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bonding a short section of water supply pipe

In a victorian terrace house, a lead water supply pipe enters the damp cellar, runs about a meter along the wall to the main brass stopcock, then converts to plastic pipe before exiting the cellar to the rest of the house (which is likely to be a mixture of copper and plastic). The stopcock is a couple of feet away from the CU. Should the supply pipe be bonded? My feeling is no, but I'd be interested in other opinions.


While I'm on the subject, a more general question. Why must any bonding be done after the main stopcock? For example where the supply tees off immediately after the stopcock, is it better to bond one of the tees, or bond just before the stopcock? Where there is a long run of supply pipe before the stopcock, is it better to bond after, with a long MPBC run back to the MET, or bond it near the MET even where that's before the stopcock?
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  • AJJewsbury:
    One of my concerns about using lead is its low melting point, perhaps when carrying large fault currents. Domestic lead covered cables of old were perhaps fused at 5, 15 or even 30 Amps so fault currents were relatively small. With lead pipes that may carry large diverted neutral currents the lead may melt or or best become soft, so fitting a B.S. 951 earth clamp to a lead gas pipe could be dangerous. I would never do so. Lead melts at about 300 degrees C and copper at over 1,000 degrees C.

    I'm sure you're worrying over nothing. Copper pipework is no more resistant to heat than lead pipework - as both will fail well below 300 degrees when the solder in the joints melts. If it's not an issue with copper pipes why should it be with lead ones?

     


    Blowlamp flame on copper pipe: pipe remains intact.


    Blowlamp flame on lead pipe and it will melt.


    Compression fitting can be used on copper pipe and no solder is required.


    Z.


     


Reply
  • AJJewsbury:
    One of my concerns about using lead is its low melting point, perhaps when carrying large fault currents. Domestic lead covered cables of old were perhaps fused at 5, 15 or even 30 Amps so fault currents were relatively small. With lead pipes that may carry large diverted neutral currents the lead may melt or or best become soft, so fitting a B.S. 951 earth clamp to a lead gas pipe could be dangerous. I would never do so. Lead melts at about 300 degrees C and copper at over 1,000 degrees C.

    I'm sure you're worrying over nothing. Copper pipework is no more resistant to heat than lead pipework - as both will fail well below 300 degrees when the solder in the joints melts. If it's not an issue with copper pipes why should it be with lead ones?

     


    Blowlamp flame on copper pipe: pipe remains intact.


    Blowlamp flame on lead pipe and it will melt.


    Compression fitting can be used on copper pipe and no solder is required.


    Z.


     


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