Thanks for the replies. I guess I was not very clear. My thinking was that metallic plumbing supply lines which connect a faucet to the household plumbing could bond the faucet to the grounding system whereas the plastic hoses most commonly used would not. I assumed a bonded fixture would be somewhat safer but I was not certain. A thread in the theory section, "path of least resistance" also provided me with some insight.
Only intuition told me that it could be safer but now more than ever I am uncertain. If I am not mistaken, a metal sink and or faucet installed within 5 feet of a whirlpool tub would be bonded but if the tub was not a whirlpool it would not need to be bonded. My convoluted logic is that if it's good for a lav by a whirlpool why not one next to a regular tub or any sink. Or is the whirlpool requirement only for a bonding grid which is completely different than attaching to the grounding system (stabilize or eliminate voltage gradients rather than provide fault protection).
Thanks again for the replies. I think I am just thinking about this too hard. By the way, I am going to replace the supply lines for all of the sinks and toilet in my house and I was considering using soft copper tube tube. Not that it matters. The all metal waterpipe is the grounding electrode; adding a supplemental rod etc. will come when other electrical is upgraded in this older house.
Phil H
