Gategator37
Senior Member
When a water line has cathodic protection joints, are we the electricians supposed to bond after the seperation "dielectric"? Or could water still be considered a current path back to the cathodic protection?
Where is this dielectric joint. Water pipes need to be bonded whether or not there is a dielectric joint if the pipes are metallic. If the joint were in the building then I would jump to both sides of the fitting.When a water line has cathodic protection joints, are we the electricians supposed to bond after the seperation "dielectric"? Or could water still be considered a current path back to the cathodic protection?
Where is this dielectric joint. Water pipes need to be bonded whether or not there is a dielectric joint if the pipes are metallic. If the joint were in the building then I would jump to both sides of the fitting.
You may be able to bond to the external side of the dielectric thereby maintaining ground to the system.
If the underground water pipe is metallic and in contact with the earth for 10' or more I am requiresd to bond that water line within 5' of where it enters the building. I also need to bond the water pipe on the load side of the fitting. If this line is for fire sprinklers then we have other issue but I don't see a way around it.The dielectric fitting is there for a reason. Bypassing it can create more problems then you solve. You need to know why there is an insulated joint at that location. You may be able to bond to the external side of the dielectric thereby maintaining ground to the system.
So is there a problem with jumping a GEC from one side to the other or is connecting to the street side not req.Dennis:
In this area, you can typically find buildings with a variety of water piping materials. If there isn't a dielectric fitting between the copper and galvanized(common here) I'd bet on a leak with in a year.