Do I need to earth bond this airing cupboard pipe?

[FoxtrotOscar]

Hi guys

I've recently taken a 22mm cooper pipe down from my cold water cistern to the shower pump in the airing cupboard.

My question is simply - do I need to earth bond the exposed vertical pipe you can see in this picture?

The other (painted) pipes are already bonded as you can see.

Many thanks.

 

[echoes]

No - no requirement for supplementary bonding in airing cupboard outside a bathroom.

(And it looks from your photo that the left-most of the existing clamps is in connection with the paint, and not the pipe itself.)

 

[FoxtrotOscar]

No - no requirement for supplementary bonding in airing cupboard outside a bathroom.

(And it looks from your photo that the left-most of the existing clamps is in connection with the paint, and not the pipe itself.)

Hmm yes you're right actually, I'll check that when I get home. Or will I...since I don't need it bonded anyway there's no point.

You can see where the paint on the pipe's been scratched away at some point, the earth strap must have shifted on the painted pipe at some point I guess.

Anyway thanks.

 

[JohnW2]

No - no requirement for supplementary bonding in airing cupboard outside a bathroom.

Whilst that is true in terms of the regs, I have to say that if it were my house, and if the cold water cistern were plastic, I would want this pipe to be bonded. If not (and if there are no other electrical paths from the pipe to other pipework), particularly given that it is going to be connected to an electrical device (shower pump), there is a (admittedly very improbable) possibility that the pipe (hence potentially shower fittings) could aquire a dangerous potential difference from other (earthed) pipework. Admittedly, the CPC of the pump (and shower itself, if electric) should effectively bond the pipe in question, but I think I'd sleep (or shower!) better if I knew there were a fat bit of G/Y cable in the equation. However, I guess that's just a personal thing.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[aptsys]

Get rid of the PTFE on the thread of that COMPRESSION fitting!

 

[echoes]

Get rid of the PTFE on the thread of that COMPRESSION fitting!

Good spot!

There may now follow a 10-page intermission about bonding for the insomniacs in the audience

 

[aptsys]

Good job he didn't post in the plumbing forum!

 

[echoes]

Good job he didn't post in the plumbing forum!

I find the gas PTFE is better for self-harming, being that much thicker. (But not as economical).

 

[FoxtrotOscar]

Good job he didn't post in the plumbing forum!

I did actually , while I was asking for help about how to plumb in my shower pump. They slaughtered me about it there, too. I've now learnt to only put it on the olive! It stays there though because to fix it would require a drain down (and it's not leaking, so...)

I also put the gate valve in a stupid place as it's hard to tighten it due to its proximity to the hot water cylinder. That and the PTFE thing is typical of what happens when you get a beginner doing plumbing, I guess. Still, better than the alternative (a 'pro' installer):

 

[Buzx1313]

Get rid of the PTFE on the thread of that COMPRESSION fitting!

isnt that annoying....

 

[FoxtrotOscar]

What's annoying is chump after chump saying get rid of it when they haven't got a clue why! All they know it's 'that's wot dey told me at college m8'.

 

[JohnW2]

What's annoying is chump after chump saying get rid of it when they haven't got a clue why! All they know it's 'that's wot dey told me at college m8'.

What I've heard said is that,peraticularly if one is generous with tape around the screw thread, it can potentially impair tightening of the nut enough to get proper compression of the olive - hence, whilst it doesn't leak around the thread (because of the tape), it may leak around the olive and hence out of the back of nut. Another option which doesn't carry that risk is to put tape (or jointing compound) around the olive. That shouldn't be necessary, either, but probably doesn't do any harm plumbing-wise - but if the taping is done too well, it can have the effect of interrupting electrical continuity across the joint.

I think also that the bottom-line plumbing attititude is that, if correctly assembled and tightened, compression joints are fine without any additional 'anti-leak measures' (i.e. if they're not broken, don't mend them).

Kind Regards, John.

 

[aptsys]

... it can potentially impair tightening of the nut enough to get proper compression of the olive - hence, whilst it doesn't leak around the thread (because of the tape),

Water will never leak from the thread of a compression fitting anyway because the thread does not make the joint, hence it is pointless or even has negative effects on the joint.

 

[holmslaw]

..

 

[JohnW2]

Water will never leak from the thread of a compression fitting anyway because the thread does not make the joint, hence it is pointless or even has negative effects on the joint.

Quite so. As I said, if it's not broken,don't mend it!

Of course, in one sense the tape could be regarded as a potentially self-fullfilling partial cure for a problem it may create itself; if it prevents the olive being compressed properly, the joint may then try to leak around the thread (as well as out the back)!

Kind Regards, John.