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Bonding a metal bath

David-Adams
Good evening


I am having one of those moments where I can’t sleep because I am worrying about something I probably don’t need to. That’s the rational part of me talking, unfortunately the anxiety monster won’t b***** off. 


We have just had our old cast iron bath replaced with a nice new shiny steel one. The old bath was bonded back to the terminal block by main consumer unit over 6mm earth cable via the airing cupboard. We also have an electric shower. 


The new bath has no taps on it (they are wall-mounted and fed by copper pipes). The waste is all plastic. The electric shower has been replaced with a new electric shower. The copper pipes in the airing cupboard have been connected via a new 4mm earth cable. My electrician says that according to the 18th edition, there is no requirement for the metal bath to be bonded. 


I have no reason to doubt him, except for the anxiety monster eating away at my brain I mentioned earlier. What limited literature I have found seems to suggest this is correct, but in some circles it is a hotly debated topic with contradicting views. I was just wondering if someone could confirm this for me please. I would also be interested in understanding why this is the case to satisfy my own natural curiosity of all things!


Many thanks in advance
  • 0

    The soap or plate rack is never going to be bonded, they could however be fixed to a metal stud within a wall giving a conductive path.




    The biggest danger is that a fixing screw has nicked the line conductor leaving the rack at mains potential resulting in the death of a lady taking plates out of the dishwasher when she touched the electrically live plate  rack and the earthed dishwasher at the same time, as has happened.


     

    So, in that example, it would have been better if the plate were earthed and the dishwasher not earthed but no one is going to propose that as a satisfactory method -


    UNLESS of course, it were not a dishwasher but a metal bucket - or perhaps a bath - on the floor.
  • 0

    geoffsd:




    The soap or plate rack is never going to be bonded, they could however be fixed to a metal stud within a wall giving a conductive path.




    The biggest danger is that a fixing screw has nicked the line conductor leaving the rack at mains potential resulting in the death of a lady taking plates out of the dishwasher when she touched the electrically live plate  rack and the earthed dishwasher at the same time, as has happened.


     

    So, in that example, it would have been better if the plate were earthed and the dishwasher not earthed but no one is going to propose that as a satisfactory method -


    UNLESS of course, it were not a dishwasher but a metal bucket - or perhaps a bath - on the floor.

    Lol... agreed, it was however, stated by others previously that they were getting tingles (insulated floor or low enough to allow small amounts of current to pass) from the plate rack but nobody realized that it was likely to turn into a lethal shock hazard.


    A call to an electrician who would have checked the voltage on the extraneous part would have found the problem before it did the damage.

    Legh
     

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