boiler replacement

[partpdoctor]

Hi to you all....
This is my first post in this section so please be gentle......

Ok then, this is the scenario....

1 Old boiler on the wall

2 Plumber arrives to replace boiler

3 Pipe work NOT cross-bonded to boiler. This is nor required as the pipes are all commoned out via the boiler base plate and internal gubbins

4 Said plumber removes boiler and so by his work leaves outgoing pipework potentially un-earthed while there is no boiler.

My question is this. Is it a Corgi requirement to temporarily connect boiler pipework together with "jumpers" while the boiler is missing?

 

[Rob]

No. Not looking for an excuse to not pay ya bill by any chance?

 

[partpdoctor]

no nothing like that

i am an electrician turned author who has said that daisy chaining pipes under boilers with clamps and 4mm earths is unnessary. one of my purchasers raised the point to me.

if a plumber removes the boiler, he could be potentially making the installation lethal

surely corgi have looked at this?

 

[JohnD]

why making lethal?

No doubt the incoming gas and water pipes are main bonded.

Are you planning to attach a live wire to one of the pipes inside your house?

 

[partpdoctor]

hi john
protection from electric shock is acheived by earthing and fuse/breaker protection....
the earthing of stuff is essential for safety, the scenario is....

1 you isolate and remove remove the boiler

2 some of the pipework ends up disconnected from earth due to 1

3 a live wire touches down on the un-earthed pipe somewhere or the pipe is carring some sort of leakage

4 the pipe now becomes live and does not blow the fuse breaker

5 a victim touches this pipe AND an earthed piece of metalwork

6 the victim receives a potentially lethal shock

my point is that electrically isolating the boiler during replacement buys you nothing. the only way to do it safely is to isolate the whole house. i have been teaching for a few years and these "daft" questions are the ones that really make you think! i cannot believe that this is not addressed by corgi

 

[JohnD]

but you are talikng about a piece of metal pipe that is not supplementary bonded, and is not continuous with either the incoming gas or water pipe or other metallic service.

You are not required to supplementary-bond them*, and there could be several in a house even if you do not have a gas boiler

e.g. a pipe fed from a plastic CWC.

(*unless, up to 17th, they were in a bathroom etc)

there is a risk you will be bonding metal saucepan-racks next