Earth bonding - confused

[Stanbrook]

Underground Networks upto 400V 3phase and overhead networks upto 11Kv are worked on live in UK. This is allowed by the distribution safety rules. Domestic electrical installation regs forbid live working. I worked as an underground cable jointer for wpd for 17 years.

 

[nicholsong]

The whole subject of earthing and electric shock protection is not simple. There are cut-and-dried methods involving RCDs and linking the earth ground to the neutral conductor for fixed installations such as houses and garages. For mobile systems like motorhomes and boats, it's more complex. Especially if they can sometimes be connected to mains power and sometimes running an inverter, and sometimes both at the same time. There are several possible solutions, including no earth at all. Or a relay that connects neutral to ground if hookup is not connected, and disconnects automatically when hookup is connected because the hookup post will have its own ground.

If you really want more information, Victron have a free book on wiring, and Chapter 7 Ground, Earth and Electrical Safety discusses the detail, with applications to systems like motorhomes.
[yourL unfurl="true"]https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Wiring-Unlimited-EN.pdf[/URL]

Thanks for that link, but I was amused that the Introduction was two chapters
1 Safety
2 Disclaimer

Although being Victron it should be good and I have bookmarked it.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Well we're sat here with no electric, substation fuse gone on our phase underground cable fault so it's going to be a good few hours.

Got the Honda generator out the loft and plugged the combi boiler into it, boiler fires up 30 seconds later boiler shuts down with fault light flashing hmm. Plugged boiler into the van's 1000w PSW inverter, boiler fires up (10 amps ) 30 seconds later boiler shuts down with fault light flashing.
Bit of head scratching later and realised the boiler doesn't like a floating earth, made a bonded earth-neutral socket adapter thingy up and all is well. Generator is running boiler and charging the van battery, oh and Ann's happy because I've run a lead from a van socket to the house TV

 

[andy63]

Bit of head scratching later and realised the boiler doesn't like a floating earth

what is it about a floating earth that it doesn't like.. is it something to do with the flame sensing electronics in the boiler ..
Andy

 

[Raul]

Yes, our boiler did the same. It can’t see the flame and cuts the gas out. It thinks it failed to ignite, does 3 attempts then throws code error 113. On the multiplus with the relay on the earth not a problem. But when we charge from geny , boiler cuts out. Had to bond the neutral at the generator.

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