UKPN refusing to fix their equipment

doodling

Hi,

As others have said, there is no general obligation for the DNO to provide an earth so expecting them to do so is doomed to failure.

What I suggest you do is get your electrician to explain (and write down clearly) (a) why the DNOs equipment is substandard and (b) what they think needs doing to it.

Until they have done that then we can only speculate.  If you do want us to speculate then we would need a photo of your incoming supply and all the cabling between that and your consumer unit, via the meter.

tetrarch

This all sounds very familiar....

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6549802/supplier-vs-dno-for-maisonette?

A similar situation with a horrible back-and-forth. The only saving grace was that the polarity reversal actually constituted a danger and my daughter played Octupus beautifully to force UKPN to attend and sort the problem. 

Is there a possibility that the boiler could have it's own dedicated earth installed to circumvent the problem?

Regards

Tet

FreeBear

tetrarch said:

This all sounds very familiar....

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6549802/supplier-vs-dno-for-maisonette?

A similar situation with a horrible back-and-forth. The only saving grace was that the polarity reversal actually constituted a danger and my daughter played Octupus beautifully to force UKPN to attend and sort the problem.

That thread was never updated with a conclusion - Did UKPN leave the downstairs flat disconnected or did they come back and fix the problem ?

JohnSwift10

Go to the media or Resolver?

Ectophile

My guess is that UKPN aren't refusing to fix it, as such.  They are denying that there is any problem that they are responsible for fixing.

If the installation is TT, then the customer is responsible for providing an earth rod, and the customer should install an up-front RCD to make sure everything is safe.  Neither is the responsibility of UKPN.

The DNO decides what sort of installation it is: TT, TN-S or TN-C-S.  They may agree to change it.  But they are under no obligation to do so.  Bodging it by putting a clamp on the incoming supply cable may be unsafe if the outer sheath of that cable isn't properly earthed.

If the installation is unsafe, then they are allowed to pull the fuse and refuse to reconnect until the customer brings their installation up to standards.   But it's very rare that they do that.

Phones4Chris

It seems to me some clarification is needed here.
1) You need to get the DNO - UKPN to formally state what type of supply it is to the property - is it TT, TN-S or TN-C-S ? (TN-S can only be provisioned if the current i/c supply cable is capable of providing that).
2) Once you know that, your electrician should be able to say exactly what protective equipment including earthing arrangements need to be provisioned for that form of supply if they aren't already present.
3) What exactly are these "exposed conductive parts" ? 
(It occurs to me that the supply to the flat upstairs may have nothing whatsoever to do with this and not your responsibility). Where is the upstairs flat's meter?
Photos of the DNO cut-out and connections to your meter and also cables feeding the flat above will be helpful in understanding this, otherwise it's all speculation.
4) Is your new boiler installed (who supplied it, BG?) and BG just refusing to connect it because they don't like the earthing or lack thereof?

wrf12345

Perhaps make a note of the return address on the envelope and when the next one arrives, cross out your name on the front of the envelope and mark not known, then bung it in the postbox? The energy company may not care but there should be the possibility of suing them for all the stress caused.

born_again

JohnSwift10 said:

Go to the media or Resolver?

Resolver is nothing but a 3rd party who pass your complaint on. They do not get involved in any way to help "Resolve" your complaint.

Phones4Chris

wrf12345 said:

Perhaps make a note of the return address on the envelope and when the next one arrives, cross out your name on the front of the envelope and mark not known, then bung it in the postbox? The energy company may not care but there should be the possibility of suing them for all the stress caused.

Wrong thread, probably https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81281799  ??

JohnSwift10

born_again said:

JohnSwift10 said:

Go to the media or Resolver?

Resolver is nothing but a 3rd party who pass your complaint on. They do not get involved in any way to help "Resolve" your complaint.

It was just a suggestion.
Resolver got my complaint resolved when I had one.