Earthing And Bonding
Earthing and Bonding – Protect Your Home and Family
Proper earthing and bonding are essential parts of a safe electrical system. They ensure that in the event of a fault, electricity has a safe path to the ground, reducing the risk of electric shock, fires, or damage to your appliances.
A correctly installed earthing system ensures that any fault will cause a protective device, such as an MCB, RCD or RCBO, to operate within the required time, keeping you and your home safe.
What is Earthing?
Earthing connects the metal parts of your electrical system and appliances to the ground. This provides a safe route for stray electricity, so if a fault occurs, the current flows directly into the earth rather than through you or your home.
Key points about earthing:
• Protects you from electric shocks by allowing fault current to trip protective devices quickly.
• Helps prevent damage to appliances.
• Ensures your consumer unit works correctly with RCDs and RCBOs.
What is Bonding?
Bonding links all exposed metal parts like pipes, radiators and some metal sinks together with an earthing conductor. This ensures that any live fault on a metal part will safely trip the circuit protection within the required time, reducing the risk of shock.
There are two types of bonding:
Main Bonding
• Connects the metal water, gas or oil supply pipes that enter your property from outside to the main earthing terminal in your consumer unit.
• Ensures that the entire electrical system is safely connected to earth.
• Reduces the risk of shock from metal parts that could carry a fault current.
Supplementary Bonding
• Connects metal parts within wet areas like bathrooms, en-suites and shower rooms.
• Works in addition to main bonding to give extra protection where people are more likely to be in contact with water.
• Ensures protective devices (RCDs/RCBOs) operate quickly in the event of a fault.
Why Check Earthing and Bonding?
Even if your home’s wiring seems fine, older installations may not meet modern safety standards.
• An electrician will always check bonding before any electrical work to ensure safety.
• Bonding may need upgrading or installing, especially in older homes.
• Issues with bonding are often picked up during an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).
• Proper bonding ensures protective devices operate correctly, reducing the risk of electric shock.
Carrying out these checks ensures that protective devices will operate as intended in the event of a fault, keeping your home and family safe.
Protect Your Home and Electronics
Earthing and bonding not only protect people but also sensitive electronics. Combined with surge protection, they reduce the risk of damage from electrical faults or lightning strikes, while ensuring protective devices act within the required time.
Why Choose RW Currion Electrical
• Fully qualified and insured
• Clear explanations — no jargon
• Work completed to the latest BS 7671 standards
• Safety-first approach to protect your home, family, and electronics
Honest advice on any earthing or bonding work required
Call now: 01295 533378
Mobile: 07740 100378