Hey guys, I hope everyone is doing well.
Recently, I noticed a faint light in the earthing pin of a socket at home when I checked with a regular electric tester. It only appeared for a short time, and I found it by chance. I checked just one switchboard, so I'm not sure if this was happening in all the boards or if it's isolated. It is not there now.
After noticing the faint light in the earthing pin (the largest hole at the top in socket), I thought this couldn’t be normal. I called the local electrician, who brought some equipment to check the earthing. I wasn’t there during the check, so I don’t know what he found. He said that the earthing at our home has become weak and advised us to redo it. He mentioned that the value should be less than 1 (I’m not sure if it’s 1 ohm or 10 ohms, as he didn’t specify, and I wasn’t there to ask). Our value was 3.
Dad told me that he always thought earthing and neutral were the same. I asked how many wires come to our house from the transformer, and he said only one (the phase wire). He explained that every house in our town has only a single phase wire coming from the transformer. I then asked where the neutral (the small hole on the left in the socket) and earthing (the large hole at the top of the socket) are connected. He kept referring to the neutral wire as earthing and totally ignored the actual earthing. He said the neutral (small left hole) is connected to the earthing pit (a 10-foot deep hole with a copper rod, etc.). I asked where the top large hole is connected, and he said he wasn’t sure but thinks it’s connected to the same earthing pit. Since we have only one earthing pit at home, I assume both the neutral and earthing are connected to the same pit.
I’ve been reading and watching videos for the past hour, and most sources say that two wires (live/phase and neutral) should come from the transformer. But according to my dad, no house in our town has two wires coming from the transformer.
I know theory often differs from practice. Please help me understand the ideal setup and what’s usually done at our homes? I can’t ask the electricity provider to give us a separate neutral if no other home has it, and anyway, neutrals at transformers are grounded. Does it make a difference? Should we have separate earthing pits for neutral and earthing?
I apologize if anything is unclear or confusing. Please ask for clarification if needed, and I will be happy to elaborate to the best of my knowledge. And thank you for your time.
Recently, I noticed a faint light in the earthing pin of a socket at home when I checked with a regular electric tester. It only appeared for a short time, and I found it by chance. I checked just one switchboard, so I'm not sure if this was happening in all the boards or if it's isolated. It is not there now.
I don’t know much about house wiring beyond the basics and best practices, so I’m starting this thread to discuss it and clear up my doubts. I’m not familiar with how the wiring in my home was done. My dad supervised it, and the local electrician did the work. Dad said it was done the same way as other houses in our town. Sorry for the lack of precise information; my knowledge on this topic is quite basic.
After noticing the faint light in the earthing pin (the largest hole at the top in socket), I thought this couldn’t be normal. I called the local electrician, who brought some equipment to check the earthing. I wasn’t there during the check, so I don’t know what he found. He said that the earthing at our home has become weak and advised us to redo it. He mentioned that the value should be less than 1 (I’m not sure if it’s 1 ohm or 10 ohms, as he didn’t specify, and I wasn’t there to ask). Our value was 3.
Dad told me that he always thought earthing and neutral were the same. I asked how many wires come to our house from the transformer, and he said only one (the phase wire). He explained that every house in our town has only a single phase wire coming from the transformer. I then asked where the neutral (the small hole on the left in the socket) and earthing (the large hole at the top of the socket) are connected. He kept referring to the neutral wire as earthing and totally ignored the actual earthing. He said the neutral (small left hole) is connected to the earthing pit (a 10-foot deep hole with a copper rod, etc.). I asked where the top large hole is connected, and he said he wasn’t sure but thinks it’s connected to the same earthing pit. Since we have only one earthing pit at home, I assume both the neutral and earthing are connected to the same pit.
I’ve been reading and watching videos for the past hour, and most sources say that two wires (live/phase and neutral) should come from the transformer. But according to my dad, no house in our town has two wires coming from the transformer.
I know theory often differs from practice. Please help me understand the ideal setup and what’s usually done at our homes? I can’t ask the electricity provider to give us a separate neutral if no other home has it, and anyway, neutrals at transformers are grounded. Does it make a difference? Should we have separate earthing pits for neutral and earthing?
I apologize if anything is unclear or confusing. Please ask for clarification if needed, and I will be happy to elaborate to the best of my knowledge. And thank you for your time.