above ground pool heater

[suemarkp]

What kind of above ground pool is this? If 42" deep or deeper, you wire to the same rules as in ground pools. See definition in 680.2:

Permanently Installed Swimming, Wading, Immersion, and Therapeutic Pools. Those that are constructed in the ground or partially in the ground, and all others capable of holding water in a depth greater than 1.0 m (42 in.), and all pools installed inside of a building, regardless of water depth, whether or not served by electrical circuits of any nature.

Next, see 680.21 for your pump motor. Even if it is cord-and-plug connected, the branch circuit must be in conduit and must have an insulated grounding wire. There is an exception for circuits ran within a building, but once outside you need conduit and a green copper EGC sized #12 or larger.

There are no special requirements for the pool heater circuit. But the unit must be connected to the bonding grid.

 

[NYHigh]

What kind of above ground pool is this? If 42" deep or deeper, you wire to the same rules as in ground pools. See definition in 680.2:

Permanently Installed Swimming, Wading, Immersion, and Therapeutic Pools. Those that are constructed in the ground or partially in the ground, and all others capable of holding water in a depth greater than 1.0 m (42 in.), and all pools installed inside of a building, regardless of water depth, whether or not served by electrical circuits of any nature.

Next, see 680.21 for your pump motor. Even if it is cord-and-plug connected, the branch circuit must be in conduit and must have an insulated grounding wire. There is an exception for circuits ran within a building, but once outside you need conduit and a green copper EGC sized #12 or larger.

There are no special requirements for the pool heater circuit. But the unit must be connected to the bonding grid.

Ok i see where i went wrong here. It "is" an above ground pool with "less than 42" of water". So 680.21 would not apply here because it is under permanently installed pools. For this installation, according to the code UF would be fine for the pump motor and heater? I know i keep repeating myself but i'm also having trouble interpreting the code as well. And also from what i understand bonding is not required here for this installation either. Correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[NYHigh]

Does this mean that any above ground pool that has a water level higher than 42" is considered a permanently installed pool?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Does this mean that any above ground pool that has a water level higher than 42" is considered a permanently installed pool?

That is correct but does not make much sense to me. :grin:

 

[suemarkp]

Yes, I think you get to skate on all the pool rules if it isn't partially built into the ground, and can't hold more than 42" inches of water. I think that exception is for those blue inflatable type pools that are about 3' deep.

Just make sure you can't possibly hold more than 42" inches of water (stick your tape measure in and measure from bottom to top of pool frame. The Intended depth may be 40", but it may be possible to hold 43" before it overflows. In that case, it is 'capable of holding more than 42" of water'.

 

[NYHigh]

Thank you. The code is pretty interesting. There is alot of good, black and white info if you can keep your head together while reading it when you have a question needed answering. The problem is, you will be on to something and then all of a sudden it refers you to other articles halfway across the book in the middle of explaining something. I guess the reason for this is because it can't keep repeating itself since there is limited space and so much info in one article. Could be a mind blower sometimes though. Gotta be up on your toes as you can lose track easily haha. Thanks again, this is a great site.

 

[augie47]

680 is one of the most interesting :grin:

 

[benaround]

A friend of mine made a cheap heater with a coil of black plastic tubing clamped against a black-painted plywood backing, and covered with clear Plexiglass.

In other words, he made a 4" deep 6' x 6' box with a clear lid, painted flat black on the inside, and the tubing clamped to the bottom with 1/2" one-holes.

Instead of one long coil, he made four parallel loops using T's and L's, so the heat gain was spread out among the four loops and gave him less flow resistance.

I think he used 1" or 1-1/4" for the main feeds in and out and for the T's, and reduced down to 1/2" for the individual loops. I can ask him if you want.

Larry, If you put the supply (high) and the return (low) you don't even need a pump to

circulate the water !!!

 

[LarryFine]

Larry, If you put the supply (high) and the return (low) you don't even need a pump to circulate the water !!!

If you mean 'supply to pool' and 'return from pool,' that's right; convection would move the water. Up in the heater and down in the pool. But, since he has a pump anyway, he's using it to circulate the heated water, too.