I know that you would rather be listening to the Jefferson Airplane than reading this----but oh well. Plastic piping in homes is becoming the norm. It is pretty rare to find new construction with anything other than PEX type plastic pipe----or perhaps CPVC plastic pipe. I don’t have any heartburn over the use of PEX in homes----in many ways it is a better choice than copper and is certainly cheaper. As far as installation problems go---they have no more issues than metal types of pipes. All systems are only as good as the installer doing the work. One problem that does occur though is when homes are changed to plastic or have plastic components added to the existing metal piping systems. People that do not understand these electrical bonding requirements sometimes break the continuity of these bonded metal piping systems by installing plastic components. This frequently happens when metal drains or water supply lines are broken to add drains to new locations or supply water to new locations. In the following picture we can see where someone has spliced white PVC plastic into the main water line to install a lawn irrigation system. This installation potentially leaves the house side of the plumbing system disconnected electrically from the grounded electrical system----and possibly even leaving the whole house disconnected from one of the means grounding the whole system. This repair can be as simple as jumping across the plastic component with a “jumper wire” or as complicated as having to run a new ground wire to the pipe on the street side of the plastic. In this next picture we can see where a “bonding jumper wire” has been installed around a plastic water filter. Either way the system it will need to be evaluated and repaired as necessary by the Licensed Electrical Contractor. Charles Buell
Without getting involved in discussing all the rules/requirements of electrical “grounding & bonding,” suffice it to say that all metal piping systems in the home have to be bonded (connected) to the electrical service ground.
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Charles...this is a really good post. I will start looking for this in homes I'm showing or selling. I can say I definitely learned something today. Have a great weekend!
Charles....all of my builders have just recently started using plastic for water supply, drain and venting....previously, they used copper for water supply...the cost of copper is astonomical now.....the town requires copper for the main to the house from the street.....I don't understand why....it eventually has holes in it and leakage underground....I owned a home where that happened and it was 200 feet of copper(very thick copper) that had to be re-installed.....it cost me thousands.
Rob, thanks
I am off teaching all day so I won't be able to comment back until later tonight.
Charles, good information to know. Thanks for the info and have a good weekend.
Charles, very good topic. I am sure that most homeowner's have no idea regarding electrical grounding and bonding. I also suspect that sometimes licensed plumbers give very little thought if pipe repair/replacement disrupts the grounding/bonding.
Over the years, I have seen at least a dozen disconnected ground clamps at the water service entrance after a pipe repair or valve replacement. While we are at it, how many times have we seen the exterior ground wire severed from the ground rod?
In fact, maybe home inspectors should start the inspection by checking for acceptacle electrical grounding and bonding to determine if it is safe to proceed with the inspection.
Charles - This is an extremely useful post especially for those of us who aren't familiar with the interplay of plumbing and grounding.
Charles, this is a good post, it is something that I, honestly wouldn't have thought of! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Great title, Charles! You are turning us into educated home owners, able to understanding the ins and outs of just about everything!
Debi
Nice tutorial on a critical part of the home system. I doubt that the home improvement salesperson helping sell the plastic transition piece would even think of asking the questions that would lead to the instruction of bonding the copper back together. Thanks, Charles.
Great post Charles. Your use of pictures to illustrate your points is excellent.
However, I got tired reading this post, so, I'm going to lay down on my surrealistic pillow!!!
Mr Charles,
Of the Grace Slick music I prefer White Rabbit and Pink Squirrel. You are so old fashioned. Nutsy south of the border way. I am dressing as Mexican food
Gee, I thought a sprinkler system went to the ground...
Isn't that grounded?
Michael, thanks
Glen, what I love is when the hook the old grounds/bonds up to the plastic pipe
Marc, thanks----glad you found it useful
Debi, thanks glad you find my blog educational
Frank, you are right----highly unlikely
Craig---great idea----have a nice nap
Nutsy---try the "Gratefully Dead Squirrel"
Jay----just the wrong kind:)
Charles, You mean to tell me that water is not conductive? Silly me...
Bond. Pipe Bond...
Shaken, not stirred.
If there is a broken ground and some touches an electrified pipe, they would be propelled faster than 4/5 of a mile in 10 seconds. Certainly not an embryonic journey. :)
good information Charles. Just last week I inspected a home that utilized the supply lines for a ground source. The ground was clamped to a copper supply line just a foot of so from the panel. While inspecting the water main I noticed the line coming out of the concrete was actually plastic.
Michael---most people think so:)
Jay, how about bondage?
James---nice:)
Vince, this is getting more and more common as the old galvy water supplies get replaced
Good stuff Charles. Today I wrote a rough draft of a blog about Minneapolis's requirement for a jumper at the water meter. I'll be sure to include a link to this blog on the final draft (I'll post it on 1/26).
Reuben, thanks----I will watch for it. (Thanks for subscribing by the way:)
Charles this is very interesting. Makes you want to make sure who is doing the work at our homes.
Diane, thanks---this particular defect is difficult because even licensed plumbers will do it not being aware of how they are compromising the electrical system.
Didn't know this would be a problem. There agin i'm a realtor and not an inspector. Leave the professional to do what they do best. Nuff said!!