Gas Main Equipotential Bonding

tristanjourney

Hi all,

I am a buyer and my vender forwarded me a gas record sheet for their boiler service.

In the record sheet, the engineer ticked "Is main Equipotential Bonding present/correct" as "NO" and commented "AFTER 1ST TEE AT METER"

I have no idea what this means.

Could anyone who know gas safety better tell me is it a serious problem or not?

Thank you.

diamond_dave

I think that the bonding has to be close to the meter. A qualified gas safe person will be able to confirm this.

Rodders53

diamond_dave wrote: »

I think that the bonding has to be close to the meter. A qualified gas safe person will be able to confirm this.

Think ain't good enough.

The buyers' own Electrical Installation Inspector's report will highlight if anything is wrong with the installation... including the bonding of service pipes entering the building's equi-potential zone.

BTW I read it as the gas pipe is bonded but not, maybe, in the ideal location from the Gas-fitter's experience (hence the NO and comment on where the bonding is). There may be a good practical reason for that (e.g. insufficient space to fit the bonding strap before the tee)? Technically it may make no difference to the safety of the installation as soldered gas joints are very electrically conductive.

An IET Guide says

All main bonding connections are to be applied to the consumer's side of any meter, main stop valve or insulating insert and, where practicable, within 600 mm of the meter outlet union or entry point to the building if the meter is external.

Badger50

Not a serious problem IMO. "Equipotential bonding" is the thickish green and yellow wire connecting the gas pipe to the electricity supply head. It is present, just not correct. The position makes no difference electrically. The requirement for the connection to be close to the meter is to make it easy to inspect.

ProDave

The bond is supposed to be on the pipe from the meter before the first branch.

It is a seemingly trivial thing but "rules are rules" so he has to mark it as wrong.

It is an equally trivial thing to correct, whether yourself or a local electrician. Or just ignore it, because in the real world is IS bonded and it IS safe.

I would certainly not raise concerns over something so trivial when buying a house.

Owain_Moneysaver

Skip with unadulterated joy that you even have such a thing as a boiler service record.

One place I looked at didn't even have a toilet.

tristanjourney

Thanks for all your explanations and replied.

Badger50

I omitted to say that there is a risk that someone might in future disconnect the bonded branch from the tee leaving the remaining branch unbonded. But if the person doing the disconnection is a qualified gas fitter they would check the bondiing so in practice it is rather a theoretical risk.