NO, the Gas Piping should never be used as a Grounding Electrode. The requirement to connect to the gas piping comes into effect within the dwelling to areas likely to become energized…and in most cases this is taken care of by the equipment ground of the gas appliance but in most all areas the gas piping inside should be bonded to the system…But most certainly NOT as the grounding electrode.
In this case I would suggest the owner drive an additional ground rod 6’ from the first one and bond them together and complete their system if they are concerned.
As for the AFCI, It is something most certainly that can be suggested as it will save lives but is not something required for them to do…and i will let jeff finish on the other items.
Jeff
Please explain to me how the bonding of the gas line to the plumbing is effective as most times a jumper from one side of the meter to the other is not present. Without the jumper the gas line is bonded to nothing. ???
Larry
Larry the bonding of the gas piping is required “house side” of the meter because the pipe from the meter to the street is typically plastic. The gas piping isn’t a grounding system it is a metallic “system” within the home that needs to be bonded to the grounding system.
Dave, the wire at the underground pipe at the meter is a tracer wire so that the utility can locate the plastic pipe if they need to and is not a ground wire (if that is what you mean by “the one at the meter”)
Please…Please…guys the answers to those questions can really be obtained by reading the link I made above. Also the link I provided can explain it all about the gas piping system.
Jeff, which side of the water meter would one bond the gas line to? Also, aren’t all equipment using gas already bonded back thru the main panel ,if the are using elec.?
Instead of thinking that the wire runs from the copper water pipe to the metal gas pipe, which might make one think that the water pipe is being bonded to the grounded gas pipe, think of the wire as running the other way, from the gas pipe to the water pipe, which then should make one think that the gas pipe is being bonded to the grounded water pipe.
It doesn’t matter how you think of the connections, it matters what components of the system are verifyable.
The question was whether or not the gas line could be used as "the main ground." Assuming, of course, that he was referring to the Grounding Electrode.
The answer is no. You can’t use the gas line as the grounding electrode and some other means should be verifyable - ground rod, metal underground water pipe, Ufer, or ground ring.
If no other means could be verified, it should be reported as such.
The bonding of the systems is more difficult to verify as this is often done in locations or areas where bonding conductors may not be visible.
