Do I fit electrical earth clamps when pipes are hot or cold?

[Mutley56]

Hi all,

I had a leak on a 22mm copper pipe feeding the CH radiator circuit. The small leaking section of pipe was cut out and a repair was made using a plastic push fit type connection. No earth clamps were installed across the plastic repair and so I need to buy one to install.

The question is, do I install the earth clamp when the pipe is cold or when it is hot to take into account any changes in pipe diameter from expansion / contraction when the pipe is hot / cold.

I hope the question makes sense and thanks in advance for all useful advice.

Mutley56

 

[martinxxxxxx]

What reason do you have for putting an earth clamp on a piece of pipe that is separated from the rest of the pipework by plastic fittings?

 

[bengasman]

Is there any form of bonding on your ch pipes to start with?

 

[bernardgreen]

Fit when cold. more comfortable for the hands. Pipe and clamp will both expand when heated and the clamp pressure will remain adequate for many hundreds if not thousands of hot-cold cycles. ( as compression pipe joints do ).

I would be more worried about the use of push fit plastic pipe couplings and their likelyhood of failure.

 

[Mutley56]

Thank you all for replying. There are earth clamps by the consumer unit and gas main and also by the gas system boiler so I guessed plastic repair interrupted earthing circuit. All pipework is In copper and so I don't know why repair wasn't in copper. All installed / repaired when my house wad refurbished 4 years ago. I found the repair when checking insulation for winter
Motley56

 

[Peet]

Thank you all for replying. There are earth clamps by the consumer unit and gas main and also by the gas system boiler so I guessed plastic repair interrupted earthing circuit. All pipework is In copper and so I don't know why repair wasn't in copper. All installed / repaired when my house wad refurbished 4 years ago. I found the repair when checking insulation for winter
Motley56

The repair may of been in plastic for a number of reasons; they may of lacked skills to work copper/it was easier/cheaper/they didn't want to do 'hot works'/the piping system wasn't easy to clear of the last traces of water (which is essential to be able to complete a soldered copper joint properly).

Like Bernard said, you've more worries about the reliability of O ring seals.

 

[mattylad]

You do have the option of redoing the repair in copper.

It may have been done in plastic as it was an emergency?

 

[Mutley56]

Thanks again for your replies. It wad repaired as an SOS job as I recall. I didn't look at the repair afterwards and so I imagined it was in copper like the rest of the pipework. Will ask for replacement if system is drained in the future.

Mutley56

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I guessed plastic repair interrupted earthing circuit.

There's no such thing.

Why do you want to earth your CH pipework & radiators?

 

[Mutley56]

I read it on an emergency plumbing advice leaflet in B&Q only recently. So I followed Tue advice. I cannot answer your question Ban all Sheds as I have poor understanding of domestic electrics.
Thanks again for replies.
Mutley56

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Probably shouldn't fiddle with domestic electrics then.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Pipes which are in the ground are 'main bonded' to the electrical installation because they are earthed.


Do any of your CH pipes go into the ground (concrete floor)?

If not -
No matter.

Even if so -
As the plastic repair is in one side of the CH (flow or return) it is unlikely to have altered anything.

 

[Mutley56]

Thanks EFLImpudence, all pipework is above ground. The repair is either on the flow or return pipe upstairs, I am not sure which as I fitted the clamps with pipes cold.

Even if the clamps were not required, I presume that they shouldn't do any harm and so that is ok with me.

Thanks again.

Mutley56

 

[PaulIG11]

I read it on an emergency plumbing advice leaflet in B&Q only recently. So I followed Tue advice. I cannot answer your question Ban all Sheds as I have poor understanding of domestic electrics.
Thanks again for replies.
Mutley56

Probably shouldn't fiddle with domestic electrics then.

I see I'm not the only apparently rational, reasonable individual who knows he doesn't know everything and who then seeks the views and guidance of others because he fears something may not quite be absolutely right to be the victim of sarcastic abuse.

I just wonder if "ban-all-sheds" is so named because that's where they keep his straight jacket or perhaps it's because that's where his alcohol (or more likely methylated spirits) is stored and locked away by others?

I wonder whether this omnipotent source of all things health & safety does a walk around of his car before driving it daily, looking for cuts and bulges to his tyres, for example. Whether he checks the oild every 200 miles; whether he tops up the screen wash weekly? .... Although the fellow won't admit it, I bet he flouts these "important safety statements" about undertaking these tasks before every journey because he considers them superfluous to proper safety? So safety and doing things by the book only applies to other people, eh? lol. What a troll !

 

[EFLImpudence]

Or, perhaps he does.

Stop digging.