Plumbing Re-Pipe Pex Water bond

[dronai]

Just had a call from a customer, that the Plumbing contractor cut, and hid the GEC. I located the Ufer, (clamped back onto with the existing bare cu) and saw that he must have taken off the ground clamp loop off of the hose bid near the service. This is now a pex tubing, and is no longer copper pipe, so it wouldn't do anything now anyway.

I was looking at a new route to pipe in conduit to a connection from where the street copper comes into the garage. But now I am thinking that if this couples onto pex, what good is it anyway, there is no copper piping water system throughout ?

Thoughts

 

[Ponchik]

If the interior piping system is not copper then don't worry about "BONDING" it.

If the main water supply is metallic then you need to use it as a "grounding electrode" and your grounding electrode conductor needs to connect to the water pipe within 5' where it enters the building.

If the main water supply is not metallic as well then you don't have a water pipe as a grounding electrode.

 

[dronai]

Thanks Edward, according to your answer, even though there is a Ufer, I need the cooper water main as an additional electrode, even though the water piping system is Pex tubing in the interior of the house

Thanks

 

[kwired]

Thanks Edward, according to your answer, even though there is a Ufer, I need the cooper water main as an additional electrode, even though the water piping system is Pex tubing in the interior of the house

Thanks

250.50 says:

All grounding electrodes as described in 250.52(A)(1) through (A)(7) that are present at each building or structure served shall be bonded together to form the grounding electrode system. Where none of these grounding electrodes exist, one or more of the grounding electrodes specified in 250.52(A)(4) through (A)(8) shall be installed and used.

The concrete encased electrode and the metal underground water pipe are in the list - so if present they must be used.

If this is an older installation you used to be able to land anywhere you wanted on the water piping, but for about 20 years or so you had to connect to the first five feet or entry for connecting a water pipe electrode. You can still land anywhere on a metal piping system for bonding interior piping if there isn't a qualifying electrode in the supply piping.

 

[dronai]

250.50 says:


The concrete encased electrode and the metal underground water pipe are in the list - so if present they must be used.

If this is an older installation you used to be able to land anywhere you wanted on the water piping, but for about 20 years or so you had to connect to the first five feet or entry for connecting a water pipe electrode. You can still land anywhere on a metal piping system for bonding interior piping if there isn't a qualifying electrode in the supply piping.

Thanks for the clarification, and code article