Earth Bonding For Pipework

Need To Know:
Should there ever be an occasion when the earth bonding cables need to be removed from pipework fitted in the home, they should be refitted, if not there is a high risk of the pipework becoming live if they are exposed to electricity through contact with bare or thinly insulated cables. Should you not feel confident and at all uncertain about this bonding, then it is a good idea to call on the knowledge and skills of a professional tradesmen with the necessary experience and understanding.

To Begin:
Should you ever have the time or inclination, look at your gas meter or even the incoming water supply pipework and you will or should see a green and yellow wire connected. Now you may ponder as to what function it performs. A Barnet Plumber is trained to deal with electric shock. This cabling is called earth bonding. The cables are green with a yellow stripe, and have quite a different function from all other electrical cables in the home.

How are they Fitted?
These bonding cables are clamped to water service pipework at the entry to the house and also on pipework in rooms such as your kitchen and bathroom. Barnet Plumbers can advise on this.

The metal pipework in your home carry fluids and are potentially at risk of coming into contact with live cable, and stray electrical currents, from faulty electrical equipment. The stray currents will pass through the pipes as metal is a conductor. They will try and find a way to flow and this can be through you if you touch them and is very dangerous. There is a specially designed electrical route that is required. This goes through a 10mm bonding cable that attaches to a pipe at the point of entry/exit of the building and this is connected to the main earth terminal in your consumer unit. There will also be cables linking together all the metalwork within any area that is wet, like a bathroom and kitchen etc. This forms a big loop and guarantees that everything is at the same electrical potential, which is designed to prevent users of any appliances or equipment receiving an electric shock.

Note: A difference in potential is required for current to flow.