Does black iron gas pipe have to be bonded?
Yes, as per the B149.1-10 Gas Code, Clauses 4.7.1 and 4.7.3.
QuoteClause 4.7.1 - Electrical connections between an appliance and building wiring shall comply with the local electrical code or, in the absence of such, with the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I.
QuoteClause 4.7.3 - All interior metal gas piping that may become energized shall be made electrically continuous and shall be bonded in accordance with the requirements of the local electrical code or, in the absence of such, the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I.
Certain types of CSST may also required additional upstream bonding.
Read another post on Bonding - Here (http://www.hvactechgroup.com/hvacforum/index.php?topic=318.msg1699#msg1699)
im confused on where to have additional bonding upstream of the csst. if the black iron 5 feet away from the csst is bonded, or the drop on the water heater is bonded, why would i need additional bonding upstream of the csst when that black iron is already bonded 5 feet away?
If you have bonding installed at the furnace or water heater it would not protect certain types of CSST installed between that bonding and the gas meter. The concern is with lightning strikes that could arc and damage the CSST. If lightning hits the gas meter and travels along the gas piping towards the furnace and water heater, any CSST along the way could be damaged before the surge reaches the bonding at the furnace and water heater, even if it's only a few feet away.
Read the Gastite Technical Bulletin #TB2010-01 (http://www.hvactechgroup.com/files/gas%20tite%20bonding.pdf),
QuoteFor single and multi-family structures, a single bond connection shall be made downstream of the individual gas meter for each housing unit and upstream of any CSST connection.
The fact that the words "single bond connection" are in bold would suggest that you only need one bond connection downstream from the gas meter as long as it was upstream of any and all CSST connections.
ESA Bulletin 10-14-2 (http://www.hvactechgroup.com/files/Bonding.pdf) states the bonding connection is "commonly" installed at the water heater, but does not say you can't bond to any part of the ridgid piping system. You could bond one single connection from the ridgid pipe that enters the house, as long as that connection was between the gas meter and all CSST connections. In my opinion this would satisfy the Gastite instructions, ESA instructions and Clause 4.7.3 of the Gas code.
UPDATE: ESA Bulletin 10-14-2 (http://www.hvactechgroup.com/files/Bonding.pdf) has been replaced with ESA Bulletin 10-14-6 (http://www.hvactechgroup.com/files/ESA%20Bulletin%2010-14-6.pdf).
Wardflex has different bonding requirements than Gastite. See the Wardflex Technical Bulletin #WF2008-1 (http://www.hvactechgroup.com/files/wardflex.pdf)
The Wardflex Installation Guide (http://www.hvactechgroup.com/files/Wardflex%20Guide1.pdf) page 55 states,
QuoteWARDFLEX® II CSST Piping Systems have no additional bonding requirements imposed by the manufacturer.
UPDATE: Gastite no longer requires additional upstream bonding. Download Bulletin #TB2014-01 - Here (http://www.hvactechgroup.com/hvacforum/index.php?topic=1540.msg4270#msg4270)
I'm under the impression we are assuming the meter is being struck by lightning. Since the thin walls of the CSST is easily blown open by the arc of lightning jumping from it to nearby metal, they want it bonded upstream so that the current will quickly shoot down the ground wire without traveling through the CSST. We've done plenty of installs where we ran a main CSST line (after several feet of black iron for meter support)due to a nightmare twists and turns in finished homes... In those instances, if we bonded near the furnace (downstream of the csst), the lightning strike from outside would be forced to travel through the length of iron, and CSST before being discharged out the bonding clamp near the furnace... I'm assuming they don't want all the juice traveling through the CSST, or at least minimize it. There could still be a chance the lightning could do an early jump from the CSST to any nearby metal that may be an easy path to ground... It could jump to duct work, or other pipes prematurely before leaving at the bonding clamp downstream. It's really easy to have a cut on the weak sheathing of the CSST that may be tight against duct work, or some other metal along its run where the lightning can burn through. When you also consider the wall thickness of CSST, it probably doesn't even combine to the minimum thickness of 6 gauge grounding wire.