Gas engineers have always been required to use earth bonding clamps when installing new gas piping to a property. Earth bonding is crucial in ensuring your electrical appliances are safe. Without adequate earth bonding on metal pipes, there could be an unsafe build-up of electricity that could cause metallic objects such as radiators to become live, or electrical appliances to give nasty electric shocks. Gas engineers have traditionally used earth bonding clamps as a way of preventing this from happening when installing CSST, by creating an earthing point close to the meter box.

In fact, BS 951 specifies the importance, plus mechanical requirements, for metal clamps that are used to provide mechanically and electrically sound earthing and bonding connections to metal tubes.

BS 951 states that earth bonding clamps are primarily intended for use in electrical installations for:

• Connecting earthing conductors having a cross-sectional in the range of 2.5mm2 to 70mm2 to earth electrode rods or other means of earthing
• Connecting bonding conductors to metal tubes (including conduits and pipes) or rods of not less than 6mm diameter for round tubes
• Electrically bonding other conductive parts where at least one is a tube of circular cross-section
• The earth bonding clamps manufactured to BS 951 are intended to be used singly when encircling a tube at a given position along the tube. Regulation 134.1.4 of BS 7671 requires that all joints and connections are of proper construction as regards conductance as well as mechanical strength

So for gas engineers installing Flexigas CSST, this means all Flexigas gas tubing (being made of 3.16 stainless steel) is required to ensure earth bonding by having an earth bonding clamp installed at or near the meter box, which can take a lot of time. If using CSST then you either have to attach an earth bonding clamp around the fitting, or alternatively, join the CSST to copper piping so the earthing connection can be made. But what if there were a genuine, quicker alternative to earth bonding clamps that were available to CSST installers?

Enter the FG Bond from Flexigas! The FG Bond is a pre-drilled integrated earthing terminal that eliminates the need for traditional earth bonding clamps, saving gas and heating engineers a huge amount of time when installing CSST. This groundbreaking, patent-pending product is compatible with ALL Flexigas CSST fittings, which means you can run Flexigas CSST all the way to the meter, without adding any time-consuming earth bonding clamps, or without having to join CSST to copper piping to ensure the safe earthing point.

The FG Bond simply screws into the pre-drilled holes which are on EVERY Flexigas fitting, allowing you to simply tighten the earth wires into place, giving you a completely safe earthing point in SECONDS.

So not only is this amazing new product going to save you huge amounts of time when installing Flexigas CSST, compared to the traditional method, but it is also more cost-effective compared to earth bonding clamps across a range of sizes. The Flexigas FG Bond complies with BS EN 7176 and is included in our Kitemark from BSI, certified as meeting the relevant tests from BS 951:2009.

Has the FG Bond made traditional earth bonding clamps obsolete?

I think we have answered this question! Why waste time on the old method of installing earth-bonding clamps in awkward places to get your earthing point? Make use of the FG Bond by simply switching to Flexigas CSST and make use of our huge range of fittings for every situation, all of which come with the pre-drilled hole ready to be used with the FG Bond! Screw the FG Bond into the pre-drilled hole on your chosen fitting. Tighten the earth wire into place and you are good to go!

The FG Bond, as well as all Flexigas products, are available to buy now at any of our approved stockists. You can find your nearest stockist here. Alternatively, you can call us directly on 01625 707172.

Switch to the FG Bond today, you won’t look back!