A NICEIC electrician recently earthed our gas supply by trailling a wire along the ground at the front of our house between the gas and electricity meter boxes - when I asked he said he was not allowed to earth the pipe inside the house by linking it to the consumer unit. Is this right? If not, can I change this myself without infringing the new regulations? What about those official-looking metal tags?
Gas pipe earthing - inside or out?
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bloggs said:
Those official looking tags are BS951 clamps which are used to connect an equipotential bonding conductor to copper pipework.
There are 2 types, red for indoor and blue for outdoor or areas likely to be affected by moisture.
Main equipotential bonding should ideally terminate into a MET (Main Earting Terminal) and not the consumer unit.
??? You can bond the gas and water with the same cable, but is must be continuous throughout its length. It sounds to me like your electrician couldn't be assed to run a cable from the gas to the CU. As for saying about not earthing the pipe inside?! That's exactly the pipe you are bonding, absolutely nothing to do with the outside pipework. For example, if a meter is on an outside wall and the pipework runs for a few metres around the building before going in, it will have to be bonded at the point of entry not the meter, a fact lost on British Gas engineers 
But in almost all situations the meter (within 600mm on the consumer side) is where it is bonded.
But in almost all situations the meter (within 600mm on the consumer side) is where it is bonded. Sponsored Links
The bonding within 600mm of the meter is required by The Gas Safety(Installation & Use) Regulations.
What happens on the "sparky" side if the gas pipe splits below the external meter housing and has two points of entry? Do you have to bond at each entry point? (The Gas Regs require the bonding to be before any branch.)
Yet again a clear case of different requirements for different trades.
Do you have a link to these gas regulations?
The main technical requirement Part P is "P1 Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury. "
The rest of the Part P is mainly about what work is notifiable and what is not.
How you go about complying with P1 of Part P is up to you, if you wish to use BS7671 to provide compliance with P1 then you need to carry out the BS7671 requirement regarding main equipotential bonding. This requires the gas pipe to be bonded before any branch in the pipework and within 600mm of the meter outlet union, or at the point of entry to the building if the meter is external.
The main technical requirement Part P is "P1 Reasonable provision shall be made in the design and installation of electrical installations in order to protect persons operating, maintaining or altering the installations from fire or injury. "
The rest of the Part P is mainly about what work is notifiable and what is not.
How you go about complying with P1 of Part P is up to you, if you wish to use BS7671 to provide compliance with P1 then you need to carry out the BS7671 requirement regarding main equipotential bonding. This requires the gas pipe to be bonded before any branch in the pipework and within 600mm of the meter outlet union, or at the point of entry to the building if the meter is external.
Sorry Giblets Should read twice answer once
Spark123 If the earth on an external meter is at the first point of entry, then usually this will be the otherside of the wall so within the 600mm. otherwise 600mm would take priority.
Strangely today I happened to see this in the corgi manual and it actually states that inside the building, otherside of external meter wall, is the prefered position, the non-prefered position but allowed is in the external meter box. This I think is mainly down to they don't want the earth wire coming through the wall with the gas pipe into the back of the meter box as this can cause a problem with sealing the meter box.
Should read twice answer once Spark123 If the earth on an external meter is at the first point of entry, then usually this will be the otherside of the wall so within the 600mm. otherwise 600mm would take priority.
Strangely today I happened to see this in the corgi manual and it actually states that inside the building, otherside of external meter wall, is the prefered position, the non-prefered position but allowed is in the external meter box. This I think is mainly down to they don't want the earth wire coming through the wall with the gas pipe into the back of the meter box as this can cause a problem with sealing the meter box.
I understand the theory behing the bonding side of things and what BS7671 says about it, BS7671 goes for within 600mm of entry to the building. Do you mean 600mm priority from the meter or 600mm priority from the point of entry?
I am intrigued as to what the gas regulations say as I don't come across natural gas nor the gas regs at all where I work. Just wondering also is there also a gas regulation for supplementary bonding the pipework at boilers or is that more of a manufacturers requirement?
I am intrigued as to what the gas regulations say as I don't come across natural gas nor the gas regs at all where I work. Just wondering also is there also a gas regulation for supplementary bonding the pipework at boilers or is that more of a manufacturers requirement?
I mean 600mm from meter and before the first T. I have always been instructed to cross bond, if that is the correct term, all the pipes under a combi boiler, including the gas, I always bond all heating and water pipes in an airing cupboard as well on a conventioanl heating system.
Not a manufacturers requirement though.
Not a manufacturers requirement though.
I have seen it done plenty of times and have been told numerous times it must be done, though bar from it being in a special location I don't understand where the requirement to supplementary bond boilers comes from?
Also, where abouts in the gas regs does the 600mm meter MEB requirement come from?
Also, where abouts in the gas regs does the 600mm meter MEB requirement come from?
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There's no point cross bonding at most boilers now (unless the manufacturer's installation instructions specify it) because most boilers have a metal pipe plate to which all pipework is attached, thus effectively bonding each pipe to the others.
Bloggs - TRAILED ALONG THE GROUND??? Get him back asap!!
ample - you have to bond the installation pipe, not the supply pipe. You can do it in the meter box, or where the pipe enters the property.
If the pipe entry point is not accessible, I would bond externally.
AFAIK, the NIC say that if there are two entry points, they should both be bonded, though I am happy to be corrected.
Bloggs - TRAILED ALONG THE GROUND??? Get him back asap!!
ample - you have to bond the installation pipe, not the supply pipe. You can do it in the meter box, or where the pipe enters the property.
If the pipe entry point is not accessible, I would bond externally.
AFAIK, the NIC say that if there are two entry points, they should both be bonded, though I am happy to be corrected.
Regulation 18 of the GS(IU)Regs is the one that deals with the safe use of pipes; viz:
Safe use of pipes
18. - (1) No person shall install any installation pipework in any position in which it cannot be used with safety having regard to the position of other pipes, pipe supports, drains, sewers, cables, conduits and electrical apparatus and to any parts of the structure of any premises in which it is installed which might affect its safe use.
(2) Any person who connects any installation pipework to a primary meter shall, in any case where electrical equipotential bonding may be necessary, inform the responsible person that such bonding should be carried out by a competent person.
The Guidance Notes state that the Regulation is directed at the 600mm (approximate) length of installation pipework at the outlet of the domestic meter installation which is the recommended location of any main equipotential bond in the appropriate standard.
Safe use of pipes
18. - (1) No person shall install any installation pipework in any position in which it cannot be used with safety having regard to the position of other pipes, pipe supports, drains, sewers, cables, conduits and electrical apparatus and to any parts of the structure of any premises in which it is installed which might affect its safe use.
(2) Any person who connects any installation pipework to a primary meter shall, in any case where electrical equipotential bonding may be necessary, inform the responsible person that such bonding should be carried out by a competent person.
The Guidance Notes state that the Regulation is directed at the 600mm (approximate) length of installation pipework at the outlet of the domestic meter installation which is the recommended location of any main equipotential bond in the appropriate standard.
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