Kitchen sink earth bonding

[ComeOnSFF]

Hi,

Apols for the long post.

I do small maintenance plumbing, inc quite a lot of taps. I have zero knowledge/experience with electrics so please excuse any misuse of the lingo.

It's my understanding that flexible hoses (the type supplied with many taps) do not comply with earthing and so if there is a pre-existing tap piped up in rigid copper and you would like to replace it and install flexible hoses instead you should not do this if the rigid copper pipework and sink have earthing cables on them as this would break the continuity...?

However I've also been told that bonding kitchen sinks/taps is no longer done/considered necessary. And so presumably in many case the earthing cables that remain there are not necessary any more and have just not been removed.

What I want to know is - as someone with no electrcial knowledge - is there some visual inspection I can do of the consumer unit or whathaveyou to know that I can safely install flexible hoses? And conversely a visual inspection I can do to confirm that it would be unsafe to?

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks

 

[kingeri]

Bonding kitchen sinks went out with the ark (thankfully). Just fit the flexible pipework, no problem. Looking at the consumer unit or other electrics won't help you.

 

[Wilko]

There is often the stopcock under the sink with a green/yellow cable attached. That one must be preserved

 

[Des 56]

They are getting few and far between but metal wastes were once very common,there is occasion when these require bonding,keep it in mind

 

[Midwest]

Bonding kitchen sinks went out with the ark (thankfully). Just fit the flexible pipework, no problem. Looking at the consumer unit or other electrics won't help you.

Glad they did, 'cos getting to that poxy lug was a friggin nightmare.

 

[kingeri]

Luckily I just about missed having to do any, went out with the 15th didn't it?

 

[Midwest]

Luckily I just about missed having to do any, went out with the 15th didn't it?

Can't remember, I went on a sabbatical during the 15th, but at some point it did, along with bonding radiators & metal garage doors

 

[kingeri]

I was at school during the 15th!

 

[Midwest]

I was at school during the 15th!

Yeah tell me about. Your day will come. In the meantime have lots of holidays, lots of cars and anything else you can't possibly afford

 

[Deleted member 9648]

I was once faced with a sink being installed by the kitchen fitter on a site which actually stated on the packaging....' THIS SINK MUST BE EARTHED'.
Try getting Kev to understand that there's no requirement to 'earth' a sink when some knob in China has printed that on the box. Mind you....what does it say in the BYB about manufacturers instructions?

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

There is often the stopcock under the sink with a green/yellow cable attached. That one must be preserved

And do not box it in either as i saw one family doing when putting a new kitchen in as quote "we have never used it so thought it wouldn't matter!!"

 

[PEG]

And do not box it in either as i saw one family doing when putting a new kitchen in as quote "we have never used it so thought it wouldn't matter!!"

That made me remember a kitchen i viewed at a pals,where the fitters had the ends of two units,lined up with the stop tap.

Instead of cutting a section out of both,they turned the brass handle, plumb,and had it between the two ends,20mm apart....you could see it with a torch,held captive,by it's chipboard minders...

Despite me pals attempts to impress us,with the under-mounted sink,and his over priced Corian...it is that tap,that stuck in my mind

 

[HandySparks]

And do not box it in either as i saw one family doing when putting a new kitchen in as quote "we have never used it so thought it wouldn't matter!!"

I was once employed to find a main stop valve. Turned out to be right in the corner.

 

[ComeOnSFF]

Thanks all.

 

[Risteard]

THIS SINK MUST BE EARTHED'.

Unfortunately that is quite common on sinks, despite the fact that they never had to be earthed. Incidentally, ET101 still requires sinks to be supplementary bonded.