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I am replacing an electric shower. The old one was connected to the mains-pressure cold water supply by a soldered double elbow and tap-connector which was enclosed within the front cover. The double elbow provided space for an earth-bond clamp with a wire to the Earth connection of the electrics.
The new electric shower has limited space and has a plastic pipe for a compression fitting, so I unsoldered the old double elbow. This leaves an inch of copper pipe sticking out of a hole in the wall. I fitted a compression elbow. This does not leave any room for an earth bond clamp.
The 15mm copper pipe rises up through a stud wall into the loft through a 25mm hole in the wood where it rises a foot and then joins an isolation valve. There is room there for an earth clamp but running a bonding wire back would probably be impossible without breaking a hole in the plasterboard on the other side of the stud wall.
Photos (I'm too new here to be allowed to post proper links):
Since the pipework is fully enclosed in the plastic shower cover does it count as an exposed-conductive-part – “a conductive part of equipment which can be touched and which is not a live part but which may become live under fault conditions”
How do I meet BS7671:2001?
The new electric shower has limited space and has a plastic pipe for a compression fitting, so I unsoldered the old double elbow. This leaves an inch of copper pipe sticking out of a hole in the wall. I fitted a compression elbow. This does not leave any room for an earth bond clamp.
The 15mm copper pipe rises up through a stud wall into the loft through a 25mm hole in the wood where it rises a foot and then joins an isolation valve. There is room there for an earth clamp but running a bonding wire back would probably be impossible without breaking a hole in the plasterboard on the other side of the stud wall.
Photos (I'm too new here to be allowed to post proper links):
- Old double elbow i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk134/redgrittybrick/P1030044.jpg
- New shower unit i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk134/redgrittybrick/P1030043.jpg
- New elbow front i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk134/redgrittybrick/P1030048.jpg
- New elbow top i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk134/redgrittybrick/P1030049.jpg
Since the pipework is fully enclosed in the plastic shower cover does it count as an exposed-conductive-part – “a conductive part of equipment which can be touched and which is not a live part but which may become live under fault conditions”
How do I meet BS7671:2001?