Bonding of pex fittings
- Thread starter shputnik
- Start date
- Status
Code requires bonding of metal water piping systems. A PEX water piping system is not a metal water piping system even if it has metal fittings... and I've not seen nor heard of any fitting being over 18".
Maybe a local ordinance...???
JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
Pex doesnt have to be bonded. Qest, otoh, should be bonded to a large, metal, earthed object, like the bottom of a 40yrd dumpster.
peter d
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
:thumbsup::happyyes:
Dzboyce
Senior Member
- Location
- Royal City, WA
- Occupation
- Washington 03 Electrician & plumber
In the mid 80's I did the underground utilities (water, sanitary sewer & storm sewer) on a housing project. The specs for the water line allowed copper or qest. We used qest. It all got replaced within 10 years. 2" qest sure was cheaper than 2" copper though, when we installed it.
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
Qest?
mike_kilroy
Senior Member
- Location
- United States
RICK NAPIER
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey
Here is an interesting situation that has come up in abandoned homes the basement copper water pipes are often cut and stolen. The new owner replaces them with pex. Are you required to bond around the pex pipiing to ground the metal pipng system that runs through the house?
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
IMO, if you have a metal piping system throughout the remainder of house, Yes. I would guess that all you have left are bits and pieces left in the walls and to me, that is not a piping system.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
I don't know what it is either. Given the context I guess that makes us lucky.
- Occupation
- Licensed Electrician
I agree. A similar situation in my own house, I used steel studs for the interior wall and did not bond them.
I didn't know so I looked it up. It's polybutylene plumbing.
Source: http://www.polybutylene.com/poly.html
JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
Qest (or Qwest, Quest) pipe was what the plumbing industry used for 15 or so years, to out-do our AL wire and ca 1975-1980 FPE panel debacles. The only difference is that no matter how you install that piping, it fails. There's probably not much of it left seeing that it's been 20+ years since it was installed and has a life expectancy roughly half that.
ptonsparky
Tom
- Occupation
- EC - retired
I remember the product now. I had heard of people using it for air lines with less than satisfactory results as well.
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
- Occupation
- Master Electrician
We need to take a step back, why are metallic water piping systems required to be bonded?
In case its energized and to clear a fault.
What would energize the isolated metal stub outs under a sink?
In Washington we have a state rule that addresses bonding non metallic piping systems, the metal stub outs are not required to be bonded
In case its energized and to clear a fault.
What would energize the isolated metal stub outs under a sink?
In Washington we have a state rule that addresses bonding non metallic piping systems, the metal stub outs are not required to be bonded
Just bond all of it with a minimum of 30 lb. monofilament, the picture below is in violation since it used a copper wire.
Roger
JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
Just bond all of it with a minimum of 30 lb. monofilament, the picture below is in violation since it used a copper wire.
Roger
An unbroken run of 0.065" or larger weed-wacker stringline is required for bonding plastic plumbing piping; 250.99(Q)(1).
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
It does not need to be unbroken if you thermally weld the sections together. :angel:
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
I thought it was bonded so if there was a fault and you touched another bonded object, there would be no potential between the two, hence no shock. Grounding complete metal waterlines, Ive read so many threads here on current travelling on them thru the neighbors house and their service neutral... if all copper water lines are grounded to the panel, and a fault occurs to the water pipe (mouse chews NM in crawlspace, ungrounded touches waterline, nail driven thru subfloor goes thru cable and touches waterline, etc), it may trip the OCPD depending on the resistance of the faulted connection.
All metal drain systems are another source of potential problems, yet I've never seen a bond or ground on old bell iron or galvanized pipe. Did the stuff rot out and PVC was in use before the NEC required grounding metal drain systems?
I had to bond to a pex system once. :blink: I looked at the inspector and said, you know it's not metal, right? Yeah, he says, but it's connected to a copper pipe that goes into the ground. :huh:
<20' of #4 and a j-jr or a battle with an inspector...
<20' of #4 and a j-jr or a battle with an inspector...
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