With el service upgrades, we don't require that the existing water main be used an electrode. We require two rods and a bond to any accessible point on the water pipe. The theory is that we don't know if the water main has been changed to plastic, so in all cases we assume that it is plastic.
I don't agree with that but I don't make the rules. The code is clear about using water pipe as a grounding electrode conductor and I am told that it is a pipe bonding jumper and not a GEC. My reply is that if there is 10' of pipe in the ground, then the pipe is a GEC no matter what you call it.
On this job, I asked where the pipe was bonded and they told me that they reused the old bond.
I don't agree with that but I don't make the rules. The code is clear about using water pipe as a grounding electrode conductor and I am told that it is a pipe bonding jumper and not a GEC. My reply is that if there is 10' of pipe in the ground, then the pipe is a GEC no matter what you call it.
On this job, I asked where the pipe was bonded and they told me that they reused the old bond.
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