"Gene Fuller" wrote in message
...
Jimmie D wrote:


Hopefully you are not really using the water pipe for a ground for your
electrical service. Hopefully your plumbing is just bonded to the
electrical ground. Dont even think about using this for lightning
protection. Nothing like having lightning run in on your plumbing while
taking a bath or have it run in on yor ground and eat about $7K worth of
test equipment(my bad).

Jimmie


Electrical service grounding via water pipes is common and acceptable.
Quoting from the 2005 NEC, which is the standard used in many or most
jurisdictions in the US:

250.52 Grounding Electrodes.
(A) Electrodes Permitted for Grounding.
(1) Metal Underground Water Pipe. A metal underground water pipe in direct
contact with the earth for 3.0 m (10 ft) or more (including any metal well
casing effectively bonded to the pipe) and electrically continuous (or
made electrically continuous by bonding around insulating joints or
insulating pipe) to the points of connection of the grounding electrode
conductor and the bonding conductors. Interior metal water piping located
more than 1.52 m (5 ft) from the point of entrance to the building shall
not be used as a part of the grounding electrode system or as a conductor
to interconnect electrodes that are part of the grounding electrode
system.


I agree this is not a good solution for lightning protection.

73,
Gene
W4SZ

Very common for local code to overide this and for good reason. You never
know when a piece of metal pipe is going to be replaced with plastic so a
ground rod has to be used with the electrical service.The plumber dont know
it is being used as a ground. and the electrician doesnt know all the metal
pipe has been replaced with PVC.Ground rods are cheap and easy to install.

Jimmie