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Thread: Municipal Earthing - Regulatory Guide

  1. #11
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    When I saw what was filled out on the COC my first thought was that there was never a loop impedance test carried out, my reasoning being that normally the PSC and loop impedance tests are done with the same meter and if the PSC was thumb sucked, the same happened with the loop impedance.

    There looks to be an old Heinemann outdoor surge arrestor in the top left of the meter board, and by the looks of the pictures, as far as I can see is there is no earth from the supplier.

    I know that JHB city does not supply an earth, and I am assuming this is installation is in Germiston from the location of the OP, so maybe they did the same as JHB and used the old galvanized water pipes as an earth many years ago and the pipes have since been changed to plastic and so the earth was lost and nobody ever bothered to check it.
    Last edited by Dave A; 21-Dec-16 at 04:32 AM. Reason: edit per poster correction

  2. #12
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    Hi Grootoog,

    Not sure if your problem was resolved or not?

    If not, my advice:
    You are probably living in an area where lightning is very active, I had this problem with several customers.
    Only way to reduce your damages is by doing proper earthing yourself.
    The electrical earthing in all our networks, each town and area, are not properly maintained anymore. To rely on the
    municipal earthing is futile.

    Get an electrician and tell him to do a crow feet earthing on your main distribution board: To explain: Hit 3 earth spikes fully into the ground
    in the pattern of a crow's foot. Connect 10-16mm earth wire to all 3 spikes, join them and take 1 wire to your DB. Connect to the earth bus-bar,
    make sure the bus-bar is a proper type. Now make sure all appliances are earthed and connected to the bus-bar. Finally install a surge protector.
    Any electrician should know how.
    Material:
    1. 3 x Spikes 1.2m - look here to get an idea ( https://www.livecopper.co.za/product...ike-with-clamp )
    2. 10-20 meter 10-16mm earth cable
    3. Surge arrestor: 1 x 20kA ( https://www.livecopper.co.za/collect...stor-1p-n-20ka )
    or 3 phase ( https://www.livecopper.co.za/collect...stor-3p-n-20ka )

    This should solve your problem. Single phase material cost +- R 996.00

  3. #13
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    Hi All,
    Don't known if the Lightning problem has been resolved as yet.
    If not then the following is what is required:
    1) A Design for a Lightning Protection System, based on an acceptable form of Lightning Risk Assessment (this is a requirement by the SANS 10313 standard);
    2) Correctly sized and positioned Air Termination system (Risk Assessment will indicate the Level of Lightning Protection required);
    3) Two or more Down Conductor systems (determined by required Level of Lightning protection);
    4) Must maintain the correct separation distance between down conductors and other electrical wiring systems
    5) Earth electrode system, largely determined by the Soil Resistivity in the area;
    6) Equipotential earth bonding;
    7) Correctly selected Surge Protective Device (Surge Arrestors), this is determined by the Level of Lightning Protection that is required;
    8) A Lightning Protection "CoC" (Certificate of Safe Installation) must be issued.

    Please note that once SPDs (Surge Protective Devices) are installed in the DB board, a revised Electrical CoC must be issued.
    The Lightning Protection "CoC" should form part of the Electrical CoC and is covered by Annex I of SANS 10142-1 as well as SANS 10313

    For the Lightning Protection System, recently the Earthing and Lightning Protection Association (ELPA), a non-profit organization, was formed.
    ELPA is in the process of doing accreditation of Lightning Protection Installers.
    For more information on ELPA please see the ELPA website www.elpasa.org
    There are a number of us who have already been accredited as ELPA approved installers, not all will be able to issue a revised Electrical CoC.

    As to the municipal earthing system, this is a return earth fault current path back to the neutral of the supply transformer, it does not really play a role in the Lightning Protection System.
    The Lightning Protection System and the normal household earthing and municipal earthing systems must all be inter connected.
    The municipal earthing system should have been tested during the CoC testing, by doing a Earth Loop Impedance test and an earth resistance test.

    I hope the above is of assistance to you

  4. #14
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    In light of the fact that it was reported to the municipality and the required form submitted, I would suggest that they are responsible for the damages caused by the second strike because they were aware of the fault but closed the case through incompetence.

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