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Is this method of earthing a water pipe permissible?

Arran Cameron

A house has the main earth terminal block located next to the electricity supply cable in a cupboard in the living room. The water supply is a blue MDPE pipe located in the kitchen that transitions to a copper pipe about 2m before the stop tap.

About 1m away from the earth terminal block are a pair of copper central heating flow and return pipes. These same two pipes are located right next to the copper water supply pipe in the kitchen.

The easiest, and most economical on cable, method to earth the pipes is to connect the earth terminal block to the central heating pipes in the living room, then connect the central heating pipes to the water supply pipe in the kitchen.

Is this permissible, or must a long length of earth cable be installed under the floorboards connecting the earth terminal block to the water supply pipe?

  • 0 in reply to David Stone

    There were at least three JPEL64 committee members present, they well and truly out numbered me, who am I to argue?

    Actually, having looked in the front of the regs book, there were at least four there when it was said including the speaker.

  • 0

    This is all very well but main bonding is probably not required. It is unlikely that there is any possible fault that could introduce a significant current into the CH pipes, and these will be Earthed via the Boiler. The cold water pipe may also be Earthed via a combi boiler, or bathroom supplementary bonding, or some other route. The installation probably has RCD protection anyway, and thus main bonding is not required. The 15th Edition is rather old hat now, and mine is somewhat moth-eaten. Doing thing because "someone else" may not understand (ie is not competent!) is no excuse for anything. A simple meter test of continuity between whatever and the MET is fine, and isolated items or bits of pipe do not need bonding at all. Simple enough to understand.

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