Supplementary bonding of heating controls?

[DIYTom]

ive just had my boiler replaced by British Gas and I’ve got a few electrical questions they didn’t cover. Their electrician pointed out that I need a 10mm earth cable from my consumer unit to the gas pipe and water main. That’s fine and I can get that done.
Previously the switch for the immerser heater and the switch for the heating controls both had earth cables coming out and running down to a clamp on the heating pipes, which then looped around to a few more pipes. These cables have been cut and not renewed, and the electrician made no mention of them. Is this supplementary bonding still required? And should it also be connnected up to the new 10mm earth? I have a consumer unit with RCDs that both switches connect back to.

 

[flameport]

Is this supplementary bonding still required?

Not required, and never was.

 

[JohnD]

were these pipe connections in, or adjacent to, the bathroom?

 

[DIYTom]

No the pipes in question are in the boiler room, a few feet from the boiler. I had a skim through the Internet about supplementary bonding and all the pipes in the bathroom are plastic now, so it’s not needed there. In pipe terms the boiler is miles from the bathroom.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I have a consumer unit with RCDs that both switches connect back to.

That must be a fairly recent consumer unit then.

It is a requirement that the 10mm earth cable to the water and gas is in place when renewing a consumer unit. There aretwo possibilities, each of equal weight:
1. whoever did the CU was a dangerous cowboy,
or
2. the British Gas electrician didn't know what he was talking about, and/or didn't look in the right place.

 

[John D v2.0]

When you say 2, presumably that includes the possibility that the system is not pme and there is a 6mm earth which is sufficient, or that the gas and water are not extraneous conductive parts ie plastic. Although not sure if plastic/isolated gas incomers are a thing?

 

[DIYTom]

That must be a fairly recent consumer unit then.

It is a requirement that the 10mm earth cable to the water and gas is in place when renewing a consumer unit. There aretwo possibilities, each of equal weight:
1. whoever did the CU was a dangerous cowboy,
or
2. the British Gas electrician didn't know what he was talking about, and/or didn't look in the right place.

The CU was replaced about two or three years ago. It has a wacking great earth cable going from it to the main electricity company fuse. When it was done the heating system was bonded together and then back to the controls through the board, so maybe he decided that this was enough? He certainly signed off on it and gave me the certificates.
The gas main is copper as you’d expect. The water main I don’t know. Its painted black and comes out the ground. Given the age of the house (105) I expect it could be lead. It immediately goes into plastic inside. I’m planing to redo this bit as it’s a real mess (the plumber was a slight cowboy, he did some good work and some rubbish), and put in a length of copper that can be bonded to.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Bonding to services is not required if they are plastic incoming to the house.