Earthing a radiator

[scrapbook]

At the moment I have a convential white radiator in bathroom and I want to replace it with a towel radiator.

Looking behind the current radiator there is an earth wire coming out of a hole in the plasterboard connected to it. Obviously if I fit a towel radiator this wire is going to be clearly visible.

How do i get around this? Is there a discrete way of doing it?

 

[namsag]

Ask on electrical forum but pretty certain bonding regs on bathroom rad has now gone and no longer req,
they where always few and far between at the best of times

 

[John506]

You don't have to have earthing wire on any raadiator/towel rail.

It just good practice to have it at the boiler.

 

[kevindgas]

if its already there why not take it down under floor and attach to pipework below the rad/towel rail (clamp looks horrid below a T/Rail)

 

[londonboy]

Yes I agree can look bloody awful! Can you crossbond pipes anywhere else in/around bathroom? I.e in loft or adjacent room. Crossbonding is not required if installation is protected by RCD (personally I still do it anyway though)

 

[kevindgas]

so long as there is metal pipework no reason why you cant earth outside the room but the problem arises when someone else puts a plastic part in the pipe (burst pipe fix on a sunday etc) and in doing so breaks the continuity

 

[londonboy]

so long as there is metal pipework no reason why you cant earth outside the room but the problem arises when someone else puts a plastic part in the pipe (burst pipe fix on a sunday etc) and in doing so breaks the continuity

Yes ****ing push fit fittings!

 

[scrapbook]

So it sounds as though I do not need to earth it anyway??

If I do, I don't really have access to the pipes under the floor. As the piping goes behind the plasterboard wall I could probably cut away some of that and connect it up to some of the piping there.

The current radiator obvioulsy connects horziontally to the existing valve, where as the towel rails obviosuly connects vertically so I guess I would need to add an elbow joint to the valve? The two valves are about 50cm apart and the towell rail will be 45cm wide.

The extent of my plumbing skills goes as far as taking the odd radiator off and refitting after decorating behind it so be gentle with me

 

[jabuzzard]

The requirement for supplementary equipotential bonding in bathrooms has gone in the 17th edition but ONLY if the main bonding of services within the property is in place and the metallic pipework can be proved by testing to be continuous. So you need to test it all out with a multimeter if you are going to skip it.

 

[Spark123]

//www.diynot.com/wiki/electrics:supbond17th

 

[JohnD]

you are supposed to bond the copper pipes (not the radiators) preferably where they enter the bathroom or just outside. e.g. in an adjacent airing cupboard.

If you insist on bonding inside a plasterboard wall you ought to have a screw-on hatch so it can be inspected and tested. Earth clamps are supposed to be accesible.