Main Bonding Plastic Water Pipe

[vespa]

Hi I have noticed that the water pipe in my own house has mains bonding to the CCU. However the incoming pipe is actually plastic that has been painted white. I know the on-site regs say bonding in this circumstance is not necessary. It is however providing an earth passage..albeit into the building. As I intend to replace the CCU shortly would any kind person please advise if is better to remove completely or bonding or leave it where it is the continuity reads 0.07 ohms. Many Thanks

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Its proper name I think you'll find is 'Distribution Board'

depends if its subs or finals damion

 

[D Skelton]

depends if its subs or finals damion

Not at all. 'Distribution Board' would be its correct name in all circumstances, it would only be its designation that would change depending on whether it is a sub or main DB

 

[GLENNSPARK]

Not at all. 'Distribution Board' would be its correct name in all circumstances, it would only be its designation that would change depending on whether it is a sub or main DB

yeah...i know about DB1...DB2 etc....

i just had it as main panel....incoming

distribution board....subs
but as you says....

 

[D Skelton]

yeah...i know about DB1...DB2 etc....

i just had it as main panel....incoming

distribution board....subs
but as you says....

I think I'm coming at ya from a different perspective. Put it this way, you'd never be able to go into a shop and buy a 'sub DB' haha!

I agree though with your names. I think my main point is that the terms 'CU', 'Consumer Unit', 'Fuse Box', 'CCU', 'CCCCCCU' or whatever these DIs call 'em don't really enter my vocabulary. It is a DB!!! end of!

 

[GLENNSPARK]

lol....
its just i always refer to domestic boards as C/Us...
the industrial and commercial as DB..but the same would also apply if you have a sub board in lets say a domestic environment in a garage...

 

[telectrix]

here enters the " sub CU"

 

[D Skelton]

its just i always refer to domestic boards as C/Us

I used to do so too in domestic when I first started for all but about two weeks but the problem is I got sick and tired of the following converstion happening:

ME: "Where abouts is your Consumer Unit?"

CUSTOMER: "My what???"

ME: "Sorry, your Distribution Board"

CUSTOMER: "Oh right, yes, it's under the stairs"

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Fusebox always works

 

[somersetsparks]

Round here in deepest darkest zommerzet, we always calls them 'fuseboards' unless there really big then we calls them 'girt fuseboards' or alternatively 'panels'.

Consumer unit is a rubbish term invented for domestic installers, a fuseboard is a much more accurate term IMO

 

[oldtimer]

Thing is you can have a house that has all copper inside but have a plastic supply pipe. years ago because of metal cold water tanks and copper immersion tanks we had "Electrically and Mechanically Sound" connection but the introduction of plastic started to cause problems ie changing the zinc cold water tank with a plastic tank so needing a bit of cross bonding needed here and that ok then the introduction of plastic pipe and joints that terminate on to a copper pipe.

So its left to the poor spark to decide if it is required so for me my house had gas water bonded and cross bonding on the bathroom ,kitchen ,CH cupboard and at the plastic cold water tank. Transco has visited and replaced the main gas incomer to plastic and the water pipe is copper until it hits the main in the street to plastic and no doubt this could be replaced in plastic as well.

You can also at the time conclude that the pipework in the house is electrically and mechanically sound and then bond it only to find 6 months later the owner gets a dishwasher fitted and the plumber fits plastic T pieces in but is under no obligation to fit cross bonding.

One other thing that is starting to come to the fore with this is what I call a borrowed earth where because the gas or and water supply pipes are metal then houses that have their gas/water bonded the owner gets a visit from BG and find the technician saying do you know that you do not have and earth why well because BG guys are starting to test for an earth but utility companies are replacing metal supply pipes with plastic. Examples I found was that the customer had been told they did not have an earth so I asked if anything had changed the replay was not in the house but Tranco was in the area changing the pipes result being that the house never had an earth but because he had gas bonding as did the guy next door he was borrowing and earth

 

[SPARTYKUS]

Girt love it (lived in Brizzle/Bath & near)

"fair play"

 

[somersetsparks]

Thing is you can have a house that has all copper inside but have a plastic supply pipe. years ago because of metal cold water tanks and copper immersion tanks we had "Electrically and Mechanically Sound" connection but the introduction of plastic started to cause problems ie changing the zinc cold water tank with a plastic tank so needing a bit of cross bonding needed here and that ok then the introduction of plastic pipe and joints that terminate on to a copper pipe.

So its left to the poor spark to decide if it is required so for me my house had gas water bonded and cross bonding on the bathroom ,kitchen ,CH cupboard and at the plastic cold water tank. Transco has visited and replaced the main gas incomer to plastic and the water pipe is copper until it hits the main in the street to plastic and no doubt this could be replaced in plastic as well.

You can also at the time conclude that the pipework in the house is electrically and mechanically sound and then bond it only to find 6 months later the owner gets a dishwasher fitted and the plumber fits plastic T pieces in but is under no obligation to fit cross bonding.

One other thing that is starting to come to the fore with this is what I call a borrowed earth where because the gas or and water supply pipes are metal then houses that have their gas/water bonded the owner gets a visit from BG and find the technician saying do you know that you do not have and earth why well because BG guys are starting to test for an earth but utility companies are replacing metal supply pipes with plastic. Examples I found was that the customer had been told they did not have an earth so I asked if anything had changed the replay was not in the house but Tranco was in the area changing the pipes result being that the house never had an earth but because he had gas bonding as did the guy next door he was borrowing and earth

Its common when I'm testing 50's/60's terraced houses with metallic gas and water services to get exactly the same Ze onto the bonding as you do on the supply earth, alot of the places literally have gas water and leccy all under stairs with another house back to back.

I got a reading of 0.20 the other day when taking a Zdb and 2000 onto the cable sheath when doing a Ze, turned out to be dodgy joint in road

 

[Geordie Spark]

Enlighten me. How do you control a consumer?

You'll need to ask Harness69 about that. :ihih:

 

[GLENNSPARK]

I used to do so too in domestic when I first started for all but about two weeks but the problem is I got sick and tired of the following converstion happening:

ME: "Where abouts is your Consumer Unit?"

CUSTOMER: "My what???"

ME: "Sorry, your Distribution Board"

CUSTOMER: "Oh right, yes, it's under the stairs"

now...theres a lot of sense in this...
not bamboozling customers with `technical stuff`....very important....
i have been guilty of this in the past...

 

[GLENNSPARK]

You'll need to ask Harness69 about that. :ihih:

yeah...you`l find `pink handcuffs` over on the scaffolders forum....