I am just about ready to shut down my old plumbing system and fire up my new Pex supply lines but I have a question regarding some last details.
On my old lines there is a wire that jumps from the city’s line around the meter and clamps onto the cold line into my house. What’s that about?
And there is a thick (bare) copper wire clamped to that same pipe farther down the line that runs to my breaker box. What’s this for?
Are these needed in PEX plumbing? If so what are the details for reconnection.
Replies
The jumper around the water meter is a bond to allow the meter to be serviced or changed. The other is the bond to the water pipe from your service panel. It keeps the piping at ground potential.
Edited 4/25/2007 9:01 pm ET by England1
What does bond mean?
Are they neccessary in a new PEX system?
If so what are they connected to in the new system?
Around here, if you have more than 5 feet of metal pipe you need to ground it, which means running #6 bare stranded copper from the panel to the pipe and attaching it with a ground clamp. My shop has all PEX except there is about 12 feet of copper that's the PRV for the water heater, so I had to ground that. My house has all copper and black pipe, so there's a ground wire running from the panel to a location where hot, cold, and gas are close together, and there it jumps to all three. The idea is that if stray current somehow gets onto a pipe it has somewhere to go instead of killing you (maybe).
In my experience the rules on this can vary locally, so I would have your electrician take care of it.
Pex is considered non conductive. You still have hard pipe at the water entrance, move the panel bond to that point and just leave the meter bond as is. The purpose of the bonding is to establish the same ground potential on the mechanical systems.
Edited 4/25/2007 9:07 pm ET by England1
Edited 4/25/2007 9:11 pm ET by England1
To add to what England said.
The bonding protects the metalic plumbing pipes from being energized.
If you are replacing 100% of your metalic piping then you don't need to worry about a grounding bond.
If you have a metalic water service you will usually see a grounding bond comming from the panel going to that pipe, & that NEEDS to stay.
If your water service is non metalic then your panel NEEDS a seperate grounding rod.
I'm sure there is something I am leaving out & Bill Hartman will add to whatever I & mister England missed.
Oh, also if you are not replacing 100% of the metalic piping---- whatever is left needs to be bonded to a ground.
& you need to make sure that your electrical panel IS grounded.
I fear no man & only one GOD. Me
100% of the new supplies are Pex the only part of the system that is metalic is the service, which is about 12" long.
The service is 10' away from my breaker box. So I need to run a new ground from the service to the breaker box? If I understand what I am reading.
Yes you should, the water in the pipes is conductive and the idea is to put the entire system at a common ground potential. 10' of wire and 30 minutes is cheap insurance and good practice.
By the way, you'll be running a bond wire, the ground is the other wire in your panel heading outside to your ground rod.
Edited 4/25/2007 9:25 pm ET by England1
Thank you and Plumbill.
I'll bond my plumbing before I charge the lines.
Can I use a clamp connector and a 6' chunk of wire, so I don't have to get into the breaker box.
"Can I use a clamp connector and a 6' chunk of wire,"To what?The ground electrode wire (if that is what it is) has to be continous.I am not sure about the wording on the jumper.But what is often done is one continous wire that goes through both clamps..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
There is a 4' chunk of wire that is still connected to my old plumbing.
I need another 6' to reach my service. Can I splice a new wire to the old? So I don't have to play in my breaker box. Or does that line have to be continous into the panel?
There are two seperate, but related requirements.If the service is metalic and the underground portion is 10 ft long or longer then it must be used at part of the ground electrode system*.If the interior water pipeing is metalic then it needs to be bonded to the the ground bus.One wire will do both.The underground portion is not metallic and all you have on the inside is 12" then I don't see any need to bond it, but a local inspector would probably automatically require it.*The ground electrode system consists of one or more ground electrodes. There are many different ones, but the most common are underground water pipes and ground rods.Current code says that the water pipe must be used, IF IT QUAILIFIES, but that it can't be used alone. Thus it is often used along with a ground rod. But a single ground rod is not acceptacle unless it is tested to be less than 25 ohms (specialized test that is rarely done) or two ground rods are used..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
My breaker box is in the basement, the electrical service runs overhead of my driveway. How long can the ground wires to the rods be? Mine would need to be at least 10' to the new rods. I don't want to put them in my driveway.
Are there any ground rods now? How old is the house?
No rods now, never were any that I know of.
House built in the 1940's, wood frame with aluminum siding. Like a lightning rod with that siding.
Check your e-mail. It's not the original electrical service is it? Any idea how old that is?
Look for a wire or small conduit leaving your meter socket that may be heading to a ground rod.
Edited 4/25/2007 10:09 pm ET by England1
Edited 4/25/2007 10:09 pm ET by England1
I think its close to original. It's an old Pushomatic breaker box. I am not sure when those were popular.
There is no limit on the lenght of the wires to the ground rods..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.