Water Main Bonding

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Legrand

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We changed out a residential service today. I ran a gec to the water main within the 5ft. I noticed they had an inline plastic water filter also within the 5ft and then the pipe went back to copper. My question is, should'nt I have also bonded the other side of the filter. I've searched the posts and my code book and just can't find anything. I was told not to bond it, this does'nt seem right to me, could someone point me in the right direction, please?
 
You should bond around the filter 250,53(D)(2). If the filter is upstream from where you connected the GEC, then the rest of the piping would be without a ground. If the filter is downstream from your connection then there is no grounding electrode connection.
 
I agree with walker. The water line coming from the street is copper and must be bonded. That is your main grounding electrode. The piping after the filter is also to be bonded but it is not a grounding electrode
 
Thanks guys, that's exactly what I thought, now, is'nt it pretty dangerous to not have the pipes grounded, why would my journeyman not be so worried about it, am I just paranoid? Say the water heater were to fault?
 
Legrand said:
Thanks guys, that's exactly what I thought, now, is'nt it pretty dangerous to not have the pipes grounded, why would my journeyman not be so worried about it, am I just paranoid? Say the water heater were to fault?
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If the water heater should fault would not the egc trip the breaker?
 
Very true Dennis, so now looking at it, I'm not so worried about it, so would it actually be safer without the factor of a neighbors open neutral? Why are we required to bond it? I really feel like I'm missing something here, thanks.
 
You must first determine if you are grounding it or bonding it.
See 250.42(A)(1) and 250.104
A grounding connection will bond it. Bonding is only required for a metallic water piping system.
 
Water Main Bonding

Your journeyman sounds like the one I worked with many years ago.

Bonding around that filter is required if it is for bonding or to provide a gec, and it may be the most important thing you do on that job. JMO
 
Your GEC should have been continuous(250.64(C)) to the other side of the meter, filter, or any other device (250.53(D)(1)). Then jumpered back to the cold water line. And, a bond from the cold to hot waterlines.

That said here in Ohio we allow what you did, with a jumper across the filter, etc.
 
Is a bonding jumper required at the filter? Could the interior water piping system be bonded at another convenient point? The GEC terminates at the water pipe electrode within 5' of it's entrance into the building. The water piping system is isolated through the rest of the building by the non metallic water filter. Must the bonding of the interior piping system be installed at the filter?
 
The water line is an electrode so the GEC must be continuous to that electrode and is allowed to be landed within 5' of entry.

Since a watermeter, filter, etc. is added we are no longer continuous in the above example.

So we allow the GEC to be landed within 5' and jumpered across. This started because meters, etc. were added after the fact. Per code this is not allowed but common sense applies. We allow this rather than requiring that the GEC be repulled.

So yes a jumper is required across the filter. I do not want to call it a bonding jumper because it is really acting as the GEC.
 
jxofaltrds said:
The water line is an electrode so the GEC must be continuous to that electrode and is allowed to be landed within 5' of entry.

Since a watermeter, filter, etc. is added we are no longer continuous in the above example.

So we allow the GEC to be landed within 5' and jumpered across. This started because meters, etc. were added after the fact. Per code this is not allowed but common sense applies. We allow this rather than requiring that the GEC be repulled.

So yes a jumper is required across the filter. I do not want to call it a bonding jumper because it is really acting as the GEC.
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My question is, is the jumper really required at the filter or could the water piping system be bonded elsewhere?
 
infinity said:
My question is, is the jumper really required at the filter or could the water piping system be bonded elsewhere?
Click to expand...

I think you know the answer to that.:smile: My answer is you can bond it anywhere on the piping system but bonding near the electrode is probably the simplest.
 
Rob

If I understand you and the GEC is properly installed so that it connects to the waterline (electrode) then a bonding jumper(s) could be added at another point.

Example could be a finished basement where the interior waterlines were never bonded. You come out of the panel and bond to the cold and hot waterlines. This bond must be accessible.

Edit 250.104
 
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Dennis Alwon said:
I think you know the answer to that.:smile: My answer is you can bond it anywhere on the piping system but bonding near the electrode is probably the simplest.
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I was pointing out that there are two different requirements for jumpers across filters, meters, etc. depending on whether or not they're plastic or metallic.
 
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