ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues Bonding Metal Piping 250.104 (B)

If you want an interesting walk around the block, take your clamp and look at the current on the ground wires coming down the poles.
With permission, look at the current on your neighbor's ground electrode conductors. Compare that to what you saw on the poles.
It is clear there is a lot of unintentional current flowing around in the dirt. Wye distribution insures the dirt is a significant current path.

If you can find a wire coming down the poles that has not been stolen for the copper.

In my part of the city they are mostly missing from the ground electrode to about 6 or 7 feet up the pole. It was reported to the utility about this time last year and they still have not sent a crew out to check / fix the poles.

Harold:
Read the directive from DCA regarding the CSST bonding!

It must be bonded, per the sketch in the Communicator, & a permit is required.

Thanks for the informative comments..very insightful..my inspector made me run a ground to the load side of the gas meter and one to the copper lines to the water heater back to the main panel...jumping across both hot and cold...the code says the EGC can serve gas equipment for bonding...but that would not cover the gas system if you had an electric water heater and gas stove!

250.104 (B) is a bugger!

Thanks

Greg

John,

I have seen the directive, and I do follow the rules, however I don't have to like them. Plus once I leave the job, who knows what the EC does? I have heard of guys taking the AFCI breakers out and the plastic bubble covers get broken too.

Personally, The CSST thing is a joke IMHO. I don't like it either.

For the record, my wife hates the TR receptacles!

I totally agree. I was taught to bond the hot and cold and believe its required in the gray area of the code and here is my 2 cents worth.

Anything conductive thats connected to an electrical system had the potential of becoming energized hence it must be or grounded or bonded. The cold water side of a water heater on an all metal plumbing system. My problem with not bonding is most waters have dielectric fittings to prevent electrolysis between the copper pipes and iron tank. They are also insulates the hot side of the plumbing from the cold side. There could be a conductive connection between the hot and cold lines at faucets where they mix together but how can we be sure that's an adequate conductive path with the use of more and more plastic parts used in faucets and Teflon tape? If the hot side becomes energized some how, if there is not a sufficient pathway between the hot and cold lines, there will be potential voltage between the two and we all know what will happen if both are touched at the same time like reach under the sink of shutting off both faucets. More and more plastic parts. As electricians we have to ensure that anything that is likely to become energized must be effectively bonded.

I started to research this in greater detail years ago because of the confusion. I have PE's arguing its a must to bond and other going no way. Maybe I need to continue this research...

Sparky,

What is very bad now is that plumbers are mixing the old CU pipe with the new plastic pipe. (Pex, pipe?) So now it the houses, there are large portions of Cu pipe that isn't bonded at all. Those sections could become energized and we would never know it. Maybe the Pex should have a bonding wire in it to carry the grounding of the old Cu pipe.

Sparky brought up a point about anything metal that connects with the electrical system should be grounded. What if it didn't have anything to do with the electrical (ac)system and it was metal? Case in point is a lot of houses have a large I-beam running down the center of the house, and being EC's who hate to drill, we will run our wires down along with the metal I-beam. Should that I-beam be bonded to the ac system?

I have not heard of any requirement to bond the beam in an R3. The lally columns, set in the basement slab might constitute a ground but a visqueen sheet under the slab would insulate that. They are also painted. It would be an interesting test with a Suretest and the right adapter.