CSST gas line bonding

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oilheadbob

New member
Location
Virginia
Okay,

I understand that the CSST gas pipe must not be bonded. Here is my problem. The gas meter is on one side of the house I am working on. The water lines in the house are PVC. The electrical panel and ground electrodes are on the opposite end of the house. It just doesn't make sense to me to run the bond accross the house 60+ ft to get to the panel or ground electrodes to bond the CSST where it enters the residence.

This is a result of having the gas furnace replaced. The house was built in 2002 prior to the new code requirements.

Can you drive two new ground electrodes and bond there?


Thanks,

Bob Ryan
Gaineville, Va.
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
The requirement is in the mechanical code I believe, but the mechanical inspectors in this area require the bond be to the electrical service grounding electrode system.
IMO, nothing could be gained by driving the two ground rods as they would then be part of the grounding electrode system and NEC would require they be connected to the other electrodes,
 

Gregg Harris

Senior Member
Location
Virginia
Occupation
Electrical,HVAC, Technical Trainer
Okay,

I understand that the CSST gas pipe must not be bonded. Here is my problem. The gas meter is on one side of the house I am working on. The water lines in the house are PVC. The electrical panel and ground electrodes are on the opposite end of the house. It just doesn't make sense to me to run the bond accross the house 60+ ft to get to the panel or ground electrodes to bond the CSST where it enters the residence.

This is a result of having the gas furnace replaced. The house was built in 2002 prior to the new code requirements.

Can you drive two new ground electrodes and bond there?


Thanks,

Bob Ryan
Gaineville, Va.

The CSST must be bonded according to the fuel gas codes and IRC

Since you are in Va. your code section for IFGC is 310.1.1 and for IRC is G2411.1.1 A minimum # 6 copper run back to the service panel. You can run it around the outside of the house.
 

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
A customer called and said he's selling his house that I wired.
The home inspector say's the csst bond has to go out to the gas meter. Of course it is the farthest away possible. :) I've always taken it from the main panel to the closest reasonable brass coupling, t, fitting, etc...
Have I been doing all mine wrong? The city / county inspectors always check it. And I've never been flagged.
I'm in NC
 

ceb58

Senior Member
Location
Raeford, NC
A customer called and said he's selling his house that I wired.
The home inspector say's the csst bond has to go out to the gas meter. Of course it is the farthest away possible. :) I've always taken it from the main panel to the closest reasonable brass coupling, t, fitting, etc...
Have I been doing all mine wrong? The city / county inspectors always check it. And I've never been flagged.
I'm in NC
NFPA 54 7.13.2
IFGC 310.1.1
IRC G2511.1.1

CSST gas piping systems shall be bonded to the electrical service grounding electrode system. The bonding jumper shall connect to a metalic pipe or fitting BETWEEN THE POINT OF DELIVERY AND THE FIRST DOWNSTREAM CSST FITTING. The bonding jumper shall not be smaller than # 6 copper or equivelent. Gas piping that contain more than one segment of CSST shall be bonded in accordance with this section
Look at this
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
I agree it seems crazy to have to bond all the way across a house but that is how it needs to be done. NC electrical contractors are trying to pass legislation to allow the hvac guys to do their own bonding so the liability is not on the EC.
 

Buck Parrish

Senior Member
Location
NC & IN
Thanks, so "BETWEEN THE POINT OF DELIVERY AND THE FIRST DOWNSTREAM CSST FITTING" to me, that does not mean to the gas meter. Unless of course the csst fitting is their.
 

A/A Fuel GTX

Senior Member
Location
WI & AZ
Occupation
Electrician
A customer called and said he's selling his house that I wired.
The home inspector say's the csst bond has to go out to the gas meter. Of course it is the farthest away possible. :) I've always taken it from the main panel to the closest reasonable brass coupling, t, fitting, etc...
Have I been doing all mine wrong? The city / county inspectors always check it. And I've never been flagged.
I'm in NC

The logic is, in case of a lightning strike, the bond wire will take the hit instead of the CSST taking it back to the GES.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
Thanks, so "BETWEEN THE POINT OF DELIVERY AND THE FIRST DOWNSTREAM CSST FITTING" to me, that does not mean to the gas meter. Unless of course the csst fitting is their.

The csst must be bonded at the point where the pipe enters the house. It can be bonded to the black iron pipe that generally enters the building. It does not have to be connected to the csst itself.
 

Gregg Harris

Senior Member
Location
Virginia
Occupation
Electrical,HVAC, Technical Trainer
The csst must be bonded at the point where the pipe enters the house. It can be bonded to the black iron pipe that generally enters the building. It does not have to be connected to the csst itself.

It can be bonded as he has done. It does not need to be at the meter. the shortest distance is the preference. The home inspector is incorrect.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
It can be bonded as he has done. It does not need to be at the meter. the shortest distance is the preference. The home inspector is incorrect.
Unless they changed the gas code this is what I have

G2411.1.1 (310.1.1) CSST. Corrugated stainless steel tubing
(CSST) gas piping systems shall be bonded to the electrical
service grounding electrode system at the point where
the gas service enters the building. The bonding jumper
shall be not smaller than 6AWGcopper wire or equivalent.
 

Gregg Harris

Senior Member
Location
Virginia
Occupation
Electrical,HVAC, Technical Trainer
A customer called and said he's selling his house that I wired.
The home inspector say's the csst bond has to go out to the gas meter. Of course it is the farthest away possible. :) I've always taken it from the main panel to the closest reasonable brass coupling, t, fitting, etc...
Have I been doing all mine wrong? The city / county inspectors always check it. And I've never been flagged.
I'm in NC

The intent is to be bonded with the shortest distance anywhere from where the piping enters or before the first CSST fitting.
 

Dennis Alwon

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Chapel Hill, NC
Occupation
Retired Electrical Contractor
The intent is to be bonded with the shortest distance anywhere from where the piping enters or before the first CSST fitting.

Greg, NC requires it to be outside the building. I am not sure where you got the intent from but the article I posted is what NC is using.
 

Gregg Harris

Senior Member
Location
Virginia
Occupation
Electrical,HVAC, Technical Trainer
Greg, NC requires it to be outside the building. I am not sure where you got the intent from but the article I posted is what NC is using.

It is part of the product listing from the manufacturer. There is absolutely no logic in requiring the bonding to be any longer than necessary or outside of the structure. There a a lot of scenarios where CSST is used in retrofitting an existing system where only one appliance is relocated or replaced. The gas a appliance could be set next to the electric panel in the basement or garage and the gas meter 100 feet away. The design criteria also would like the bonding conductor run as straight as possible without bends for best performance.

It would be interesting to read the logic for having it bonded outside of the structure. Other than convinience of seeing it I can not imagine any technical reason unless the gas meter and the electric service are near to each other.
 

A/A Fuel GTX

Senior Member
Location
WI & AZ
Occupation
Electrician
It would be interesting to read the logic for having it bonded outside of the structure. Other than convinience of seeing it I can not imagine any technical reason unless the gas meter and the electric service are near to each other.

I believe the logic is in case of a lightning strike, the CSST itself would carry less of the voltage if the bond was made outside. There is less resistance in a #6 CU bond wire than the CSST has so theoretically the voltage should follow the bond wire.
 

A/A Fuel GTX

Senior Member
Location
WI & AZ
Occupation
Electrician
Around here, the CSST not connected outside. Black pipe is run from the meter to an inside location where the CSST manifold is installed.

I think that is a much better install than what I'm seeing here. IMO, CSST should not be legal on exteriors due to it's fragile nature but I see it everyday up here.
 
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