Hi can anyone help Im unsure of how to earth my shower unit I have fitted, I have earthed the shower itself but I was told I must earth the copper pipe which carries the cold water supply. I have just connected the pipe underneath my bath (from an existing supply from the bath) and into the shower unit I understand that all household pipes in the house are already earthed do I have to earth it again if so what do I buy and how do I do it? can anyone help
earthing
- Thread starter zidane
- Start date
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Copper pipework in the athroom metal baths and the shower plus any other accessories in the zones have to be bonded together, usually using 4mm and earth clamps suitabe n a wet area (ble stripe or no stripe,but not red stripe.
how do I bond it and what do I bond it to, really dont understand can someone please help I dont know what to do!
You need some earth clamps
and some 4mm Green&Yellow Sheathed earth wire.
You connect the earth wire to an earth terminal of each electric circuit that enters your bathroom. this is usually the Shower circuit and the Lighting circuit,but may also include immersion heater, central heating pump,shaver socket. The pull-cord switches can be used for this and you can probably run the wire in the ceiling for neatness.
You then must connect the earth wire (using the pipe clamps) to every metallic service that enters the bathroom.this is usually hot water,cold water,central heating but may include lead waste pipes or iron soil pipes.
The objective is to ensure that all the Earth Conductors from all the circuits are bonded together, and to all the metallic services. Note that you only need to bond each pipe once,where it enters the bathroom,or just outside e.g.in an adjacent airing cupboard. So you do not for example have to bond the cold water pipe at the basin, the WC cistern, the bidet tap and the bath tap.
Equally you only need to bond each electrical circuit once, so you do not need to bond at the light switch, the wall lamp, the ceiling lamp and the spotlamps, if they are all on the same lighting circuit. Nor the shower switch and the shower heater as well.
If you have a metal bath, then you bond the hot water pipe and the cold water pipe,and the waste pipe if metal. unless the bath projects out of the bathroom through a hole in the wall it cannot pick up a voltage from outside the room,so you do not need to bond it. You bond the metallic services that enter the bathroom from outside. You do not have to bond metal soap dishes or coat hangers.
This is called Supplementary Bonding and you can read all about it ion dozens of other posts on here.
and some 4mm Green&Yellow Sheathed earth wire.
You connect the earth wire to an earth terminal of each electric circuit that enters your bathroom. this is usually the Shower circuit and the Lighting circuit,but may also include immersion heater, central heating pump,shaver socket. The pull-cord switches can be used for this and you can probably run the wire in the ceiling for neatness.
You then must connect the earth wire (using the pipe clamps) to every metallic service that enters the bathroom.this is usually hot water,cold water,central heating but may include lead waste pipes or iron soil pipes.
The objective is to ensure that all the Earth Conductors from all the circuits are bonded together, and to all the metallic services. Note that you only need to bond each pipe once,where it enters the bathroom,or just outside e.g.in an adjacent airing cupboard. So you do not for example have to bond the cold water pipe at the basin, the WC cistern, the bidet tap and the bath tap.
Equally you only need to bond each electrical circuit once, so you do not need to bond at the light switch, the wall lamp, the ceiling lamp and the spotlamps, if they are all on the same lighting circuit. Nor the shower switch and the shower heater as well.
If you have a metal bath, then you bond the hot water pipe and the cold water pipe,and the waste pipe if metal. unless the bath projects out of the bathroom through a hole in the wall it cannot pick up a voltage from outside the room,so you do not need to bond it. You bond the metallic services that enter the bathroom from outside. You do not have to bond metal soap dishes or coat hangers.
This is called Supplementary Bonding and you can read all about it ion dozens of other posts on here.
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so if I bond the cold water pipe to the hot water pipe that should do for earthing my shower copper pipe, the rest of the house should be pre- earthed am I correct, or if I'm running another water supply via copper pipe from an existing pipe that goes to the bath tap do I need to earth this or will it be already earthed as I'm connecting a another supply from an existing supply is this correct?
If you punctuate it will be easier to read your post.
As well as bonding the hot and cold pipes together, you must bond them to the earth wire of each electrical circuit that enters the bathroom. You omitted that from your post. You must also bond them to the radiator pipes, which you did not mention.
You do not say if you have metal waste pipes or soil pipes, or a shaver socket or an immersion heater.
Any bonding that may occur outside the bathroom is disregarded for bathroom supplementary bonding. The bathroom must be safe in itself regardless of what might happen outside.
As well as bonding the hot and cold pipes together, you must bond them to the earth wire of each electrical circuit that enters the bathroom. You omitted that from your post. You must also bond them to the radiator pipes, which you did not mention.
You do not say if you have metal waste pipes or soil pipes, or a shaver socket or an immersion heater.
Any bonding that may occur outside the bathroom is disregarded for bathroom supplementary bonding. The bathroom must be safe in itself regardless of what might happen outside.
You are not 'earthing' the pipes - that is not the purpose of supplementary bonding. The idea is to keep accessible metalwork at roughly the same potential (whatever that might be) to reduce the severity of an electric shock should you be touching a faulty appliance and a conductive part at the same time.
Another point to remember is that the pipes must be electrically continuous for them to act as bonding conductors. If you use plastic push-fit fittings on copper pipes you must bridge the insulating portions.
Another point to remember is that the pipes must be electrically continuous for them to act as bonding conductors. If you use plastic push-fit fittings on copper pipes you must bridge the insulating portions.
Sorry about the typing must learn to write legibley, no I dont have any radiators in the bathroom I just had a ceramic bath toilet and basin, and now I have fitted a shower nothing else in the bathroom apart from light switch which is a pull cord, Im just concerned that the shower cold water supply via the copper pipe is not earthed.
I think I might have a steel waste pipe, so if I bond the cold water supply and hot water pipe would this be sufficient for the bathroom?
I think I might have a steel waste pipe, so if I bond the cold water supply and hot water pipe would this be sufficient for the bathroom?
zidane said:
I keep getting the feeling you haven't read my post.
Are you going to bond to the earth wires of the the shower and lighting circuits?
Are you going to bond to the metal waste pipe as well as to the hot and cold water pipes?
zidane said:
Are you not reading what JohnD has written? He has explained quite clearly what is required. ALL metal pipes (water, waste and heating) must be connected together, and then connected to the earth terminal of ALL electrical equipment within the bathroom.
In your case, you need to connect the light and shower to the hot, cold and waste pipes.
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