Gastite (CSST) Bonding Requirements

Started by Admin, February 02, 2012, 04:50:56 PM

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Admin

The bonding of gas piping has been a requirement in our trade for some time now, and bonding the gas piping at the furnace usually satisfies these bonding requirements.  This is not the case if you are installing Gas Tite CSST.

Download the Gas Tite Technical Bulletin #TB2010-01 (Electrical Bonding of Gastite® CSST June 3, 2010) Here

We are still required to bond the rigid gas piping at the appliance, downstream from the gas meter, but also make a bonding connection upstream of any Gas Tite CSST.  You will have to install a piece of rigid piping between the gas meter and Gas Tite and connect a bonding clamp and wire to it and not the CSST itself, or use the approved bonding clamp to bond directly to the Gas Tite connector.

The alternative would be to use a product called Flashshield CSST which does not require upstream bonding, as per page 73 of the 2011 Design and Installation Guide

Quote4.10 Electrical Bonding of Gastite®/FlashShield™ CSST
a) Unlike Gastite®, there are no additional bonding requirements for FlashShield™ imposed by the manufacturer's installation instructions. FlashShield™ is to be bonded in accordance with the National Electrical Code NFPA 70 Article 250.104 in the same manner as the minimum requirements for rigid metal piping. However, installers must always adhere to any local requirements that may conflict with these instructions.

It's only $1.10 more per foot than Gas Tite.  Gas Tite Catalog    

See Bonding

scarey8

Seen this post on a million talk group websites, different inspectors have different takes on this requirement.  As I read it and very well I could be totally wrong, if you use CSST as a full piping system you require bonding at point of entry and upstream of the first csst connection.  My actual question would be, on a large manifold based system I am to install shortly, 1 1/4 iron pipe is to be installed from propane tanks to furnace room in a slab on grade home, CSST is to be buryed in conduit and manifolded to 4 addition appliances.  the inspector is telling me I require a bond on the iron pipe as well as a bond at each CSST connection.  plain english or anglais as we are canadian for the most part.  what is the requirement in black and white?

Admin

What type of CSST are you using?

I found this in the Gastite Technical Bulletin #TB2010-01,

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 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.  As far as I'm concerned in your case, 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 4.7.1 of the Gas code.

Wardflex has different bonding requirements than Gastite, as per Wardflex Technical Bulletin #WF2008-1

Admin

It looks like ESA Bulletin 10-14-2 has been replaced by ESA Bulletin 10-14-6.

It was issued in May 2012 regarding Rules 10-400, 10-406 and 10-814. 

Quote10-400 Fixed equipment, general
Exposed, non-current-carrying metal parts of fixed equipment shall be bonded to ground if the equipment is
(a) supplied by means of metal-enclosed wiring;
(b) supplied by means of wiring that contains a bonding conductor;
(c) located in a wet location and is not isolated;
(d) located within reach of a person who can make contact with any grounded surface or object;
(e) located within reach of a person standing on the ground;
(f) in a hazardous location;
(g) in electrical contact with metal, metal foil, or metal lath; or
(h) to operate with any terminal at more than 150 volts-to-ground, except for
(i) enclosures for switches or circuit breakers that are accessible to qualified persons only;
(ii) metal frames of electrically heated devices that have been exempted in accordance with Rule 2-030 and are permanently and effectively insulated from ground; and
(iii) transformers mounted on wooden poles at a height of more than 2.5 m above grade level, provided that the installation is in compliance with the requirements of the supply authority.

10-406 Non-electrical equipment (see Appendix B)
(1) The following metal parts of non-electrical equipment shall be bonded to ground:
(a) frames and tracks of electrically operated cranes;
(b) the metal frame of a non-electrically driven elevator car to which electric conductors are attached;
(c) hand-operated metal shifting ropes or cables of electric elevators;
(d) metal enclosures such as partitions, grille work, etc., around equipment carrying voltages in excess of 750 V between conductors; and
(e) tower and station structures of passenger ropeways, passenger conveyors, or material ropeways.
(2) Where a metal water piping system is installed in a building supplied with electric power and is not used as a grounding electrode required by Rule 10-700,
(a) the metal water piping system shall be bonded to the system grounding conductor by means of a copper bonding conductor not smaller than No. 6 AWG; and
(b) the bonding conductor shall be attached to the metal water piping system
(i) at a location as near to the consumer's electrical service entrance as is practicable; and
(ii) at a location where a feeder enters a barn or other building.
(3) Each continuous metal waste water piping system installed in a building supplied with electric power shall be bonded to the system grounding conductor or to the grounded metal water supply piping by a copper bonding jumper of not less than No. 6 AWG.
(4) All interior metal gas piping that may become energized shall be made electrically continuous and shall be bonded in accordance with the requirements of Subrule (2).
(5) In buildings housing livestock, all metal water pipes, stanchions, water bowls, vacuum lines, and other metals that could become energized shall be bonded to ground by a separate stranded copper bonding conductor not smaller than No. 6 AWG except that, where it is necessary to control the effects of stray earth current, a device specifically approved for the purpose, connected in series with the bonding conductor, shall be permitted.
(6) In rooms that have raised floors of conductive material with electrical wiring under the raised floor, the raised floor assembly shall be bonded with a conductor no smaller than No. 6 AWG copper or the equivalent, in such a manner that the metallic flooring panels or materials form an effective equipotential plane.

10-814 Bonding conductor size (see Appendix B)
(1) The size of a bonding conductor shall be not less than that given in Table 16, but in no case does it need to be larger than the largest ungrounded conductor in the circuit.
(2) Where circuit conductors are paralleled in separate cables or raceways, the bonding conductor shall be permitted to be paralleled and the size of bonding conductor in each parallel run shall not be less than that specified in Table 16 based on the size of the circuit conductors contained in the raceway or cable.
(3) Notwithstanding the requirements of Rule 12-108, the size of the bonding conductor in each parallel run shall be permitted to be smaller than No. 1/0 AWG.

Rule 10-604 was not included in ESA Bulletin 10-14-6.

Quote10-604 Bonding at service equipment
The electrical continuity of the grounding circuit at the service equipment shall be assured by one of the means given in Rule 10-606 for the following equipment and enclosures if of metal:
(a) service raceways or service armour or sheaths;
(b) all service equipment enclosures containing service entrance conductors, including meter fittings, boxes, or the like, interposed in the service raceway or armour; and
(c) any conduit or armour that forms part of the grounding conductor to the service raceway.

walker

This may be a silly question but I haven't done much piping before. I read that the CSST Gastite piping must be bonded upstream of it. For instance if I was running Gastite from a tee outside at the meter I would have to have a bond between the csst and the meter. My question is where do I connect the other end of the bond too? I'm not too familiar with bonding anything as I've never done it before.

As a follow up question, am I also required to have another bond at the other end of the Gastite?

walker


Admin

http://www.hvactechgroup.com/hvacforum/index.php?topic=318.0

Download ESA Bulletin 10-14-2.  Bond to the electrical panel or water main.  You can also bond to the cold water copper pipe unless there's PEX tubing at some point going to the water main.

QuoteWe are still required to bond the rigid gas piping at the appliance, downstream from the gas meter, but also make a bonding connection upstream of any Gas Tite CSST.  You will have to install a piece of rigid piping between the gas meter and Gas Tite and connect a bonding clamp and wire to it and not the CSST itself, or use the approved bonding clamp to bond directly to the Gas Tite connector fitting.

walker

Beautiful thanks for the info, also if I'm setting up a Gastite line for a bbq, I wouldn't have to do another bond at the appliance?

Admin

If the BBQ line is downstream from the gas meter and upstream of your existing bonding, then yes you need additional bonding.

If the BBQ line is downstream from your existing bonding then no aditional bonding is required.

Use Flashshield and identify it with yellow tape and you won't have to worry about additional bonding.

walker

Okay so if add a Gastite line outside at the meter I just have to have one bond between the gas meter and the Gastite?

Admin

In that case you will still need to bond your gas piping downstream at your furnace / water heater, as well install the additional bonding between the CSST and gas meter.

You installed the bonding outside, but ESA Bulletin 10-14-6 still requires that the interior gas piping be bonded.

walker

Wow what a pain, I'm just gonna buy the flash stuff next time.

Admin

Gastite has removed the need for additional upstream bonding.

Download the Gastite Bonding Technical Bulletin #TB2014-01 Here