Water bond location

[monkeyhanger]

I'm doing a few bits in a house which is getting let sometime next week. A shower circuit needs installing (initially went to connect a cooker but found the cooker sw in kitchen dead, the cable had been chopped off under the bathroom floor and ran up the wall for an electric shower). That needs repairing also. They have agreed a CU change (was old brown rewirable board with no rcds), but there is a query I have,
the water bond is to a cold water pipe in the garage, nowhere near the stop tap. Its been done here because its a foot away from CU and incomer. It's 10mm (acceptable). Would it be ok to leave as is and put down as non-compliance / code 4 on a PIR & noted on installation certificate for the shower circuit/ cu change?

In normal circumstances I would have just ran a new earth to the stop tap, but a new kitchen has JUST been fitted etc. etc. and would be a right pain to install. The landlord is having none of it.

 

[GT1]

pretty sure the regs say the bond has to be where the service.. gas or water enters the building...

 

[acat]

GT1 is correct its on page 29 of OSG but paragraph does start "where practicable"


Chris

 

[andekoch]

I woudl check for continuity between the stop tap and the point where the bonding is connected. If continuous (and ideally with no visible joints in the pipe) I would leave it as is but make a note ont he cert and state that it is in a 'practicle' position.

 

[GT1]

judging by the last CU i did in a fairly new kitchen, im betting the kitchen fitters have boxed in the main water stop ****..!!

I had to use a hole cutter in the cupbard under the sink to get to it and bond..!
Luckily the cable run from there was fairly simple and under the units, just had to remove the kick plate trims..
Have you found the stop ****..?
Good Luck..!!

 

[nickblake]

Big pain bonding 600 mm to the point of entry before the first joint ,where practical ,and it has to be visable so it can be inspected

 

[rocker]

For what it's worth, I personally wouldn't be that bothered - the water is bonded. You are not installing the bonding, you are doing a CU change, and I would say that if ANYTHING would pass an inspection (which it would) then theres no need to retrofit. I think theres often a lot of confusion about doing CU changes - it's not a rewire and what you have there is not ideal but it is acceptable.

This, however, is my take on the regs and is very probably incorrect.

 

[monkeyhanger]

Yes, the stop tap is under the sink in the newly fitted kitchen.
Pipework in the house is very likely all original (as 95% of the electrics are), if continuous from the garage pipework back to the kitchen stop tap I can still put the shower circuit in (and change CU) but it will be allowable for me to leave the water bond in the 'wrong' location and note non compliance?

I phoned NAPIT technical support twice earlier, somebody was meant to phone me back before 4:30, I phoned again only for someone to take my details... 3 hours later nobody has phoned back

 

[nickblake]

I was told by an NIC inspector that no jobs should be carried out unless the services were bonded , you should walk away ,

 

[nickblake]

Kitchen fitters ,try this one Just completed well almost a CU change ,found a 4 socket extension on a work top ,the kitchen fitters had covered a socket up low level so they drilled a hole in the work top poked the cable through the hole put the plug on the fitted the kitchen ,problem is ive got an open circuit reading on the neutral and the only socket not checked is the one behind the kitchen units
typical eh lol

 

[Yooj]

I was told by an NIC inspector that no jobs should be carried out unless the services were bonded , you should walk away ,

The water is main bonded in 10mm...so regs are satisfied there.

The landlord has said no to putting bond at stop****, therefore this is deemed impracticable, and as such the regs have been satisfied, since it says 'where practicable' to do so, the bond should be within 600mm of where the service enters the premises, and in this case it is not practicable.

I would however check the continuity and note the location of the bond on the cert as others have already said.

Yooj

 

[rocker]

Seconding yooj.

 

[Yooj]

...if continuous from the garage pipework back to the kitchen stop tap I can still put the shower circuit in (and change CU) but it will be allowable for me to leave the water bond in the 'wrong' location and note non compliance?..

Is the garage attached to the house, and what is the route of the pipework, does it go into the floor.

If the answer is yes and no respectively, then it is not a non-compliance, since the word in the regs 'practicable' is a get out clause.

Yooj

 

[monkeyhanger]

Yes, garage is part of the house (bedroom above). The stop tap is just about ground level under the sink in the kitchen.

The existing bond is to a cold pipe in the garage that comes from the ceiling. Its likely route is under the bedroom/landing/bathroom floor- the bathroom is above kitchen. That cold pipe feeds a tap in the garage, but is obviously after branch pipework for the kitchen sink, washer, bathroom sink, shower, boiler, etc.,

 

[Yooj]

Ok, just check continuity to stop**** pipework and if satisfactory, note on cert of location, and happy days.

Yooj