Water main earth

[loziv]

Hi

We had a new water supply and internal stop cock installed in a new location in the house with the new mdpe blue pipework as the main supply. However there seems to be no earthing to the water connection?

Should the earthing of the water main have been done at the same time as the installation of the new stop cock?

 

[Steve]

I may be wrong but i dont think that needs bonding as it cannot introduce a potential into the equipotential zone (your house).

Is that plumbing as diy as it looks?

 

[loziv]

Thanks, so the water main does not need earth bonding?

 

[Taylortwocities]

There is no point, it is plastic.

 

[Jackrae]

You should be more concerned about the location of that socket with all those potential water leak spots around it. Is that damp or shadow one can see on walls and floor of cabinet.

 

[PBC_1966]

Is there bonding still in place on the (metallic) internal system?

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Hi

We had a new water supply and internal stop cock installed in a new location in the house with the new mdpe blue pipework as the main supply. However there seems to be no earthing to the water connection?

Should the earthing of the water main have been done at the same time as the installation of the new stop cock?

As the service enters the property in an insulated material, there is no requirement for equipotential bonding.

 

[bernardgreen]

As the service enters the property in an insulated material, there is no requirement for equipotential bonding.

You might think so but

Water can be conductive....... ( if it wasn't conductive then there wouldn't be all the fuss about electrics in bathrooms )

Some one might up (or down) grade the supply by replacing the the plastic water main with a metallic water main

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

You might think so but

Water can be conductive....... ( if it wasn't conductive then there wouldn't be all the fuss about electrics in bathrooms )

Some one might up (or down) grade the supply by replacing the the plastic water main with a metallic water main

Water is not as conductive as most people think! and according to BS7671 and guidance note 8, there is no requirement.

I have never come across any water undertaker replacing MDPE for metallic pipework, have you? As their standards are to remove metallic pipe and replace with MDPE.

 

[bernardgreen]

I was being as bit sarcastic. In theory the water in a many metres of plastic pipe will not have sufficient conductivity to import a dangerous amount of current into copper pipe work that is within the equipotential zone. So it is is in theory not necessary to bond that incoming water supply.

Again with water mains it is most unlikely that a length of MDPE or other plastic pipe would be replaced with metal pipe. But not impossible, or as in friends house the MDPE pipe is about 2 metres long before it connects to the metallic water main and thus conductivity in the water could introduce a significant amount of current. In this case the plastic replaced a length of leaking metal pipe.

 

[Risteard]

Water is not as conductive as most people think!

Correct. Water is not conductive at all - it is impurities in the water which can be conductive.

 

[bernardgreen]

Correct. Water is not conductive at all - it is impurities in the water which can be conductive.

If only the water companies could supply distilled ( or de-ionised ) water. ( JOKE )

 

[Echo the husky]

Water is not as conductive as most people think!

Those Dolphin showers with the bare heating elements in the water only have 50cms or so of insulating hose between the live elements and the metallic water inlet and outlet, and they seem to work safely enough!

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

The question I would ask regarding the conductive qualities of water is:
Has anyone dangled a couple of lengths of copper cable in to a bath, then taken continuity test between them?

 

[JohnW2]

The question I would ask regarding the conductive qualities of water is: Has anyone dangled a couple of lengths of copper cable in to a bath, then taken continuity test between them?

Not literally in a bath but, in the distant past, I've certainly looked at conductivity of 'water' (in plastic buckets etc.), with and without 'additives'. As expected, one gets a very low conductivity (high resistance) with distilled/de-ionised water but with any 'real world' water, the results one gets are so dramatically dependent on 'the water' (i.e. what's 'in it') that one can't really generalise. Many products usually present in a bathroom will increase the conductivity a lot. I would also imagine that if someone with a 'sweaty body' has been in the bath, the amount of salt thereby added to the water would probably have a marked effect on conductivity - and that's before one even considers any other 'body fluids' .

Kind Regards, John