I'm renovating a 1960's bathroom that at present has no equipotential bonding. I understand the requirements but there are certain practical difficulties and I wonder if anyone has any solutions.
The new chrome towel radiator has nowhere to attach a clamp, will connections to the pipes suffice and considering the aesthetics how close to the rad do these have to be.
I will be using braided tap connectors. There is no pipe to attach the strap on the tap side and I assume I can't rely on a connection to the pipes at the other end of the tap connector. What can I do here?
On Fri, 13 Jul 2007 14:34:36 -0700 someone who may be snipped-for-privacy@btinternet.com wrote this:-
To add to what has already been said:
You don't say whether it has an electric heating element or not. This makes a difference.
If it does have an electric heating element then, provided the flex from the cord outlet to the heater is short and likely to remain reliable the supplementary bonding conductor can be terminated in the cord outlet and the protective conductor in the flex used. Personally I don't like relying on the protective conductor and generally install a proper bonding cable, but the regulations allow one to rely on the protective conductor.
If it doesn't have an electric heating element in it then, if the pipes to/from it provide reliable metal to metal contact and these are bonded that is enough.
Is the tap likely to introduce a potential? A tap on a basin is standing in free air and so is unlikely to introduce a potential, just like the little bit of metal in the plug hole.
Potentials are only likely to be introduced by the pipes which run to the taps. These pipes run outside the room and may be slowly melting the insulation on a carelessly installed cable. That is why pipes are bonded.
Well wouldn't that also be true for the towel rail then, if it's not electrically connected, if there can be a potential at the towel rail (especially if plumbed with plastic pipe) then surely the same applies to the taps?...
Yes, and if they are not visible (IOW hidden) how would the OP know that he has them [1], just assuming like you did is not good enough, assume that the pipes do NOT provide bonding, not that they will just because what is visible is metal.
[1] just because the pipes from the boiler and the pipes coming thought the floor/wall boards are metal doesn't mean that the pipes in-between are.
I didn't mean to imply I considered myself as having an understanding of all matters electrical merely that as someone with no bonding in his bathroom understood that there was a need for it.
David
Thanks for the advice. Sorry I was vague on the non electric towel rail.
I think this has allayed my fear which was in the event of a fault and better connection on one exposed piece of metal than another to the equipotential bonding that a difference in potential could still exist. (takes cover in case of a possible further assault by Stuart).
Which bit of "if the pipes to/from it provide reliable metal to metal contact *and* these are bonded that is enough." (my emphasis) don't you understand? There's no unsafe assumption, just a requirement that the reader understands basic English.
If the pipes to/from the rail (not the pipes half a house away, but those *to/from* the rail) *are* bonded then the rail itself doesn't need bonding due to the reliable contact between the rail and the pipes.
If the pipes to/from the rail are not bonded or it is not clear that they are bonded then that is obviously *not* enough and further investigation is required.
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