Earth bonding of taps

[David Carter]

Hi I'm just fitting a new sink & taps in my kitchen. Do I need to put earth bonding cables to the taps (the sink is non metallic)? Someone told me that this is no longer required. Thanks Dave

[Andrew Gabriel]

Earth bonding kitchen sink area never has been required in the regs, although it is often done..

If the pipework is metalic, I bond the taps together so there's no chance of any potential difference between them (and to the sink if that's also metalic). I also bond to the earth of local electrical circuits.

If the pipework is plastic, it's now regarded as safer not to bond taps/sinks.

[ARWadsworth]

Do you actually bond the taps, or just bond the pipe below the taps? (assuming all pipework is copper)

Most taps are inaccessable although I have seen some taps with an earth tag.

PS My council (on their council house rewires) insist the kitchen x bonding is made up of bonding hot and cold pipes under the sink plus metal sink if applicable and to the main water stoptap if it is in the kitchen or to a socket if the stoptap is located in another room.

Adam

[Andrew Gabriel]

OK, pipework below taps.

Well, they're the customer, they can specify whatever they want, particularly as it's your money they are spending. ;-) As I said, I do the same in my house with copper pipes, but current best advice is to not do so in the case of plastic pipes (and that's the same in bathrooms too).

[Barney]

I understood that the current recommendation was that metal sink tops should not be bonded.