a question for the electricians

[shimble]

it may sound dumb but i am trying to work out if i need to earth the rails that hold the placo platre in the salle de baine and cuisine if anyone has any ideas or experience it would be appreciated

[Ford Anglia]

I'm no expert, but personally, I'd bond them to earth. Can't hurt, but a shock from a potentially live rail, certainly could.

 

[fulcrum]

[quote user="Ford Anglia"]

I'm no expert, but personally, I'd bond them to earth. Can't hurt, but a shock from a potentially live rail, certainly could.

 

[/quote]

I think bonding would be advisable. There was actually an accident report recently, on a UK website, where an electrical cable had  accidentaly come into contact with the steel railings leaving the whole thing live.

It states in the French regs that any armatures (steel reinforcing) in bathrooms have to be equipotentially bonded. Maybe the steels would be considered an armature of sorts.

[shimble]

thanks thats what i thought safe than sorry eh donc can i get a bourne de connection to join several earth connections before the earth goes to the tableau?

[Punch]

[quote user="shimble"]it may sound dumb but i am trying to work out if i need to earth the rails that hold the placo platre in the salle de baine and cuisine if anyone has any ideas or experience it would be appreciated[/quote]

 

On our Consuel inspections,  we are told by the inspector that it is not a requirement of the French regs in a salle de bain to earth the metallic rails if they are not exposed, and are going to be covered by placo. However huisserie metallic (metal door frames) must be locally bonded. If you do decide to earth the metal rails then it is a good idea to make sure that they are all fixed together as one, either with self drilling screws or with a dedicated crimping tool. If you have passed cables behind or through the rails in these areas, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to earth the rails in these areas into the local equipotential bonding. Personally I don't like to see conduits or cables passing through the sharp holes in metal stud and avoid doing this especially in bathrooms. Remember that the minimum wire size for this is 2.5mm enclosed in conduit or 4mm if not enclosed, and all exposed metallic parts (with some exceptions ) must be bonded together which includes any socket outlets and metallic light fittings that are NOT class II. On no account must the metallic casings of class II appliances be bonded to earth. Metal aeration grills for instance don't need to be bonded. Not wishing to go on but please also be aware of the different zones in bathrooms which have strict criteria about what electrical equipment can be installed.

[shimble]

thanks yes im slowly coming to grips with the regs concerning the instalation going back to your point about class II equipment why should they not be bonded to earth? i understand they are labelled with two squares one inside the other what other equipment is likely to be in this class? is this equipment already earthed within itself ? and does earthing it then interfere with its allready safe state? its difficult learning something like this in a forein language  ive found a few books and some sites but the language technical and french makes some stuff ambiguos and difficult to understand the loveof my life is french but understanding the technical nuances of the french norms and regs isnt one of her strong points.

[powerdesal]

As an aside, I would always recommend that sharp edged holes in metal studding be fitted with grommets or edged with strips of slit cable insulation. Sharp edges and wiring do not really make a good match, even if gaine is used.

Earth bonding of metal structures, exposed or not, makes equally good sense. After all, what have you got to lose, it may even save your life!

[fulcrum]

[quote user="shimble"]thanks yes im slowly coming to grips with the regs concerning the instalation going back to your point about class II equipment why should they not be bonded to earth? i understand they are labelled with two squares one inside the other what other equipment is likely to be in this class? is this equipment already earthed within itself ? and does earthing it then interfere with its allready safe state? its difficult learning something like this in a forein language  ive found a few books and some sites but the language technical and french makes some stuff ambiguos and difficult to understand the loveof my life is french but understanding the technical nuances of the french norms and regs isnt one of her strong points.[/quote]

Class II equipments are made of non conductive materials that do not present a hazard if an internal live connection becomes loose or exposed.

Class I equipments on the other hand could present a hazard if an internal live connection becomes loose or exposed and the earth connection is not present.

If you have class II equipments with a supply that is using a differential disjunctor then you are very unlikely to receive a fatal electric shock. The exception would be, if you touched both the live and the neutral at the same time.