On Sep 27, 11:26 am, wrote:
Correct me if I am wrong, but there was a time when the NEC
allowed one to ground equipment to a nearby water pipe. Of
course, there was also a time (look at the 1899 code, which is
posted online somewhere) when they allowed one to use a gas
pipe as a grounding electrode. The time for either of those is
not today.
...

Besides, if you're going to pull a single conductor into a
space, you might as well pull in a cable, as somebody up
there pointed out.

Using water pipes as conductors is not acceptable. We bond both
water pipes and gas pipes (some jurisdictions) for the same reason -
to remove electricity from those pipes. A bond to the gas pipe would
not be an earth ground since gas meters routinely have electric
insulators. Some jurisdictions want the gas pipe bonded to breaker
box safety ground; others do not. Consult the gas company for what
they want.

As w_tom repeatedly notes, the reason for pulling a cable is because
that cable is approved as a conductor. Pipe that was acceptable as a
condutor more than 30 years ago is no longer approved as a conductor
today.