If you need to make a change to an electrical installation, your electrician may need to check to make sure that your earthing and bonding requirements are met. Electrical safety is dependent on electrical and bonding arrangements, regardless of the size of the electrical project.
Defining Earthing
Earthing is used to safeguard a person from an electrical shock. It offers this protection by supplying a path for a fault current to circulate to earth. It also causes a fuse or circuit breaker to switch off if the current to the circuit breaker or fuse has a fault. If a fault is present in the electrical system, you can get shocked if you encounter a live metal part. The electricity uses your body as a path from the live component to the earth part.
For instance, if a cooker features a fault, the fault current is directed to earth through earthing conductors. A fuse or circuit breaker in the consumer unit automatically switches off the supply of electricity to the appliance. You can now touch the cooker without receiving an electric shock.
The Purpose of Bonding
According to electricians in North London, bonding is used to lower the risk of electric shocks to individuals who touch two distinct metal parts when a fault lies in an electrical installation. By linking bonding conductors between certain components, the voltage is reduced. Bonding that is normally used includes main bonding and supplementary bonding.
An electrician will advise you if your earthing and bonding requirements need to be improved to increase your home’s safety. To review earthing and bonding, it helps to go over the terms. Both bonding and earthing are methods used to reduce the possibility of receiving an electric shock. Conductors are the wires that carry the electrical current.
What Is the Consumer Unit?
A consumer unit is a fuse box that controls and circulates electrical current throughout the home. It normally features a main switch, circuit breakers or fuses, and one or more RCDs (residual current devices). RCDs are devices that trip a circuit when it locates an earth fault. The earth is the ground connection in an electrical system design.
Main Bonding
The main bonding is represented by green and yellow conductors that link pipes made of metal, which are usually water, oil, or gas pipes, from within a building to the primary earthing terminal. Main bonding connections can also be installed outside a structure. For example, the connections may be installed in this manner when a gas metre box is attached outside and the bonding to the gas pipework inside cannot be installed.
The main earthing terminal represents the connection of the earthing and bonding conductors. Supplementary bonding features green and yellow conductors that link accessible metal parts of electrical equipment to equipment made of metal that is not electrical (such as pipes). Connections of this type are designed to prevent the transmission of electricity between the two parts in the case of a fault. You may need to add supplementary bonding in rooms containing a shower or bath. Consult with your electrician about all your safety electrical requirements.