When you’re planning to install a new sink in your kitchen, it can take a lot of effort and time to choose the sink’s style and design.
You probably have many questions when installing a new kitchen sink. But have you ever wondered, Do kitchen sinks need to be earthed?
It is an essential question that any kitchen owner should ask and answer before installing a new sink in their kitchen.
Let’s scroll down and keep reading to get the answer!
What Is Earth A Sink?
Before answering this question, you need to know what “Earth a sink” means.
A kitchen sink can consist of many pipes. If these pipes are made of metal, such as copper or cast iron, there are certain dangers you need to be aware of.
Such electrical discharge into your home could result in serious injury to you or other members, depending on the strength of the power source.
This charge source comes from lightning strikes in the rain or static electricity.
As a result, the plumber will earth the sink for many kitchen setups to reduce the risk of electrical shock.
This effort aims to redirect these electrical charges to the ground (earth) from your house.
Do Kitchen Sinks Need To Be Earthed?
If you own a steel kitchen sink with hot and cold pipework, it is not necessary to add supplementary earth bonding.
But the mains water pipework and the mains gas pipework might require earthing. Several homeowners pick gas meters and stop tap earthing.
However, to determine exactly if you need to earth your kitchen sink, it is best to consult with your trusted plumber.
He is fully equipped with the knowledge and experience to help you answer that question correctly.
How To Earth Your Kitchen Sink?
Although we provide this step-by-step guide, we do not recommend that you earth your kitchen sink yourself unless you are a skilled plumber.
If you are inexperienced in this area, chances are high that you will mess up the pipes in the kitchen sink, making it worse.
In addition, not knowing how to protect yourself can lead to serious injury to you, such as electric shock.
Instead of being curious and getting your hands on things you don’t know, get help from an expert in the field.
Step 1: You need to start by investing in new clamps, which allow you to connect the wire to your bath pipes and basin pipes.
Step 2: You probably want to clean your pipe if necessary. It’s always best to work with clean pipes when installing your new earth clamps.
Step 3: You can easily attach the clamp to your pipe without difficulty.
The screwed-on tabs attached to your earth clamp should pull out to strengthen the earth clamp to your sink pipe. In addition, pliers would secure the tabs, making them tighter.
Step 4: You will need to tighten all loose screws, including the clamp’s knot. It should keep your setup strengthened and safe to use.
Step 5: Connect the earth wire to your earth clamps. You probably need a small knife to remove the insulation or your earth wire. Thanks to that, you can easily connect them together.
But ensure you do not strip too much insulation of your earth wire!
We’ve taken you through the five basic steps to earthing your new kitchen sink.
Always remember that you should not do this project unless you are an expert in this field. It is wise to call a professional plumber for help if you are an amateur.
FAQs
Do You Need Earth Bonding?
Earthing and bonding are crucial requirements of every electrical installation. But it’s often overlooked by an unqualified person trying electrical work.
Do Water Pipes Need to Be Earthed?
There is so much plastic used in plumbing, and this is not a required practice.
Wrapping It Up
Earthing can prevent and minimize unwanted electrical charge from thunderstorms or static buildup from damaging you through your sink.
According to the guidelines and recommendations from IET, earthing your kitchen sink is probably unnecessary if your sink is stainless steel.
However, you should consult a trusted plumber for the most accurate answer.
You should not earth your kitchen sink yourself unless you have solid knowledge and experience about it.
Remember that grounding a kitchen is a complicated and dangerous job that can damage your sink system and endanger you if you are an amateur.
