Do I need a break in conductivity for submersible pump plumbing

Supmergible pumps are grounded and connected to a GFCI breaker. They are about 4-5 under the floor

The connection that was recommended to me by the guy who sold the pumps included an antibration sleeve like this



My current project is to clean up this improvised repair by the previous owners and move the pumps and close up the holes permanently.

The antivibration sleeve would go under the access cover (if I can ever lift it) closer to the pumps.

I realized that in addition to preventing vibration it also breaks the electrical conductivity of the pipe and while in its new location it should never get wet, in the event of a pump failure it could. If such a break in conductivity is just a side effect and not necessary then I won't worry about it, but I just wanted to be sure.

 

I don't think that it helps or hurts to break the conductive path on this pump. I can't think of a building or electrical code that requires or forbids it. As long as you have the GFCI breaker, the safety is good.

 

Thanks for the reply. I'm just wondering if not having a break in conductivity wouldn't make this the principal electrical ground of the house. I'm not sure how long those copper rods usually are but like I said this is a good 4 to 5 feet into standing water underneath the house.

The existing grounding rod I can see connected to the downstairs panel seems to be a much later addition to the house. I'm wondering maybe the improvised repair and swap from pipe to pool vacuum hose might not have caused the GFCI breakers to fail, necessitating the installation of the grounding rod? Or if this was just a code adequation? And even if that were the case, since everything works now, is this even something I should worry about?

 

If you have a multimeter with an amp clamp you can test if there is current flowing to ground through this pipe by jumping a wire across the rubber section and measuring the amperage in that wire when appliances in the house are on. Plumbers have an old trick of using jumper cables across the pipe when they cut open a water service line just in case there is electrical grounding problem in the house they don't take the shock through their body.

Additional thoughts are that the worst that would happen is the steel pipe might slowly corrode away over years if there is an electrical current. The pump is too deep in the water to be affected. If you get a lightning strike, a small piece of rubber will make no difference anyway. I don't think it's a big concern. Grounding should not have any effect on the proper operation of the GFCI breaker.