Investor · Washington, DC · Member since 2017 · 26 posts · 6 votes
My rental has been experiencing quite a bit of electrical issues. I've had a few electricians diagnose the issue and have come to the resolution that I need a majority of the breakers replaced.
As the electrician was inspecting the property, he indicated that Baltimore City requires the grounding of Water Heaters and Furnaces. Since we're replacing a few items, he recommended getting this done and getting the electrical up to code.
Any thoughts? Anyone heard of grounding these appliances? Is this really necessary?
He MAY be talking about the CSST gas piping, which as of a few years ago became a code-issue. Now all CSST piping must be "clamped, bonded, and grounded" in the words of my local electricians. This can require both a plumber and an electrician, or just an electrician with a mechanical background (depending on the area).
@Alex R., that's not a newbie Q brother; the only way I know about this is from being in a lot of inspections where this has been explained (every.single.time, hah).
All of the issue centers around this: CSST is a flexible metal pipe. . . and metal tends to conduct electricity. There were several instances of homes with CSST piping being struck by lighting and the CSST piping contributing to a house burning down. For this reason (as I understand it) the code changed to require CSST lined to be grounded, so that if lightning strikes or some other large electrical surge occurs, there is a natural path for it to take into the ground instead of up the gas line (bad thing lurk nearby those gas lines).