earth bonding questions

[SpeedX]

Hi people, just had a loft conversion, and want to know the exact requirements on earth bonding.

Basically I have an earth bond cable from the MET to the stop cock in the cupboard in the hallway but due to the plumbing work carried out etc the earth bond cable is not intact to the stop cock anymore, and it is about half a meter too short now.

My questions are,
How should I extend the earth bonding wire by 1 meter, its in a cupboard and will be visible so the neatest looking way is the best (junction box? crimps???)

What else in the bungalow needs earth bonding? I believe none of the existing pipes have earth bonding at all on them except at the boiler all the pipes are bonded together.

I have a shower, bathroom sink & toilet upstairs (new)
Downstairs I have unmodified existing bathroom which consists off the usual shower, bath, toilet & bathroom sink.

Also downstairs I have kitchen sink, & gas hob (electric cooker however) both of which are new replacements

Downstairs I have a new extension which comprises of utility room which has in it a new sink and pipework for a washing machine which comes from the kitchen pipework.

I also have new radiators in the following, upstairs study, bedroom 1, bedroom 2, towel rail in en suite, and new rad in hallway.

Downstairs I have new rads in utility room & garden room,

because the work has been 95% completed I have difficulty accessing some space as it has been plastered.

I think basically all of the new hidden pipework is plastic it is only copper at the most 10 inches from the rads/sinks etc upstairs downstairs I think is nearly all copper.

Thanks in advance
James

 

[JohnD]

This is very long so I will answer the first part

Basically I have an earth bond cable from the MET to the stop cock in the cupboard in the hallway but due to the plumbing work carried out etc the earth bond cable is not intact to the stop cock anymore, and it is about half a meter too short now.

My questions are,
How should I extend the earth bonding wire by 1 meter, its in a cupboard and will be visible so the neatest looking way is the best (junction box? crimps???)

It should be a continuous length of wire with no connections that can come apart. So screwed terminals or junction boxes are not permitted. But crimped or soldered joints are.

(in almost all UK houses) the main bonding to the incoming water and gas main should be in 10mm Green&Yellow. Older houses may have an undersized cable. It costs about £1 a metre so depending on length a may be less trouble to buy a new length than to extend the old one.

For more information please read
//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:main_equipotential_bonding

and for your bathroom, swimming pool etc read
//www.diynot.com/wiki/electric...l_bonding:supplementary_equipotential_bonding

 

[SpeedX]

i couldnt find info on radiators,

all the pipework for the rads is plastic up until the studwork walls where the plastic is connected to a short lengh of copper,

thanks
jim

 

[JohnD]

you don't bond radiators

except for metal pipes in the bathroom as mentioned in the Supplementary Bonding link

 

[martinxxxxxx]

It should be a continuous length of wire with no connections that can come apart. So screwed terminals or junction boxes are not permitted. But crimped or soldered joints are.

Please help

Could you point me to where it says this in the regs.

Thanks

Martin

 

[Taylortwocities]

It should be a continuous length of wire with no connections that can come apart. So screwed terminals or junction boxes are not permitted. But crimped or soldered joints are.

Please help

Could you point me to where it says this in the regs.

Thanks

Martin

That is a good point. In the 16th there was a section titled "Preservation of Protectiove Conductors" or something like that,

But i don't see it in the BRB.

Anyone?

 

[JohnW2]

That is a good point. In the 16th there was a section titled "Preservation of Protectiove Conductors" or something like that,
But i don't see it in the BRB.
Anyone?

We've been through this before, at least a couple of times that I can recall. I think the consensus is that, although it was mentioned in the 16th ed., and also in a number of books that are meant to be 17th ed.-savvy, no-one can actually find it anywhere in current regs or even OSG.

From a common sense point of view, I have to say that, given that the connections at both ends will inevitably be screwed, I'm not sure I can see any major additional problem with their being joints in an MPB, provided they are accessible for inspection.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[riveralt]

[That is a good point. In the 16th there was a section titled "Preservation of Protectiove Conductors" or something like that,

But i don't see it in the BRB.

Anyone?

543.3 BRB

But the only continuous reference is to ensuring that metallic conduit shall be mechanically and electrically continuous

 

[JohnW2]

543.3 BRB
But the only continuous reference is to ensuring that metallic conduit shall be mechanically and electrically continuous

In fact, 543.3.3 requires connections and joints to be accessible, thereby implicitly acknowledging that there may be joints in at least some protective conductors (not, I admit, necessarily MPBs).
Kind Regards, John.

 

[Taylortwocities]

[That is a good point. In the 16th there was a section titled "Preservation of Protectiove Conductors" or something like that,

But i don't see it in the BRB.

Anyone?

543.3 BRB

But the only continuous reference is to ensuring that metallic conduit shall be mechanically and electrically continuous

Thanks, but it doesn't specifically state that Main Protective Bonding Conductor (MPBC)s should be continuous conductor only that joints must be accessible.
Most of that section refers to protective conductors generally.The conduit reference doesnt apply as that is not MPBCs.

I can't find the bit that says that the conductor must be continuous where you loop a MPBC from -say- a water and then on to a gas service,.

Too much Merlot again...maybe?

 

[ricicle]

The continuous MPB is mentioned in the GNs (specifically GN8) but as the title suggests, they are guidance not the actual regulations.
It is (I believe) also mentioned in NIC guidance, but again they do not write the regulations.

 

[JohnW2]

I can't find the bit that says that the conductor must be continuous where you loop a MPBC from -say- a water and then on to a gas service,.
Too much Merlot again...maybe?

No, it's not the Merlot - we've been through that one, too, and although widely believed and mentioned (and sensible), that one's seemingly not in the regs or OSG, either!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[ricicle]

The continuous MPB is mentioned in the GNs (specifically GN8) but as the title suggests, they are guidance not the actual regulations.
It is (I believe) also mentioned in NIC guidance, but again they do not write the regulations.

 

[JohnD]

It should be a continuous length of wire with no connections that can come apart. So screwed terminals or junction boxes are not permitted. But crimped or soldered joints are.

Please help

Could you point me to where it says this in the regs.

Thanks

Martin

I think that since I wrote that, in 2007, I have come to the conclusion that it is good practice but not obligatory. I probably picked it up prior to 17th and did not notice it had been dropped. Or maybe it was just one of those bits of folklore that circulates.

However screwed joints must be accessible, and MPBs are often run under floors and behind cupboards, so I think it save a lot of trouble to crimp them. AFAIK there is no objection now to having a screwed joint when you loop from MET to water pipe then on to gas pipe, for example, since the connection at each pipe must be accessible.