earthing boiler

[panny300]

does a boiler in a kitchen need the pipes connecting together with earthing cable.if yes,then are just the pipes on the boiler linked together or is the cable then taken back to the consumer/ main cold water pipe.
The incoming water and gas are bonded.
and what if the cold/hot feed and return have been connected to the kitchen plumbing by plastic tee pieces.

 

[JohnD]

No.



There was a time when the answer was yes, but now it's not.

The incoming water main will be (should be) connected with a 10mm earth to the supply, and the copper pipes in the bathroom (or just outside it) will be connected to the earths of whatever circuits enter it (certainly lights, possibly electric shower, pump, extractor, heating, immersion). So if you have an all-copper installation all the pipes will be earthed anyway.

If you have plastic piping with a few bits of copper here and there, the rules are different.

 

[panny300]

thanks john,so what happens connections are plastic

 

[JohnD]

Never had any, find it difficult to grasp the ideas involved. try the "For Reference" section //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7553&start=0

in the post by ban-all-sheds dated "Tue Jul 20, 2004 6:45 pm " you will see links that will help. Especiallly http://www.iee.org/Publish/WireRegs/EarthingPlasticPipes.pdf

It is not entirely true to say that the plastic pipes insulate their appliances, because water flowing, e.g. out of the bath and into an iron drainpipe brings a rather high-resitsance earth into the bathroom

 

[Biggles..]

After a recent visit by my friendly Corgi inspector it ws pointed out to me that all pipes that feed to a boiler should be bonded together. I know not in the 16th regs but is stated in the gas regs.

 

[JohnD]

Very reasonable. I hadn't seen it before (in the old days when it used to be correct to supplementary-bond in kitchens that would have caught it) but I just noticed in the "earthing plastic pipes" doc that the IEE author says main bonding should include "metal central heating and air conditioning systems" I'm sure I didn't spot that before in my OSG or the leaflet on supp bonding.

If main bonding, s/be in uninterrupted 10mm

If no other opinions crop up, I'm perfectly happy with that; though it does make me think (my CH boiler is very close to the sink) that in my case sup bonding of the sink taps would also be appropriate (which is also OK with me as an old-fashioned sort of person)

 

[69er]

It is not a reg but it is regarded as good practice to bond kitchen sinks and boiler pipes - so I am informed. We for one supplementary bond all our sinks. Maybe when the 17th edition comes out things will change?

 

[Stoday]

It is not a reg but it is regarded as good practice to bond kitchen sinks and boiler pipes - so I am informed. We for one supplementary bond all our sinks. Maybe when the 17th edition comes out things will change?

That was a requirement in the 15th edition, but was excluded from the 16th (current) edition because bonding was considered less safe than not bonding.

Rather than 'good practice' it's obsolete practice.

 

[69er]

stoday

Had this discussion with the niceic and it is still consifered good practise.

 

[Stoday]

But NICEIC don't write the rules. The IEE does.

 

[69er]

But NICEIC don't write the rules. The IEE does.

I know that (although someone should remind them).

I never said it was a reg - just good practise.