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ClemSole said:

The copper pipes is the proper way to ground the D* system, the copper pipes go into the gound a lot farther then putting in a ground rod and they provide a better ground. The distence from where the ground connection is made has no effect so don't wory about it.

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wildbill129 said:

Except grounding to cold water pipes is no longer allowed, unless the connection is made within 5 feet of where the main enters the building from the street. So unless the pipe coming out of the ground is the main line from the street, it isn't a valid ground point. The problem is houses are using PVC and PEX and the continuous copper ground is a thing of the past.

To the OP, If your house has all copper piping, and there is a tie from the ground rod to the cold water piping, you are fine. (And you have no PEX or PVC mixed in with the copper)

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Jimbo said:

Have you ever looked to see how expensive the PEX stuff is ?
Actually I should rephrase that, the TOOLS to work with the PEX is.

I have always done copper, but someone asked about the PEX last time I was doing a job and we looked into it and the tools are about $ 100 each to use the stuff.

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wildbill129 said:

Yah, they are. PEX is really big here in California. It's about the only thing used in new construction now. The good news is, rental companies have the tools now, so for do it yourselfers it's not to bad. I remember the first time I saw it, I was amazed. It's expensive, but the labor savings vs. copper easily makes up the difference...

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Jimbo said:

I'll stick with copper ...

My house I flipped, last year I replaced ALL the copper the week I took possesion, around Christmas last year someone broke in and stole it all, I considered PEX then, till I saw the price for tools.
I put in the tried and true copper again

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raoul5788 said:

Copper is tried and true here in the US, but PEX has been used in Europe for decades. Not only is it much cheaper than copper, but MUCH faster to install. It handles freezing temperatures better, also. The cost of the tools is more than made up in the reduced cost of the materials and time saved, plus you own the tools when you are done. It's a no brainer in my book, but some say I have no brains!

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Jimbo said:

I'm not spending $ 300 for tools I would use one or twice over 5 years.

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Jimbo said:

It's a no brainer if you do this often, working with plumbing, but it's not very economical when your only doing one house.

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wildbill129 said:

That's why you rent them....

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harshness said:

If you're doing your own house, you can do it with PEX once or you can redo parts of it once in awhile with copper.

I get the distinct feeling that you haven't priced copper tubing recently.

Last I checked, 1/2" PEX sells for about $0.28/foot and copper is going for $2.40/foot. If anywhere near accurate, that's a 757% premium for copper.

Break even for lineal feet would be somewhere around 141.5' by my calculations if you bought the crimper outright for $300. PEX fittings are quite a bit more money, but fewer are required.

Regardless, the NEC says that copper tubing no longer meets code more than 5' beyond the entry point (and if you use it as a ground, it doesn't last as long), so it doesn't make much sense to depend on being able to use it.

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