Gas meter earthing

[Manator]

Well seeing that all meters are accessible then it would difficult to see a situation in which it was not 'practical' to bond within 600mm. 

There are plenty of situations. I have seen kitchen units built around them, and as others have stated the pipe enters in a loft space.

I once saw a house where the meter was external, the pipe entered below the floor and then rose up the wall in the hallway. Normally the bond (according to the regs) would have been where it exited the floor in the hallway. I bonded it at ceiling height, because at floor level it would have looked rubbish and could have caused other hazards.

 

[Essex1]

There are plenty of situations. I have seen kitchen units built around them, and as others have stated the pipe enters in a loft space.

I once saw a house where the meter was external, the pipe entered below the floor and then rose up the wall in the hallway. Normally the bond (according to the regs) would have been where it exited the floor in the hallway. I bonded it at ceiling height, because at floor level it would have looked rubbish and could have caused other hazards.

The regs say either at the meter of when entering the building. Not only when entering the building. 

 

[Manator]

The regs say either at the meter of when entering the building. Not only when entering the building. 

Essex I used to bond in the external meter box, British Gas and the NICEIC assessor were not happy with this saying the regulations are very simple.

The gas pipe is only bonded on the consumer side and where it enters the building, normally within 600mm.

 

[Rob_the_rich]

IIRC it comes from before the 16th OSG.

However, I ain't digging out any earlier editions at this time on a Saturday night!

It's actually currently from reg 544.1.2

Why does it say in 544.1.2 "..after any insulating section..."? If there is an insulating section, the service would not require a main bond (unless it is tested and is found not to be introducing an earth potential), according to OSG. The word "shall" is used twice in 544.1.2, can't find where in BS7671 it says no bonding is required to all-plastic services, no BS7671 reference in that section of OSG (part 4). 

What I am saying is BS7671 says bond it anyway regardless of whether service supply is plastic.

 

[Davethsparky]

Why does it say in 544.1.2 "..after any insulating section..."? If there is an insulating section, the service would not require a main bond (unless it is tested and is found not to be introducing an earth potential), according to OSG. The word "shall" is used twice in 544.1.2, can't find where in BS7671 it says no bonding is required to all-plastic services, no BS7671 reference in that section of OSG (part 4). 

What I am saying is BS7671 says bond it anyway regardless of whether service supply is plastic.

Bs7671 doesn't say anything about plastic pipes I agree, but it does say that main bonding is required for extraneous conductive parts, and a service constructed of an insulating material cannot be an extraneous part.

the statement about being after an insulating section is actually valid. If you consider a service pipe which contains a conductive fluid, such as impure water, then a short insulating section may not stop the pipe from being extraneous but would Increase the impedance of a bond if it was the wrong side of the insulating section.