“A home is not safely grounded because a wire disappears onto a pipe. It is safely grounded when the entire electrical system is properly bonded, properly connected, and properly verified under the Code.” – MJ Martin
Background
To write this paper, I used the current CSA C22.1:24 Canadian Electrical Code framework, Section 10 guidance, and provincial adoption sources. CSA identifies CSA C22.1:24 as the 26th edition of the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, and Section 10 covers grounding, bonding and equipotential bonding. (CSA Group) (Electrical Industry Newsweek) Alberta’s current bulletin also refers to metal water pipe electrode connections under Rule 10-118. (Open Alberta)
For provincial status, BC confirms 2024 adoption with no deviations this cycle, Ontario confirms its 2024 OESC with Ontario amendments, Manitoba confirms the 2024 Manitoba Electrical Code, Québec confirms Chapter V uses the Canadian Electrical Code with Québec amendments, and EFC maintains a province-by-province adoption table with the caution to confirm with the local AHJ. (technicalsafetybc.ca)
Why Grounding Still Matters
Proper grounding in a Canadian residence is not a small technical detail. It is part of the electrical safety system that helps stabilize voltage, reduce shock risk, and provide a safe reference to earth. Under the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, CSA C22.1, Section 10, grounding must be understood together with bonding. Grounding connects the electrical system to earth. Bonding connects metal parts together so they remain at the same electrical potential and can safely carry fault current back to the source.
For a homeowner, the important point is simple. The grounding electrode is not the only safety feature. The bonding path, the service equipment, the neutral connection, the grounding conductor, the panel, and the over-current protection all work together.
Do We Still Ground to Water Pipes?
Historically, many Canadian homes used a buried metallic municipal water service as the grounding electrode. This made sense when the incoming water line was continuous metal pipe buried in the earth. In that condition, the water pipe provided a large conductive contact area with the soil.
That practice is no longer the universal answer. Modern water services are often plastic, repaired with plastic sections, interrupted by dielectric fittings, or replaced during municipal work. A pipe that looks metallic inside the house may not provide a reliable continuous path to earth. For this reason, a water pipe should not be assumed to be a valid grounding electrode unless it meets the current Code and the local authority having jurisdiction accepts the installation.
Is Water Pipe Grounding Grandfathered?
In practical terms, many older homes still have existing grounding connections to metallic water services. If the installation was legal when installed, and if it has not been altered, it may often remain in service. That is not the same as saying it is automatically safe forever.
The moment a service is upgraded, a panel is replaced, a water service is changed, or a renovation affects the grounding or bonding system, the installation may need to be brought into compliance with the current adopted electrical code. If a metal water service is replaced with plastic, the original grounding path may be lost. At that point, a new approved grounding electrode system is normally required.
The Proper Method Today
For a modern Canadian residence, the normal approach is to use an approved grounding electrode system permitted by the Canadian Electrical Code. This may include manufactured grounding electrodes such as ground rods or plates, field-assembled electrodes such as a grounding conductor in a footing or buried in earth, or approved in-situ electrodes forming part of the building infrastructure.
A qualified electrician will install a grounding conductor from the service equipment to the approved electrode system using proper conductor size, approved clamps, corrosion-compatible materials, and accessible connections where required. The connection must be mechanically secure and electrically reliable. The neutral-to-ground bond must be made only at the correct service point, not randomly throughout the home.
Bonding the Water Pipe Is Still Important
Even where the water pipe is not used as the grounding electrode, metallic water piping inside the home may still need to be bonded. This is a different issue. Bonding does not make the pipe the grounding electrode. Bonding keeps metal piping at the same electrical potential as the electrical system’s bonded metal parts. This reduces shock risk if a fault energizes the piping.
The same principle can apply to other metallic systems, including gas piping and structural metal, subject to the Code and local rules.
Provincial Differences
The technical foundation is national, but electrical law is provincial and territorial. Alberta has adopted the 2024 Canadian Electrical Code effective April 1, 2025. British Columbia adopted the 2024 Canadian Electrical Code as the BC Electrical Code effective March 4, 2025. Ontario uses the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, which includes the Canadian Electrical Code with Ontario-specific amendments, effective May 1, 2025. Manitoba has moved to the 2024 Manitoba Electrical Code effective April 1, 2026.
Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan are also listed as adopting the 2024 Code. Québec is different because Chapter V, Electricity, of the Québec Construction Code uses the Canadian Electrical Code with Québec amendments. New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia should be checked directly with their current authority having jurisdiction, as adoption schedules and amendments can change.
The final rule is straightforward. Do not assume the water pipe is enough. Do not assume an old installation is still correct. For a new service, panel change, or renovation, the proper grounding method is an approved grounding electrode system, installed and inspected under the Code edition adopted in that province.
About the Author:
Michael Martin is the Vice President of Technology with Metercor Inc., a Smart Meter, IoT, and Smart City systems integrator based in Canada. He has more than 40 years of experience in systems design for applications that use broadband networks, optical fibre, wireless, and digital communications technologies. He is a business and technology consultant. He was a senior executive consultant for 15 years with IBM, where he worked in the GBS Global Center of Competency for Energy and Utilities and the GTS Global Center of Excellence for Energy and Utilities. He is a founding partner and President of MICAN Communications and before that was President of Comlink Systems Limited and Ensat Broadcast Services, Inc., both divisions of Cygnal Technologies Corporation (CYN: TSX).
Martin served on the Board of Directors for TeraGo Inc (TGO: TSX) and on the Board of Directors for Avante Logixx Inc. (XX: TSX.V). He has served as a Member, SCC ISO-IEC JTC 1/SC-41 – Internet of Things and related technologies, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and as a member of the NIST SP 500-325 Fog Computing Conceptual Model, National Institute of Standards and Technology. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) [now Ontario Tech University] and on the Board of Advisers of five different Colleges in Ontario – Centennial College, Humber College, George Brown College, Durham College, Ryerson Polytechnic University [now Toronto Metropolitan University]. For 16 years he served on the Board of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Toronto Section.
He holds three master’s degrees – in business (MBA), communication (MA), and education (MEd). As well, he has three undergraduate diplomas and seven major certifications in business, computer programming, internetworking, project management, media, photography, and communication technology. He has completed over 80 next generation MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) [aka Micro Learning] continuous education programs in a wide variety of topics, including: Economics, Python Programming, Internet of Things, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive systems, Blockchain, Agile, Power BI, Big Data, Design Thinking, Security, Indigenous Canada awareness, and more.
Martin in a volunteer, a photographer, a learner, a technologist, a philosophizer, and a romantic optimist.