# Bonding the water heater



## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

In NJ it is well known that the "water heater has to be bonded", which is merely connecting the cold water supply pipe and hot water outlet pipe with a jumper and pair of pipe clamps.

I am wondering if this is required in your area and *which code article requires it*. Please paste the actual code article.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

Hackwork.,,

I am not sure if this older edition will suit ya here but let me paste the link.,,

http://lightning.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Excerpt_NEC_Handbook_250_104_B_0.pdf

I hope that help ya with that.

Just be aware of 250.66 sizing that about it.



I am not sure how recent the codes did change due many location are going to with PEX piping system so it will be more critical on this.


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## J F Go (Mar 1, 2014)

The only code requirement that I am aware of is that the water system, if metal pipe, shall be bonded to the electrical system and jumpered from one side of the water meter to the other. Why would you need to bond the supply side of the water heater ? Never heard of that before.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

J F Go said:


> The only code requirement that I am aware of is that the water system, if metal pipe, shall be bonded to the electrical system and jumpered from one side of the water meter to the other. Why would you need to bond the supply side of the water heater ? Never heard of that before.


Hint: The inside of the water heater might be plastic and not electrically continuous.


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## Bird dog (Oct 27, 2015)

J F Go said:


> The only code requirement that I am aware of is that the water system, if metal pipe, shall be bonded to the electrical system and jumpered from one side of the water meter to the other. Why would you need to bond the supply side of the water heater ? Never heard of that before.


Maybe because the water heater pipe connections are dielectric, so, they need to be bonded around.


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## NoBot (Oct 12, 2019)

Not required here.
Gas line Bonding was required until the local Gas Companies found it was causing problems with their DC voltage that they place on the underground metal piping. No Bonding of Gas lines here.


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## tjb (Feb 12, 2014)

HackWork said:


> Hint: The inside of the water heater might be plastic and not electrically continuous.




But the water is.


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## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

tjb said:


> But the water is.


Clean water is not the greatest conductor. Pure water is an insulator.


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## Bird dog (Oct 27, 2015)

Years back, in a code class, the instructor told us this story. A guy finished washing his car & to cool himself off put the water hose to his head. He was permanently blinded because at the same time the dishwasher heating element which was shorting turned on. His wife tried suing everybody, but, the house was wired "to code". I would do the bonding on my own house & maybe put the water heater on a GFI.


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## frenchelectrican (Mar 15, 2007)

Bird dog said:


> Years back, in a code class, the instructor told us this story. A guy finished washing his car & to cool himself off put the water hose to his head. He was permanently blinded because at the same time the dishwasher heating element which was shorting turned on. His wife tried suing everybody, but, the house was wired "to code". I would do the bonding in my own house & maybe put the water heater on a GFI.


I am not too surprised if they find a way to GFCI the water heater IMO I think it kinda overdue due so many heating element failure when they burn thru and the theromsat only open one side of conductor so it kinda typically not know when the element ready to go out.

many new waterheaters do have plastic or fiberglass coating inside that why it can cause some issue with bonding.


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## kb1jb1 (Nov 11, 2017)

Hot and cold water are suppose to be bonded together but very few electricians or inspectors look at it. It does not have to be at the water heater but that is the easiest place to inspect it. I got picked up in NJ over 30 years ago for it. When I came back to NY, nobody knew about it.


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

Maybe we just make the connection over the water heater so the inspector knows where to look for it? I guess it could be done anywhere. The hot and cold are considered different systems I suppose. Like mentioned, the connection between them through faucets and water heaters is not guaranteed, so they need to be bonded together, and accessible. 



> 250.104 Bonding of Piping Systems and Exposed Structural Metal.
> (A)Metal Water Piping.
> The metal water piping system shall be bonded as required in (A)(1), (A)(2), or (A)(3) of this section.
> (1)General.
> ...


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## tjb (Feb 12, 2014)

joe-nwt said:


> Clean water is not the greatest conductor. Pure water is an insulator.




Very little tap water is pure. Well water and even city water is full of minerals. I didn’t say it was a great conductor.


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## CoolWill (Jan 5, 2019)

If the piping is metal, the hot and cold will be bonded together at the shower valve.


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

I did a high end townhome complex once. The water services were plastic, and the service was technically outside at the meter stack. So in each 3,000 sq foot unit got a 150 amp sub panel in the basement. We just took a piece of #6 out of the panel and hit the hot and cold nearest the panel in the basement. Didn’t jump it out at the water heater. It’s probably the only time I didn’t jump it out at the water heater. 

They changed inspectors during the two years I was there. The new inspector wanted us to run the wire from the water pipe all the way back to the meter stack. He was wrong, and we never did it. He was shown the exception in the code book for when the water service comes in as plastic in a multi family dwelling.


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## HertzHound (Jan 22, 2019)

From the Soars book.


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## J F Go (Mar 1, 2014)

Well I learned something new today, so that's good.


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## Kyrton (Feb 2, 2016)

Required in MD


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

Ok, so if it is in the NEC, why isn't it required everyone that the house uses metallic pipes?


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## VELOCI3 (Aug 15, 2019)

Bird dog said:


> Years back, in a code class, the instructor told us this story. A guy finished washing his car & to cool himself off put the water hose to his head. He was permanently blinded because at the same time the dishwasher heating element which was shorting turned on. His wife tried suing everybody, but, the house was wired "to code". I would do the bonding on my own house & maybe put the water heater on a GFI.




Metal plumbing pipe was bonded in the house? Electric heater had the additional ground via the power coming in? Something is lacking in that guys story or perhaps her story. 
I can’t see that guy being the fault path through 50’ of potable water. 


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

Interesting. I've never done it.


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## eddy current (Feb 28, 2009)

When I started in the trade, we were allowed to use the cold water pipe as the grounding conductor, going to the electrode. (I think it’s called a GEC in the NEC?). We would run a wire from the panel and clamp it to the closest pipe, and then install a short jumper around the water meter so the incoming pipe would also serve as the grounding electrode.

Now we can’t do that. Can still use the incoming as an electrode if it is metal. We also have to bond any metal pipes (water supply, waste water, gas) but I’ve never had to bond the hot, just the cold. 10-700


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## manchestersparky (Mar 25, 2007)

How many Houses are still using metallic piping ?


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

manchestersparky said:


> How many Houses are still using metallic piping ?


I don’t work on new construction.


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

manchestersparky said:


> How many Houses are still using metallic piping ?


New probably not so much, Northeast housing stock, most of.


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

HackWork said:


> Ok, so if it is in the NEC, why isn't it required everyone that the house uses metallic pipes?


I don't understand your question. Are you saying that because it is in the code then all piping should be required to be metal?

As others have said valves and water heaters are generally conductive. I have heard that some recent heaters now have dielectric fittings. The smart thing to do is to jumper the hot and cold but it is not required if the piping is connected together. 

The inside of the tank may be fiberglass or something non metallic but the connections at the top of the water heater are usually metallic and thus connects the hot and cold water pipes. 

It is not required in our area so you really don't see it done.


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## Easy (Oct 18, 2017)

Bonding the hot and cold water piping at the tank is required to ensure that there is a continuous path to ground and prevent shock hazards. Perhaps the pipe dope, teflon tape or di-electric nipple have something to do with it. It could also be that when a water tank is replaced the only bond between the hot and cold is the conductor and it protects the plumber while he does the swap out. Yes it is required in my area..


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