> something equivalent such as bonding to a metal pipe that extends underground.
I discovered recently that this is advised against, at least in my country, nowadays since metal water pipes are being replaced with plastic ones. But sometimes not up into the house. So it might look you have a metal water pipe running in the ground. But it cuts off to plastic just outside your house. And it might not be buried deep enough to act as a proper ground. So always test with proper equipment what your earth ground resistance is and don’t assume anything.
I discovered recently that this is advised against, at least in my country, nowadays since metal water pipes are being replaced with plastic ones. But sometimes not up into the house. So it might look you have a metal water pipe running in the ground. But it cuts off to plastic just outside your house. And it might not be buried deep enough to act as a proper ground. So always test with proper equipment what your earth ground resistance is and don’t assume anything.