Questions after COC inspection

[Thys LOW Elektries]

I inspected a house for a COC and found the following:
Incoming SWA cable splits in a Pratley box. A 3-core 10mm2 cable goes to the house db and a 2-core 16mm2 cable goes to the garage db.
The earth wire is a 6mm wire from an earth spike to the garage db.
Questions:
Are both DB's now main db's?
Does the main breakers in both db's need to be 2-pole breakers, since both are currently 1-poles?
The earth wire needs to be a 10mm2 or bigger wire, and it must come from the Pratley box

The other things are small things and I know the answer to that but the rest are a grey area for me.
The house is an old house of 20 years or more, the supply had been upgraded. All cabling and wiring are plastered into the walls.

I plan on upgrading the breakers to 2-poles and installing a new earth wire, I was just curious about the rest

[Derlyn]

If they are both on the same erf then what you have described is not legal. Where is the municipal meter ?

Special permission can be obtained from the supplier for more than 1 supply per Erf, but they will not allow more than 2 in which case the breakers in the kiosk outside will be downgraded so that the total of both does not exceed 70A.

Each db will then need a double pole mains as well as a supply authority meter.

[GCE]

Before we can comment on legal or not - is the cable and split after the point of control ? is there a TP or DP circuit breakers protecting and the size of CB - Size of 4 core cable

[Derlyn]

The way I read it is that the incoming cable ( before the point of control ) has been split which would make it illegal.

[GCE]

The way I read it is that the incoming cable ( before the point of control ) has been split which would make it illegal.

Assumption are dangerous

[Derlyn]

No assumptions, brother. I read it as it was written.

Incoming cable split in 2 in a pratley box BEFORE the point of control. In my book, that's not legal. Anyway, have a lekker weekend.

[Thys LOW Elektries]

The erf don't have a poc for both db's. The municipal meter is outside the property in a locked kiosk.
The total consumption on the one feed is not protected by a breaker, if council give a 40A connection and you split that into two lines and each db have a 60Amp mains, you have problems.
If you go strictly according to SANS the question arises, is this my problem? Since I coc from the db onwards

[GCE]

The COC is from Point of control - there is a regulation somewhere that states you are also responsible for the cabling between point of supply and point of control if they are not the same point and on your Erf

Need to have a look for it

[Derlyn]

OHSA. Page 5.
Responsibility of electrical installation.

2(2) The user or lessor of an electrical installation, as the case may be, shall be responsible for the safety of the conductors on his or her premises connecting the electrical installation to the point of supply in the case where the point of supply is not the point of control. (End)

The local by laws also make it abundantly clear that the incoming services such as water, electricity and gas etc become the responsibility of the owner of the property from the point where the particular service enters the property at the boundary wall, whether they are underground or overhead.

[Derlyn]

If you go strictly according to SANS the question arises, is this my problem? Since I coc from the db onwards

I would say ...... yes.

As GCE pointed out, the COC is from the point of control. Correct.

Question 1.

Why then carry out a PSCC, earth loop impedance and neutral loop impedance test when nothing after the point of control can effect
the readings obtained ? With the above tests, you are testing everything BEFORE the point of control.

Question 2.

You do a coc on a house where the council prepaid meter is next to the main db inside.
You notice that the meter seals have been tampered with and suspect monkey business.
What do you do ?

Question 3.

You get to an installation that has been rewired. It was previously wired with VIR wire.
The contractor that did the rewire only rewired after the main switch ( point of control ) and left VIR wiring
between the roof box and main switch, presumably because that part does not fall into the part covered by the coc.
Had you done the rewire, would you have replaced that incoming wire as well ? I know what I would have done.

When doing a coc, you are not only checking the standard of the installation according to SANS 10142.
The OHSA must be adhered to.
The local bylaws must be adhered to.
The consumable's manufacturer's specifications also need to be adhered to.

If I detect something before the point of control, which in my opinion needs attention, I always communicate such with the owner
via email, passing the responsibility onto him/her to ensure that it gets corrected. ( CYA )