In article . com, w_tom wrote:
On Sep 28, 8:06 am, (Doug Miller) wrote:
And now you've gone and gotten it wrong again. Metal water pipe is *required*
to be used as a grounding electrode. You said it's not. That's not true.

Code only requires water pipe must be bonded. That 'bonding' to
remove fault currents from pipes. Code does not require water pipe to
be used as an earth ground.

False.

"All grounding electrodes as described in 250.52(A)(1) through (A)(6) that are
present ... shall be bonded together to form the grounding electrode system.
... 250.52(A)(1) Metal underground water pipe."

If it's there, Code requires it to be used "to form the grounding electrode
system" i.e. as an earth ground.

However code is written so that a water
pipe may also be an earthing electrode

Wrong -- it MUST be a grounding electrode if it's present.

- albeit insufficient. If
water pipe is used as an earthing electrode, that still in not
sufficient to meet code requirements for earthing as stated in article
250.52(D).

True -- but not relevant to the question of whether using it is optional or
required. If it's present at all, its use as part of the grounding electrode
system is MANDATORY.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.