strange goings on. Can anyone suggest what I may have missed? Which is why you shouldn't always work to BS7671, sometimes you need to work above and beyond it. It made perfect sense to me as soon as I got the call and I'm suprised the installation company don't spec this too!

 

[steptoe]

you didnt put a light above the sign? :C

 

[NozSpark]

What was the problem, something to do with the test button by any chance?

 

[Sidewinder]

What were the strange goings on?

I've not seen them, been told about them, or been to the shop when they were going on, oh, my crystal ball is also broken!

 

[sellers]

The complaint was a charge being felt from the water at times.

 

[Sidewinder]

What was the earthing system?

What was the "equipment" in the tanks?

What was the charge being felt between?

What are the other supply & distribution details?

 

[steptoe]

electric eels!

---------- Post Auto-Merged at 21:58 ---------- Previous post was made at 21:56 ----------

ah ha,

earth leakage via the customer,

the tanks shoulda been rodded ( ), cause all the kit in them was DI, and not earthed.

 

[sellers]

What was the earthing system?What was the "equipment" in the tanks?

What was the charge being felt between?

What are the other supply & distribution details?

TNS

Class 2 heaters, filter and pump, 240v

charge being felt between client sat in tank and employee when touching

12 x RCD sockets supplied via B32 MCB

 

[Sidewinder]

Direct from the origin?

What were the clients sat in/on?

What were the employees standing on?

What was the situation with the external metal work around the location?

When did you do this install?

IF it was after 1/1/12 DID you comply with BS7671, really?...

I suspect not...

 

[sellers]

Direct from the origin?What were the clients sat in/on?

What were the employees standing on?

What was the situation with the external metal work around the location?

When did you do this install?

IF it was after 1/1/12 DID you comply with BS7671, really?...

I suspect not...

Clients where sat and wooden made stools, with feet in tanks, employees stood on floor, no external metalwork. Tanks were polycarb.

Work was done just over a year ago, I did not install the tanks or assosiated equipment just socket outlets (I would have thought the pumps etc would needed to have been selv)

What could be improved sidey. Thinking about it, they could be treated as swimming pools.

Steps was right, class 2 pump leaking voltage/current to water in tank, voltage in the tank was 70v. Remedy was to run cpc to all tanks back to MET and replace faulty pump.

 

[Sidewinder]

Sect 710, which was in the BRB GN's.

IMHO it WOULD be under 710 now.

 

[steptoe]

can I pick something from the top shelf?

can I , can I,

please?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I am a bit disappointed it wasnt the electric eels though,

 

[NozSpark]

Just so that I get this straight,

You've now put an earth electrode IN the tank?

 

[Badfish]

Would that make it a fishing rod then?

 

[steptoe]

NO, dont be silly NOZ,

he has hammered it through the tank, its in the cellar now.

well, part of it anyway, along with a bucket.

 

[sellers]

As there was no metal work within the tanks to bond to, I fixed some 22mm coper pipe vertically in each tank with a bonding clamp on, then ran a cpc accross each pipe back to the MET.

 

[m4tty]

Any pictures mate ?

 

[Sidewinder]

That is a bit of a sticking plaster to fix a break if you ask me TBH!

 

[NozSpark]

Personally I don't like the idea of sticking my feet in a fish tank and having them nibble them:O

I hate that kind of thing, can't have anyone touching my feet.

 

[sellers]

That is a bit of a sticking plaster to fix a break if you ask me TBH!

Cmon sidey, please elaborate, I'd be interested to know how I could do it better. Especially due to it not being a standard day to day installation.