Our house was built in the 50s so i think it should be up to standard, i found that a house needs a minimum of two grounding rods to safely cope with electrical loads, to prevent electrical leakage, but it can be any number upwards from two, if there is only two would more be a good idea, there is alot of electrical load in our house aswell as a smart meater and two computers with wifi, was wondering if extra grounding rods would make it safer, it hasnt been rewired since the 80s i think, or atleast not in the last 20 years, will you beable to see them under the house at a quick glance without touching anything, i think they are ment to be located close to the power box in the hallway under the house.
gpg58,
Nov 14, 4:45pm
i would have thought that in the fifties, it would be earthed to water pipes, often under hot water cylinder, which were grounded by the then used steel "main's" cold water piping? Mine was anyway, and was later moved from under old cylinder, onto the now disused "main" steel incoming pipe(was also replaced -with plastic), when hot water cylinder was replaced with instant gas(still bonded to the few remaining hot water copper pipes as well).Build in the forties, but extended in the sixties, updated to gas more recently.
gunna-1,
Nov 14, 4:54pm
Oh shesh i hope not, it dose have old copper and mettle pipes, and an 80s hot water cylinder, how it still works i have no idea, did you here about the kid in aussie who got belted of an outside tap, probably extremely rare but scary non the less, something must have arced between the power and earth wires, if it is earthed to the pipes it wont have grounding rods? just wondering about the level of electronic polution in the old place, how many grounding rods would be the equivelant of hooking upto the mettal pipes?.
gpg58,
Nov 14, 4:57pm
Can happen when incoming main has been replaced with plastic, and no other pipes earth is on, are buried.
As a plumbers son, i was well aware of the danger from very young, as dad warned me about a belt he got, when disconnecting pipework from street, below an outside tap.
Usually a newer home when i was working on such, had a single earth stake below outside meter board, no idea of current requirements. My place has the unused incoming buried steel main, and another circuit to an old garden tap, as earthing. Way i see it, that is a lot more metal in the ground covering a large area, than one skinny earth rod in one location. (assuming no breaks or changes to plastic in parts of those circuits)
gunna-1,
Nov 14, 5:04pm
I think the current requirements is two, not sure about the requirements for specific countries, but with the increased modern power loads two or more was recommended, and houses built before 1950 might not be upto standard, as not as much of electricity was used compared to now in that era.
gpg58,
Nov 14, 5:08pm
Not so much amount used, i think more likely due to upgraded supply network, meaning vastly higher potential fault currents. Probably should upgrade mine to include an earth stake (or 2), just incase pipework is mucked about with, by someone in the future, that doesn't realise what they may be doing.
wembley1,
Nov 14, 7:05pm
Conductive water and gas pipe are required to have equipotential *bonding* to earth but is *not* allowed to be the earth conductor. It's not allowed now and I doubt it was allowed then.
The 2010 electricity regulations have all such specific detail buried in standards but the 1997 regulations said: "Pipes conveying water, gas, or flammable liquids or materials must not be used as earth electrodes." (reg 86)
macman26,
Nov 14, 7:09pm
Just ask a sparky to get check your earth and fit an earth rod if required. Multiple rods are not required
tygertung,
Nov 14, 7:21pm
We have only got one, and our house is from the 80s and had the switch board replaced in 2016
perfectimages,
Nov 14, 7:32pm
Agree ! New house (3 yrs) one earth rod only, underneath the outside meter box.
gpg58,
Nov 14, 8:19pm
Electrical Wiring Regulations 1961
153. Earthing lead-In every installation connected to a multiple earthed-neutral system, or to some other source having one conductor connected to earth, the following shall apply: (a) A separate and independent earthing lead shall be taken to an effective earth electrode from the neutral busbar fitted to the main switchboard controlling the installation: (b) At the main switchboard, the earthing lead shall terminate in a separate cable socket which shall be either a soldering socket, or a permanently attached cable socket of some other approved type, and which shall be securely and effectively connected to the neutral bus bar (or stud) by means of a nut and locknut in a manner that will permit separation of the cable socket from the busbar (or stud) for the purpose of testing:
***** (c) Where an effectively earthed metallic water-supply system is available the piping of that system shall be the earth electrode for the purpose of paragraph (a) of this regulation:
***** (d) The earthing lead shall be connected as close as practicable to the point of entry of the water-supply system into the building:
Ps, 152/3/g said (g) Pipes conveying "gas or flammable liquid" or other flammable material shall not be used as an earth-continuity conductor although they may be bonded thereto in compliance with subclause (2) of regulation 69 and regulation 150 hereof.
Like everything in life, things change, likely carrying water and separate earth rods got included after a few plumber deaths.
It all depends on the soil types if you need more than one earth rod.Some buildings are on sand or rock fill and need multiple rods buried deep,otherwise they wont be effective
perfectimages,
Nov 14, 9:24pm
I do not think you are correct. My new house is on a rib raft foundation sitting on 1.2 metres to 2.2 metres of rock (shingle) fill. and only has one earth rod buried in the fill. I know this because i watched the house being built every day including helping the electrician draw the wiring.
macman26,
Nov 14, 9:39pm
As I said. Only 1 earth rod required for a residential situation and most industrial. If required for lightning protection that’s a whole different situation and multiple rods may be required.
johotech,
Nov 14, 9:47pm
A house only ever needs one earth electrode. It can be a vertical one, a horizontal one, or it can use the house slab reinforcing.
Yes water pipes were allowed to be used as the main earth electrode up until April 1969. Any new installations since then, or major upgrades to any existing, should have had a new electrode installed.
You should get an electrician to check what you have an give you advice. There might not have been any electrical work done on the house, but there could have been plumbing work which affects the electrical installation.
Definitely don't listen to whoever told you that two electrodes are required for "electrical leakage". That's rubbish LoL
stevo2,
Nov 15, 7:27am
We build large upmarket homes and I dont recall any of them having more than one earth rod. I know the one we're building now (500m2) has only one rod because I banged it in myself so the sparky could earth the steel mesh in the floor to it. 1800mm solid brass or copper rod. Cheers Stevo
gunna-1,
Nov 15, 3:55pm
Its not about wasting power, its about electromagnetic fields in the house, we allready have multiple computers and a freaky smart tv half the size of the room i dont trust, so heaps of electrical load, i wonder if all the pipes that might be connected to the earth are makeing some bizarre electrical fields, or releasing a charge into the tap water that goes in the body, we will have to sort it when we change the hot water cylinder by the sounds of it, and will demand two earthing rods, i will still have to check because the house must have been rewired at some point, if it hasnt been touched since the 60s it would still have old rubber wiring and would have burnt down by now, but i wouldn't be surprised if it is still hooked up to the old pipes, i dont know if that would make electromagnetic fields better or worse than grounding rods, as it would be displaced through the entire pipeing network instead of directly into the ground.
perfectimages,
Nov 15, 4:14pm
Tin Foil Hat time, I think!
marte,
Nov 15, 4:38pm
The earth sits in a electromagnetic field. Use a compass to find it. 'Earthing' rods just give a way back home to the electricity you don't use. If you don't have them, there's a better chance that it will find it's way home, thru you. Magnetic fields in a home situation would mostly be caused by having a electrical cable coiled up, even a couple of loops, while it's being used. Interference is mostly caused by bad connections & or laying power cables down inline & close to other cables like aerials & signal cables.
You can buy ( expensive for what they are, I just recycle them off escrap ) ferrite coils that fit around your cables, they absorb much of the magnetic field caused my a electrical 'spike' in a cable, mostly caused by a bad plug or switch connection, or thru the electrical grid. Most consumer electronics have them anyway. A cylinder like lump on the cable at one or both ends, good USB cables have them.
tony9,
Nov 15, 6:39pm
Rubbish, utter BS.
Power comes in on the phase or line wire, What you use returns via the neutral cable. The earth electrode (only one needed) is used when the line side leaks to ground and may cause the main distribution fuse to blow, but will lift the local earth or ground potential so that a user contacting a leaking device may not get shocked, this particularly if the neutral line gets a break. In more modern installations leakage through earth will trip earth leakage circuit breakers.
Many older houses do have an extra earth electrode, for the phone system.
Stop posting such a load of misleading crap. Mains power is a far more serious subject that to talk about electromagnetic fields in respect of earthing.
The most sensible post on here is #8.
callum.irvine,
Nov 15, 9:53pm
Had whole 1940s rubber wired house rewired recently. All 3 sparkies that quoted went straight to the earth to look first. Susprised me as I thought the switchboard would be where they went first. I guess it was just a case of "since I'm at the door with my boots still on lets check that first" Or maybe they get an idea on the rest of the house by looking at the earth.
1 said he would replace it, 1 said he wouldn't, 1 said he might.
I chose the the "might" guy for the rewire, he didn't replace in the end but said don't cover the area where it was, as it's better to keep it damp/exposed.
None said I needed 2 or more.
gunna-1,
Nov 16, 3:42am
I allways wondered why they taught us that in school now i know, i have to stop doing that with the coiled up wire, i think there is so much electronic junk in houses now it might be makeing us crook, we only had dial up and a comparatively small tv, now its two computers, one massive tv, other small tvs, countless mobile phones, tablets, so might as well make sure the house wireing is upto scratch, i cant help but think of the pipe that goes underground all that unused discharged electricity will be circulating around the other pipes before it goes underground, Thanks i,le look into getting some ferrit coils, any reduction is a bonus as the other pollution has increases over the years, so its more of a pressing issue.
gunna-1,
Nov 16, 4:02am
Better to have the aluminum on my head than used as a byproduct to make fluoride to put in the water, go look what fluoride is made out of, you are guzzling that down without a water filter, like the country will be going backwards yet again if we dont pay attention to things like multiple earthrods being recommended, wich its likely we aint, then the back peddling and excuses, rather than rational debate about weather we should be considering it.
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