Love4sound
Well-Known Member
Yeah correct I just went to the nearby flats and there also same issue. So happy atleast to find the route cause.
My earthing is screwed
- Thread starter Love4sound
- Start date
Described exactly as done by them.
I don't know if it is the same problem you had faced but even after switching off the mains in my home I still got electric shock when ever I touched any metal that is connected to the plug in the wall. Burnt couple of mobile chargers and a router. Luckily saved other electrical equipment's by pulling out the plugs connected to the wall sockets. The EB guys dug up and changed the entire neutral wire in the distribution box and right up to the gate of my apartment (I shelled out 4K for that)
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
I haven’t faced your issues yet.But every items heats up very fast and get extremely hot. Informed EB as well as vertex to investigate and find the route cause of this problem.
Well raised a complaint in EB and they sent their field engineer. He came without a multimeter and told they won’t bring it and it’s the residents responsibility to show them the issue. I used the multi meter and showed them the reading for neutral and ground. Straight away they said it’s not their responsibility and we need to check ground. I said we did install newly and also all the nearby flats are having the same issue. For this also he responded must be entire area grounding fault and that he will check only the voltage between line and neutral. What nonsense. Even after I told him leave ground but check and confirm neutral which he said it’s not eb responsibility.
I am not new to such responses from the EB. You need to escalate the matter to all the levels up and send a registered mail to energy minster too. More number of signatures it's better.. This was the suggestion made by my electrical contractor.
Did changing the neutral cable fix the issue?
Looks like it's leakage from another flat in your apartment complex. Some geyser or refrigerator is faulty and return current in earth wire or neutral seems to be the issue to me.
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
I am going to go back to the electrician who suggested to re-do the ground. Let him check and conclude what the issue is. I am suspecting neutral line is at fault but not sure if it’s the main line or a loop from our flats. Builder is garbage and the inverter line also has a separate neutral line which they might have messed up. If the main eb line is at fault I assume there will be a lot of issues. So far no one is facing any issues apart from heating of mobile and laptops while charging. For me the vertex is noisy at times which is what led me to find this fault and my avr, sub, tv all have been functioning properly. Only issue with my av gears is that when I power on or I pause and resume a scene there is a loud thud noise from the sub.
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
Will an isolation transformer help this case? I don’t think I can get the EB to acknowledge this issue. My apartment no one cares about this issue so EB also not bothered as only one individual is complaining from a community. Now more then equipment I am concerned about safety. Neutral to earth voltage reaches 40v at max. Most of the time it’s fluctuating between 15-30.
arunkvivek
Well-Known Member
Write a formal letter complaint to AE of your locality.
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
Well EB is just 4-5 kms from my home and i can go directly and meet AE. But i am not sure if they are going to accept the complaint as only one individual is complaining. My community is full of ignorant and stingy people.For now I am following up with vertex. Once they confirm the support is beyond them I will be visiting EB and have a word directly with AE
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Yes. No way you can have such high voltage betwen neutral and earth without some flat having a major leakage. Yes, with a good earthing, even a leakage like this wouldn't have caused voltage to go so high. One of the thing that @Love4sound can do is convince all flats to install ELCB/RCCB. If there is any leakage, the ELCB will trip and the person will know which equipment caused the ELCB to trip. I have one in my house. Once my son inserted a 2 pin phone charger diagonally instead of horizontally (one pin went into the phase and other into the earth instead of neutral) causing the ELCB to trip and powering off the entire house.
An ELCB costs just around 400 bucks for 10A. Rather than having a geyser leaking and electrocuting someone, this would be the right thing to do.
Edit.
I have something like this from Schneider
RCBO Singapore (Residual Current Circuit Breakers with Overload Protection) | ElectGo
Looking for a residual current circuit breaker with overload protection (RCBO) in Singapore? You absolutely have to check out Electgo to compare between the huge range of RCBOs available!
www.electgo.com
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
Well my community is like they have multiple flats with 2 floors having 5 homes in each flats along with few villas. So there are around 30 flats and only possibility is I invest in all flats. Such is the pathetic community i live in. We don't even have an association cause the president got fed up. Monthly maintenance was just 500 rs which many refused and some flats even disagreed to be part of the association. So if I where to install ELCB in every apartments i have to invest 70-80K or more my pocket only. I went to two apartments with multi-meter and showed the reading. Their response was "oh high voltage" and never bothered.Yes. No way you can have such high voltage betwen neutral and earth without some flat having a major leakage. Yes, with a good earthing, even a leakage like this wouldn't have caused voltage to go so high. One of the thing that @Love4sound can do is convince all flats to install ELCB/RCCB. If there is any leakage, the ELCB will trip and the person will know which equipment caused the ELCB to trip. I have one in my house. Once my son inserted a 2 pin phone charger diagonally instead of horizontally (one pin went into the phase and other into the earth instead of neutral) causing the ELCB to trip and powering off the entire house.
An ELCB costs just around 400 bucks for 10A. Rather than having a geyser leaking and electrocuting someone, this would be the right thing to do.
Edit.
I have something like this from Schneider
RCBO Singapore (Residual Current Circuit Breakers with Overload Protection) | ElectGo
Looking for a residual current circuit breaker with overload protection (RCBO) in Singapore? You absolutely have to check out Electgo to compare between the huge range of RCBOs available!
Just wait for someone to get zapped or someone to lose an expensive appliance.
Then you can smile and say "I told you so"
Cheers,
Raghu
Hassan Khani
Active Member
If possible have a seperate earthing for your apartment alone than using shared earthing.
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
Hahaha hope it doesn’t come to that.
Apartment as in for my home alone right?
Hassan Khani
Active Member
Yes. Your flat alone.
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
Well i am ok with spending for individual earthing for my flat alone but if earthing is not the problem it will be a waste of money.
I think an isolation transformer can create an island for your own flat alone. At the inlet the neutral should be earthed with a good earth. I think this is possible theoretically. But take anything I say with a pinch of salt. I'm not an electrical engineer, though electricity has always fascinated me and so I have done lot of reading on this. Hopefully some electrical engineer in our forum can advise. By any chance is your flat on the ground floor?
How to create a specific neutral earthing system within existing one (islanding) | EEP
What is the islanding? Each neutral earthing system has advantages and disadvantages for the safety of property, electromagnetic compatibility or continuity
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
No i am in the second floor. My flat has 5 houses. Ground floor 1 and 2 in each other floorsI think an isolation transformer can create an island for your own flat alone. At the inlet the neutral should be earthed with a good earth. I think this is possible theoretically. But take anything I say with a pinch of salt. I'm not an electrical engineer, though electricity has always fascinated me and so I have done lot of reading on this. Hopefully some electrical engineer in our forum can advise. By any chance is your flat on the ground floor?
How to create a specific neutral earthing system within existing one (islanding) | EEP
What is the islanding? Each neutral earthing system has advantages and disadvantages for the safety of property, electromagnetic compatibility or continuityelectrical-engineering-portal.com
That makes good earthing difficult but not impossible. Longer copper running means more resistance. Also copper gets stolen in our country. When I was in chennai, copper getting stolen was so often and that too in a commercial complex like Shakthi Towers in Anna Salai inspite of the Citibank datacenter being operational 24x7. In my Dad's house in Goa it gets stolen whenever my parents go on a long vacation. I think thieves can smell copper miles away.
Love4sound
Well-Known Member
Well I don’t think in my flats it’s stolen. The vertex electrician suggested we test individual earthing for my flat alone. Also all my HT equipment’s are operating with two pin alone so they suggested the HT gears will work fine. I am getting a PA soon which will come with 3 pin and if issue is not sorted out I will sell the PA and continue to use my system.
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