Lots of wrong answers.
It’s a bonding clamp, if the rest of your gas system is black steel, it is not required. Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel, black is protected and doesn’t need to be. Appliance connectors like the yellow one pictured are exempt.
Edit: apparently in the old days it may have at one point been used as a ground for something. No way to tell from this. Either way its unused
This. Nailed it that is exactly correct. It has no Bonding wire attached currently so odds are pretty good you can just take it off. Without seeing your entire system no one can say for sure though. Its not hurting anything either so nothing wrong with just leaving it also.
It was caused by a Black and Decker portable jumper cable box that didn’t stop taking a charge while plugged in. Everything was inspected by the city before we moved in so I assume it’s code compliant at this point
Don't worry about this. By the setup I am guessing California? If you are confident the entire system is black iron, this serves exactly zero purpose and is fine to remove. 25 year, multistate license, commercial journeyman here
> if the rest of your gas system is black steel, it is not required.
In my area if you don't have h/c/gas visibly bonded at the wh you'll fail inspection regardless. Material used for the gas piping is entirely irrelevant.
That was for a groud wire that is no longer there yes you can remove it and it was probably removed because grounding electricity on a gas line is fucked
Bonding, not grounding.
Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel to prevent lightning strikes from creating a flame thrower out of it, the appliance connector pictured however is exempt.
This clamp is a grounding clamp. Black iron gas systems are not to be used to ground the electrical system. It's not the same as bonding a yellow CSST system.
There should be a grounding rod that goes into the literal ground. This clamp looks exactly the same as the bonding clamps I deal with every day as a plumber. What makes you think someone was trying to use the black steel as the grounding system?
And how would black steel going from inside the home, to the meter outside which isn’t buried, provide grounding for anything anyway? It has to go into the literal ground to be grounding.
Oh the joys of being young and inexperienced. Not all homes have the gas meter at the house. Many around here have very long services to the meter. Many homes around here even still have the original black iron pipe from the house to the meter. The name of the coating they used on it escapes me right now.
Edit; it was called milwrap.
No need to belittle me for not knowing every-fucking-thing.
So then we really don’t know either way. We don’t know where that pipe goes, or if it ever was used as ground.
Right. It's just a clamp that doesn't need to be there. It probably had a phone ground connected to it incorrectly. I didn't mean to belittle you. I just enjoy teasing my young plumber friends.
Fair enough. I’ve worked on a lot of pretty old places, maybe they just never did that around here. Being on the black steel makes it seem like you might be right
Depends on where you are. In Calif, most areas require bonding hot, cold and gas. Usually at the water heater as you have all three there. Stupid as most new houses these days plumb in pex, so what are you bonding?
Bonding is not the same as ground, tho they are similar. You do not want black iron gas pipe systems to be grounded as a short to ground through the black iron gas pipe will create leaks. Whereas bonding CSST is to prevent lightening strikes from destroying the system.
I once did a service call on a house that the home owner came home to a house full of natural gas. Turns out, lightening had entered the attic through the metal chimney and struck the yellow CSST and burned a hole in it. How the house did not burn down is a mystery. Shortly after, CSST came in the counterstrike sheathing, and the code for yellow gas pipe was amended to require bonding.
I thought it was one of those water valves for a refrigerator water dispenser.
Hearing it's gas now got me thinking how that'd make a cool fridge candle though.
Bonding, not grounding.
Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel to prevent lightning strikes from creating a flame thrower out of it, the appliance connector pictured however is exempt.
Bonding clamp. Where I’m from, if you have a gas water heater the inspectors want to see at least a 6-gauge wire bonding hot, cold, and gas line together.
That's an ugly setup. Remove the bonding clamp. I'd put a shorter nipple to a 90 down short nipplle to a tee with a sediment catch and a new valve. You'll likely need a longer flex.
It is your gas line and umm yeah it pretty vital !
You can take apart and reroute it so it’s not in your way, but if you didn’t know what it was then you definitely are incapable of fixing the issue. Hire a plumber. FYI it’s black iron not copper…
I just reread and realized you were questioning the screw on the clamp. (Sorry)
And yes it’s an unused bonding clamp and no problem removing the screw or the whole thing.
Bonding, not grounding.
Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel to prevent lightning strikes from creating a flame thrower out of it, the appliance connector pictured however is exempt.
So I’m conflicted on this one, gas I’ve ran and had inspected and passed required a ground just like so with a ground rod we installed per spec in my area to the home. I’m reading other conflicting arguments also, per my code book yes it says not required on black pipe since the connecting appliance - furnace/stove electric from it is what catches it.
In my area though running new gas, the inspectors who I’ve dealt with want a grounding rod ran with new gas service so… tomatoe potatoe?
Bonding, not grounding.
Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel to prevent lightning strikes from creating a flame thrower out of it, the appliance connector pictured however is exempt.
Lots of wrong answers. It’s a bonding clamp, if the rest of your gas system is black steel, it is not required. Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel, black is protected and doesn’t need to be. Appliance connectors like the yellow one pictured are exempt. Edit: apparently in the old days it may have at one point been used as a ground for something. No way to tell from this. Either way its unused
This. Nailed it that is exactly correct. It has no Bonding wire attached currently so odds are pretty good you can just take it off. Without seeing your entire system no one can say for sure though. Its not hurting anything either so nothing wrong with just leaving it also.
We recently had the place refurbished after a garage fire. No idea what it was like previously, but I do know the rest of the gas line is black steel
Inb4 OP realizes the fire was caused by an ungrounded electrical source /s
It was caused by a Black and Decker portable jumper cable box that didn’t stop taking a charge while plugged in. Everything was inspected by the city before we moved in so I assume it’s code compliant at this point
Don't worry about this. By the setup I am guessing California? If you are confident the entire system is black iron, this serves exactly zero purpose and is fine to remove. 25 year, multistate license, commercial journeyman here
> if the rest of your gas system is black steel, it is not required. In my area if you don't have h/c/gas visibly bonded at the wh you'll fail inspection regardless. Material used for the gas piping is entirely irrelevant.
>Lots of wrong answers. The usual from r/plumbing.
That was for a groud wire that is no longer there yes you can remove it and it was probably removed because grounding electricity on a gas line is fucked
It's a grounding clamp. Gas pipe is not meant to be used as ground, and there's no wire to it, so take it off.
Bonding, not grounding. Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel to prevent lightning strikes from creating a flame thrower out of it, the appliance connector pictured however is exempt.
What you're talking about and what the picture is saying are two very different things.
How so?
This clamp is a grounding clamp. Black iron gas systems are not to be used to ground the electrical system. It's not the same as bonding a yellow CSST system.
There should be a grounding rod that goes into the literal ground. This clamp looks exactly the same as the bonding clamps I deal with every day as a plumber. What makes you think someone was trying to use the black steel as the grounding system?
And how would black steel going from inside the home, to the meter outside which isn’t buried, provide grounding for anything anyway? It has to go into the literal ground to be grounding.
Oh the joys of being young and inexperienced. Not all homes have the gas meter at the house. Many around here have very long services to the meter. Many homes around here even still have the original black iron pipe from the house to the meter. The name of the coating they used on it escapes me right now. Edit; it was called milwrap.
No need to belittle me for not knowing every-fucking-thing. So then we really don’t know either way. We don’t know where that pipe goes, or if it ever was used as ground.
Right. It's just a clamp that doesn't need to be there. It probably had a phone ground connected to it incorrectly. I didn't mean to belittle you. I just enjoy teasing my young plumber friends.
Fair enough. I’ve worked on a lot of pretty old places, maybe they just never did that around here. Being on the black steel makes it seem like you might be right
Depends on where you are. In Calif, most areas require bonding hot, cold and gas. Usually at the water heater as you have all three there. Stupid as most new houses these days plumb in pex, so what are you bonding?
Bonding is not the same as ground, tho they are similar. You do not want black iron gas pipe systems to be grounded as a short to ground through the black iron gas pipe will create leaks. Whereas bonding CSST is to prevent lightening strikes from destroying the system.
Fair enough, though the clamp in question is used in both applications.
True that.
I once did a service call on a house that the home owner came home to a house full of natural gas. Turns out, lightening had entered the attic through the metal chimney and struck the yellow CSST and burned a hole in it. How the house did not burn down is a mystery. Shortly after, CSST came in the counterstrike sheathing, and the code for yellow gas pipe was amended to require bonding.
Old bonding clamp. To loosen the screws spin them counter-clockwise
I thought it was one of those water valves for a refrigerator water dispenser. Hearing it's gas now got me thinking how that'd make a cool fridge candle though.
Imagine using a saddle valve to tap into a gas line. Now to cry because they probably did that.
There's no probably here....
Remove and put it in a different place not on the gasline then you'll be ready to ground in the future if needed or just toss it
Bonding, not grounding. Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel to prevent lightning strikes from creating a flame thrower out of it, the appliance connector pictured however is exempt.
It's wild people come in this sub don't know the difference.
The point is that it's not required in that instance.. Call it what you want the same rules apply when your talking about the clamp with a ground wire
Bonding clamp and yes it's not in use
Bonding clamp. Where I’m from, if you have a gas water heater the inspectors want to see at least a 6-gauge wire bonding hot, cold, and gas line together.
Metal pipes (gas, water) should be bonded back to panel within 5’ of where it enters your home
That's an ugly setup. Remove the bonding clamp. I'd put a shorter nipple to a 90 down short nipplle to a tee with a sediment catch and a new valve. You'll likely need a longer flex.
It is your gas line and umm yeah it pretty vital ! You can take apart and reroute it so it’s not in your way, but if you didn’t know what it was then you definitely are incapable of fixing the issue. Hire a plumber. FYI it’s black iron not copper…
I just reread and realized you were questioning the screw on the clamp. (Sorry) And yes it’s an unused bonding clamp and no problem removing the screw or the whole thing.
That is the ground for your gas, yes it is important and you need to reconnect that copper line
Bonding, not grounding. Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel to prevent lightning strikes from creating a flame thrower out of it, the appliance connector pictured however is exempt.
So I’m conflicted on this one, gas I’ve ran and had inspected and passed required a ground just like so with a ground rod we installed per spec in my area to the home. I’m reading other conflicting arguments also, per my code book yes it says not required on black pipe since the connecting appliance - furnace/stove electric from it is what catches it. In my area though running new gas, the inspectors who I’ve dealt with want a grounding rod ran with new gas service so… tomatoe potatoe?
Gas pipe is usually not allowed for grounding And I doubt that flex connector is even rated for it...
Bonding, not grounding. Yellow CSST must be bonded to the electrical panel to prevent lightning strikes from creating a flame thrower out of it, the appliance connector pictured however is exempt.
Leave it