September 22, 20232 yr That looks like a permanent bond to me and I believe SANS states that one should not have a permanent Earth / Neutral bond. A relay would be required so that the bond is only there when there is no grid - when there is grid then the bond must not be in place. I assume the connection is on the output side of the inverter, correct?
September 23, 20232 yr That looks like a permanent bond to me and I believe SANS states that one should not have a permanent Earth / Neutral bond. A relay would be required so that the bond is only there when there is no grid - when there is grid then the bond must not be in place. I assume the connection is on the output side of the inverter, correct? He asked it is was safe, not is it complied with legal requirements. Also, in order to answer if it is legal or not one needs to understand if his neutrals have been split or not. If all his loads are on the UPS side of the inverter then that is legal ito SANS.
September 23, 20232 yr What is the aim of such a Bond? To get the Earth Leakage to be functional during loadshedding. It is Safe, it is not ideal & compliant but it get the Earth leakage to work & that is important & safe. We can split hairs until the crows fly home... 1st Prize 🏆 - Earth Neutral Relay Bond (safe & Compliant) = Working Earth Leakage during loadshedding 2nd Prize - Permanent bond (safe & Non Compliant) = Working Earth leakage during loadshedding 3rd Prize - leave the Neutral floating (unsafe & Non compliant) = Earth leakage not working. If someone asked me which is better I'd say choose the option that gets the earth Leakage to work. Let's ask another question: Would you remove your earth leakage from your DB box & wire your plugs from raw power? Most will say no...So 3rd Prize is probably the worst of all.
September 23, 20232 yr @AndrewJdcgreat to see good 10mm2 or 16mm2 GP wire used here. That's the standard!!! So many ppl out there using 6mm2 or smaller....
September 23, 20232 yr Author Thank you @Steve87 for now safe is important. Been testing with a plug tester and shows correct. Not sure how trustworthy these plug testers are though. Tested with and without loadshedding and shows correct.
September 23, 20232 yr This is the only way to test the Earth leakage operation. The plug tester is pretty conclusive. You on the right track. Well done for getting yourself safe.
September 23, 20232 yr Author Awesome thank you. My brother had his system installed by a reputable company. Part of the deal was to have it registered with COCT. Alas, after 8 months no registration (blaming city for incompetence). After considerable pressure from his side eventually he got his letter of approval. Engineer came to sign off installation and guess what!!!!! It didn't pass.... Don't have all the details but earth leakage doesn't trip when tested... Apparently something to do with earthing. Company installed 2x 2 meters earthing rods but still no joy. Could this be related to earth neutral bonding not being in place?
September 24, 20232 yr What is the aim of such a Bond? To get the Earth Leakage to be functional during loadshedding. It is Safe, it is not ideal & compliant but it get the Earth leakage to work & that is important & safe. We can split hairs until the crows fly home... 1st Prize 🏆 - Earth Neutral Relay Bond (safe & Compliant) = Working Earth Leakage during loadshedding 2nd Prize - Permanent bond (safe & Non Compliant) = Working Earth leakage during loadshedding 3rd Prize - leave the Neutral floating (unsafe & Non compliant) = Earth leakage not working. If someone asked me which is better I'd say choose the option that gets the earth Leakage to work. Let's ask another question: Would you remove your earth leakage from your DB box & wire your plugs from raw power? Most will say no...So 3rd Prize is probably the worst of all. Hi Steve, is option 2 still non compliant if signed off by the municipality? What is the risk of a relay bond failing? Are there other mitigations one could put in place?
September 24, 20232 yr Hi Steve, is option 2 still non compliant if signed off by the municipality? What is the risk of a relay bond failing? Are there other mitigations one could put in place? @Haggers i am not aware of any municipality that signs off a COC. Did you present the coc to the municipality for their records. Permanent neutral bond is not legal and also stated as such in the regulations sans10142. The electrician that did the coc should have rectified the permanent bond before issuing the coc
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