Hi just bought a property the only bonding is from consumer unit to cold water pipe
Is this ok or does gas meter need doing ?
Is this ok or does gas meter need doing ?
Earth bonding regulations
- Thread starter davebullocklive
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Ask the person who is installing your consumer unit.
Are you sure that it's not from the water pipe to the CU?
And are you sure that it's an equipotential bonding connection and not a non-compliant TT earth?
Does the gas service present an extraneous-conductive-part?
Are you sure that it's not from the water pipe to the CU?
And are you sure that it's an equipotential bonding connection and not a non-compliant TT earth?
Does the gas service present an extraneous-conductive-part?
It's literally a clip on the nearest cold pipe through wall in to cu
No I didn't.
In my previous property there was earth cable from cu to gas meter and then the gas was linked to the heating flow and return and cold pipe hot pipe all looped
You last property was done wrong then.
It seams your last house had the main bonding connected to your suplimentry bonding
Gas safe advise you have the main bonding to the gas meter before any elbows
However
The Electricity council say where reasonable possible.
The water sometimes dont need main bonding , i.e plastic incoming
Gas safe relaxed there law on bonding pipes below boilers , however some engineers do them, which isnt a problem.
If you have RCD's on your fuse box then you dont need to bond your pipes
Gas safe advise you have the main bonding to the gas meter before any elbows
However
The Electricity council say where reasonable possible.
The water sometimes dont need main bonding , i.e plastic incoming
Gas safe relaxed there law on bonding pipes below boilers , however some engineers do them, which isnt a problem.
If you have RCD's on your fuse box then you dont need to bond your pipes
YES YOU DO!!!
Every installation MUST have main bonding installed where required regardless of the RCD situation.
Is that because it's not required and is completely pointless?
Every installation MUST have main bonding installed where required regardless of the RCD situation.
Is that because it's not required and is completely pointless?
Is that wrong? What about vice-versa?
Doesn't it depend on where the meter is?
Do you think they may be following the Wiring Regulations?
The water never needs bonding; it is metal pipes which may be a problem.
I didn't know that but as above.
That doesn't apply to main bonding as above.
Main bonding is important for safety. Installing it is not notifiable work, and you are permitted to do it yourself. I see no reason to discourage you.
see http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:main_equipotential_bonding
same for supplementary bonding in such places as bathrooms.
http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Supbond17th
see http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:main_equipotential_bonding
same for supplementary bonding in such places as bathrooms.
http://www.diynot.com/wiki/Electrics:Supbond17th
Nor, it seems, do you see a reason to explain to him how to check if he has e-c-ps in the bathroom, because if he hasn't then applying supplementary bonding will make things more dangerous.
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The words earthing and bonding often get swapped around and without seeing the property it's hard to say what is right and what is wrong.
The earth electrode is only required with a TT earth system with a TN system you can't have an earth electrode. This does not mean you can't have a rod stuck into the ground it just means that rod is given another name it becomes an extraneous-conductive-part.
Water pipes and gas pipes can also be extraneous-conductive-part but they can't be used as an earth electrode.
There are both problems earthing an incoming service pipe and not earthing an incoming service pipe. We would hope there is some isolation device i.e. some plastic pipe which means any pipe going into your house will not connect your earth to a neighbours house mainly because of electrolysis last thing we want to do is erode a gas pipe so the gas escapes.
However neither do we want the electrocute the meter reader. Plus any metal moving from one room to another can transmit a fault from one room to another so standard lamp knocked over by dog could cause a bulb to smash onto a radiator and cause not only that radiator to become live but all other radiators in the house to become live.
Using RCD protection it reduces the chances of this sort of situation and there are pros and cons to bonding which will mean with RCD protection it may be better to not bond but without RCD protection it may be better to bond.
The rules take into account the risks involved and tell us what to do in each situation.
In the main if not sure best option is to bond. But without being certain of exactly what is the situation then to give advice on what to do could produce a danger because something is missed in the reporting.
However the IET/BSi rules state on change of occupier an electrical installation condition report should be commissioned and this will highlight any problems with the earthing and bonding system. So all you need to do is read the report.
We should also get an electrical installation condition report done every 10 years and if this simple rule is complied with then where water pipes or other non allowed services are still used as an earth electrode the owner will be informed.
Earthing and bonding is complex and to try and condense these complex rules into an easy to understand statement is likely going to fail. We have no idea as to what your earthing system is or if you have RCD protection or not and if there are any insulators between any bonding wires and metal in the ground. To comment on what should or should not exist could result in errors so safety first and just look at that electrical installation condition report.
The earth electrode is only required with a TT earth system with a TN system you can't have an earth electrode. This does not mean you can't have a rod stuck into the ground it just means that rod is given another name it becomes an extraneous-conductive-part.
Water pipes and gas pipes can also be extraneous-conductive-part but they can't be used as an earth electrode.
There are both problems earthing an incoming service pipe and not earthing an incoming service pipe. We would hope there is some isolation device i.e. some plastic pipe which means any pipe going into your house will not connect your earth to a neighbours house mainly because of electrolysis last thing we want to do is erode a gas pipe so the gas escapes.
However neither do we want the electrocute the meter reader. Plus any metal moving from one room to another can transmit a fault from one room to another so standard lamp knocked over by dog could cause a bulb to smash onto a radiator and cause not only that radiator to become live but all other radiators in the house to become live.
Using RCD protection it reduces the chances of this sort of situation and there are pros and cons to bonding which will mean with RCD protection it may be better to not bond but without RCD protection it may be better to bond.
The rules take into account the risks involved and tell us what to do in each situation.
In the main if not sure best option is to bond. But without being certain of exactly what is the situation then to give advice on what to do could produce a danger because something is missed in the reporting.
However the IET/BSi rules state on change of occupier an electrical installation condition report should be commissioned and this will highlight any problems with the earthing and bonding system. So all you need to do is read the report.
We should also get an electrical installation condition report done every 10 years and if this simple rule is complied with then where water pipes or other non allowed services are still used as an earth electrode the owner will be informed.
Earthing and bonding is complex and to try and condense these complex rules into an easy to understand statement is likely going to fail. We have no idea as to what your earthing system is or if you have RCD protection or not and if there are any insulators between any bonding wires and metal in the ground. To comment on what should or should not exist could result in errors so safety first and just look at that electrical installation condition report.
Well said
Not alot of engineers know why bonding and main bonding is therefore.
Not alot of engineers know why bonding and main bonding is therefore.
That's really just a word game, isn't it? If one had a TT installation, with an earth electrode, and the DNO came along and introduced a TN supply cable into the property, would you then regard the DNO's 'earth' as an extraneous-conductive-part?
It's all really totally moot, since if you have both (a DNO-supplied earth and an earth electrode) then, regardless of which you chose to call the extraneous-c-p, both have to be connected to the MET!
Kind Regards, John
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