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How to Address Lack of Grounding in 30-Year-Old Apartment Wiring?

FINIX_47 20665 16
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Treść została przetłumaczona polish » english Zobacz oryginalną wersję tematu
  • #1 8936290
    FINIX_47
    Level 23  
    Hello, I am asking you to advise me on my problem, so at the beginning I will start with the fact that the blocks where I live were built some 30 years ago, my problem is the lack of grounding in most of the contacts.
    I'm not a specialist in this topic, but I can give you some examples, because I unscrewed all the contacts.
    They are connected, for example, like this:

    1. A small room with 6 wires for all the connections. (contact without pins)

    2. Bathroom 2 wires for screws and a short cable connected (screw-bolt)
    it's supposed to be grounding, but from what I've read it's more of a zeroing.

    3. In the kitchen I have one grounded contact and the other is bridged as in the bathroom.

    4. Large room in one contact there are 4 wires and in the second contact only two (both without grounding)

    What is my request for help, for bringing (explaining) this topic to me, because I would like to get to know myself on such grounds.

    The matter of a complete solution, whether I should report the matter to the housing association, or call an electrician and fix it at my expense, or a final solution, but to my knowledge, probably not a very reasonable solution.

    I am asking you for help because like everyone at home I have some valuable equipment and I would not like to lose it. I will try to answer all questions asked to me.

    Admin: If I'm posting in the wrong place, please move it to the appropriate section.

    I have equipment connected to such contacts worth about PLN 10,000, so please don't let me lose it.
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  • #2 8936789
    JohnySpZOO
    Electric installations specialist
    With this grounding, my colleague is probably talking about the PE protective conductor that is connected to the pin. Unfortunately, not every type of installation is equipped with PE.
    Depending on the system layout, zeroing can be performed: connect the PEN with the protective pin.

    I would suggest calling an electrician because what seems to be trivial can turn out to be dangerous if the phase is connected to the pin.
  • #3 8937238
    FINIX_47
    Level 23  
    Well, for now, I don't know much, and whether a solution by cooperatives (calling an electrician from the cooperative) would not be the most reasonable, it seems to me that we pay for something and that such services are performed in our apartments.
  • #4 8937267
    fantasta
    Level 29  
    You have a network layout in your apartment, and so what will remain. as ADM will replace WLZ in the block then you can make a new installation. It is what it is now, it has worked for 30 years and will continue to do so. If you have concerns, call an electrician to take measurements and let you know what is wrong.
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  • #5 8937268
    remik_l
    Level 29  
    If you have zeroing in several sockets, the installation is probably in the TN-C system. You should make sure by asking at the administration or ZE.

    When it turns out that this is the case, the simplest solution is to replace the sockets with ones with a PE contact and reset them. However, this is an ad hoc solution because the installation should be upgraded to a three-wire system and equipped with RCDs in the socket circuits.

    In the kitchen, what is this contact grounded to?
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  • #6 8937279
    JohnySpZOO
    Electric installations specialist
    Buddy, in your case, apart from a review of the installation by an electrician and possible zeroing, more can not be done. I doubt that the cooperative will modernize the entire block or give you a third protective conductor. And then you would also need to modernize the apartment: stabbing, tearing off the old wiring and laying a new one - a few days of work.
  • #7 8937347
    Anonymous
    Anonymous  
  • #8 8938534
    fantasta
    Level 29  
    If the cooperative replaces the WLZ with a 3-wire one, it easily makes a new installation that meets current regulations. I don't know what my statement is harmful about.
  • #9 8938825
    remik_l
    Level 29  
    In the TN-C system, in order to improve the safety of the installation in the apartment, it does not have to wait for the replacement of the WLZtu, which may take place at an unknown time.
  • #10 8938950
    kkas12
    Level 43  
    Hello!

    Without being sure what kind of network we are dealing with, we cannot give "one hundred percent" advice.
    The author writes
    Quote:
    In the kitchen I have one grounded contact and the other is bridged as in the bathroom.
    Not only is such a situation unacceptable (earthing and zeroing), it may also call into question the existence of a TN system in this building. The town from which the author writes may also speak for the TT arrangement.
    Also like this one one contact was he grounded?
  • #11 8939301
    fantasta
    Level 29  
    remik_l wrote:
    In the TN-C system, in order to improve the safety of the installation in the apartment, it does not have to wait for the replacement of the WLZtu, which may take place at an unknown time.


    Did I write somewhere that the WLZ must be replaced?? No, I said that it worked for 30 years (if it is TN-C) and will continue to work, and when they replace the WLZ, then they can do a new installation. Nowhere did I tell or advise to replace the WLZu
  • #12 8939347
    kkas12
    Level 43  
    Hello!

    However, from your friend's posts, it can be concluded that the installation in the apartment should not be modernized until the existing wlz will not be replaced with a five-wire one.
    And that's not true.
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  • #13 8939521
    retrofood
    VIP Meritorious for electroda.pl
    fantasta wrote:
    and when they replace the WLZ, then they can do a new installation.


    Except for spelling errors, you can do a fresh install at any time. Colleague's suggestions are actually slightly different from the truth.
    Please stop discussing this.
  • #14 8944525
    FINIX_47
    Level 23  
    Okay, I'm slowly starting to catch your advice, I still have a question for you, what will zeroing (bridging) each contact in which there is no grounding give me, I'm asking because the matter with professional grounding will definitely take a while and I would like to at least do something.
    Specifically, I'd like to address three contacts in the large room.
    As for these contacts, I can describe again specifically how each of them is connected, take photos (add if needed).
  • #15 8945129
    Miwhoo
    Electric installations specialist
    If you have a TT network, it's as if you consciously connected the bathtub in the bathroom to the current. If it is TN, it will improve safety, but the reset should be done correctly [protect first, then power].

    If you don't know what network is in the building, don't even get down to work, because you can do more harm than good, especially since previous posts show that there is no certainty as to the type of network, since one socket is reset and second grounded.... Your location is more like TT. Find the contract with the ZE, the type of power supply network will be written there.
  • #16 8945486
    Anonymous
    Anonymous  
  • #17 8945566
    Łukasz-O
    Admin of electroenergetics
    Dear author, there are specialized electrical installation companies on the market.
    Reading this topic, I have the impression that we are talking about everything and nothing. I do not see the point of further discussion.

Topic summary

The discussion revolves around the lack of grounding in electrical outlets within a 30-year-old apartment block. The original poster describes various configurations of electrical connections, indicating a mix of grounded and ungrounded sockets. Responses emphasize the importance of understanding the type of electrical system in place, specifically whether it is TN-C or TT. Suggestions include consulting an electrician for safety assessments, considering the replacement of sockets with those that have a protective earth (PE) contact, and potentially upgrading the entire installation to a three-wire system with residual current devices (RCDs). The conversation highlights the risks associated with improper grounding and the necessity for professional intervention to ensure safety.
Summary generated by the language model.
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