earthing wires

You sound, by the terms you have used, as if you are from a British English speaking country. (Yanks talk about "grounding their faucets"). The thing is, why are you asking? Matters of electrical safety need to be handled by a qualified electrician, it's the law in the UK nowadays. Are you getting shocks off the taps? Usually your water pipe system will be earthed somewhere near the point the main pipe enters the house. This may be under the floor somewhere. If you have had plastic (non conducting) sections inserted you may need to get the metal pipes downstream of that earthed, but like I say, you really need a professional. If you are worried you can call your electricity supplier. The number will be on the bill or you can look it up on the web.

Is "earth" a real verb/word?

In BrE, the verb "to earth" is the equivalent of the US "to ground", electrically speaking.

Just yankin' your chain a little, Contrex.

I figured it so seeing as how it didn't raise any concerns with you. And it makes good sense to me; Earth [noun] to earth [verb].

Because I asked if "surveil" was a real word in another thread? And objected to the lighthearted use of "nuke" in a cooking context (on behalf of several hundred thousand Japanese civilians unable to do so themselves)...

Anyhow, to return to the (important, safety-related) original topic of this thread, micheled, the short answer is, you should not need to earth your taps, because they definitely ought to be earthed already, and if for any reason you suspect they are not, you MUST get a qualified competent electrician to check out your electrical installation IMMEDIATELY.

It was just a friendly yank, Contrex, nothing to get upset about.

I use nuke frequently when discussing using a microwave oven to heat/cook things. I've never made the connection you mentioned.

I find it hard to believe that people can't do their own wiring/electrical work. Aren't there inspectors in England that must approve all work; carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc?

Yes, and until recently the situation was as you supposed. Now, Part P of the Building Regulations limit what electrical work may be carried out by anyone other than a professional electrician who is a competent person registered with an electrical self-certification scheme.

When work is carried out by a professional electrician, they will deal with the necessary paperwork to comply with the Regulations. They will also provide the customer with a signed Building Regulations Self Certification document together with a completed Electrical Installation Certificate.

Electrical work falls into 2 categories, "notifiable" and "non-notifiable" depending on whether the work has to be notified to the local Building Control Officer.

For non-notifiable work, the Building Control Officer may not require any notification but homeowners should establish this for themselves. For notifiable work, the Building Control Officer must be notified before any work is carried out. All work must comply with the IEE Wiring Regulations.

A competent Do-It-Yourselfer may be allowed to carry out non-notifiable work without having to notify the Building Control Officer, but it is always best to check with them first.

Examples of such work are:

Replacing sockets, switches and ceiling roses

Replacing damaged cable in one circuit

Replacing socket outlet boxes

In addition, some other works may be deemed non-notifiable anywhere except in kitchens, bathrooms, utility rooms and other special locations. In these areas they will be considered notifiable

Examples of such work are:

Adding light fittings and switches to existing circuits

Adding sockets or fused spurs to existing ring or radial circuits.

Anything else is notifiable and must be done by a suitably qualified electrician.