On Sep 27, 11:36 am, (Doug Miller) wrote:
False. If metal water pipe is present, it is *required* to use it as a
grounding electrode in addition to the other electrodes.

It metal water pipe is present, it is *required* to be bonded.
Interior metal water pipes must be bonded if the underground pipe is
plastic or metal. Makes no difference whether the water pipe does or
does not also do earthing. 1) it still must be bonded. 2) the water
pipe earth ground is considered so inferior that some other earth
ground electrode must be installed.

We must remove electricity (electrical faults) from pipes by bonding
pipes to breaker box safety grounds. Some jurisdictions also want gas
pipe bonded. All water pipes must be bonded so that electricity is
not flowing in those pipes. Bonding is essential to human safety.
Some jurisdictions so worry about electricity in the plumbing as to
require a dedciated bond to steel bathtubs. Are we earthing the
bathtub? No. We are bonding it so that electric fault currents will
trip a circuit breaker. That also has nothing to do with earthing.

When the water pipe is bonded 'less than 5 feet' from earth, then it
also acts as an earth ground. But code says the building is still not
properly earthed. The building is not earthed until some other
earthing electrode is installed. Code still says that water pipe is
an earthing electrode (paragraph one). Code also says that water pipe
earthing electrode is not sufficient. Some other earthing (from
paragraphs two through seven) must be installed so that the building
is sufficiently earthed.

That cold water pipe must be bonded even if the water pipe makes no
earthing connection. Why? We connect to pipes to remove electricity
- for human safety.