Lake Pump Wiring Job

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eastcreek

Member
List,

I recently discovered a 480 v, 3 hp, water pump, in a dog house, at one end of a 6 acre lake to be wired using, what appeared to be, 3 conductor w/ground SO cord (..not certain on this...to much alge growing on it) ran about 500 feet laying it directly on the floor of an approxiamtly 6 foot deep lake. The pump feeds water to an "upper lake" fountain and keeps water flowing over a water fall. I traced the source to a magnetic starter with properly selected heaters which is inside a buildings secondary electrcial room.

I've checked the 02 code and can't find anything that pertains to lake pump or lake fountain installations.

1)Does the 05 code address this installation?
2)Any one else have bad feelings about this installation? :shock:
 

dlhoule

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
IMO According to 680.56 you need ground fault protection on circuit and if it is SO cord it is not code compliant. Table 400.4 shows it needs to be extra hard usage and listed with a "W" suffix.
 

eastcreek

Member
dlhoule,

Thanks for your input.
This pump was not cord and plug connected, so I'm not certain ground fault protection could apply even in the source panel. I forgot to mention this was a 3 phase circuit. I've never seen a 3 phase GFCI. Do they exist? There is a 3 pole 480 volt disconnect at the pump "dog house" about 500' from the magnetic starter. The fountain is about 300' from the pump and at a higher elevation. I'm not sure how this part of the circuit was ran.

Now that I've taken a second look at Article 680-51, I've noticed that part E states that the wiring to the fountain shouldn't have a cord longer than 10 feet. It appears to me the the 2002 code didn't address the type of installation I saw. Did the 05?
 

colosparker

Senior Member
Eastlake,

Are you suggesting that the 480V, 3hp pump is submersed in the middle of the lake? Or is it in the dog house at one end of the lake? If it is in a dog house, I would see no reason for ground fault protection on the 480V pump. Are you certain the voltage on the SO cord (or whatever type cord is in the water that has algea on it) is 480V? If so, I would say you have a problem with 680.51 (NEC 2005) and the code referenced by dlhoule. Could the 500ft cord be to a submersed aeration pump in the middle of the lake. Is it possible this cord has a lower voltage than you are assuming? This cord fed submersed pump would need GFCI protection. Most aeration pumps come factory equiped with the proper cord from my experience.

The 2005 NEC has a new Article 682, Natural and Artificially Made Bodies of Water.
 

eastcreek

Member
colosparker said:
Eastlake,

Are you suggesting that the 480V, 3hp pump is submersed in the middle of the lake? Or is it in the dog house at one end of the lake? If it is in a dog house, I would see no reason for ground fault protection on the 480V pump. Are you certain the voltage on the SO cord (or whatever type cord is in the water that has algea on it) is 480V? If so, I would say you have a problem with 680.51 (NEC 2005) and the code referenced by dlhoule. Could the 500ft cord be to a submersed aeration pump in the middle of the lake. Is it possible this cord has a lower voltage than you are assuming? This cord fed submersed pump would need GFCI protection. Most aeration pumps come factory equiped with the proper cord from my experience.

The 2005 NEC has a new Article 682, Natural and Artificially Made Bodies of Water.

1)Correct...the pump is in the doghouse.
2)Yep...It's 3 phase 480.
3)Could you state what violation is written in the 2005? (Yea..I know...I need to break down and buy the book.)
4)No...the other end of the cord goes up a coulomb into a walk-way built accoss part of the lake, and then proceeds into the electrical room. There is a second smaller pump in the doghouse that is an airation device. It's powered from a 110 volt receptical via a step down transformer also in the dog house.

btw...it's eastcreek...not eastlake. I think you may have confused me with my nightmare! :lol:
 

colosparker

Senior Member
Eastcreek,

So the 500 foot cord is to a submersible fountain pump? NEC 2005 Article 680.51(B) states: "Operating Voltage..... Submersible pumps and other submersible equipment shall operate at 300 volts or less between conductor".

680.51(A) states: "Submersible pumps....shall be protected by a ground fault circuit-interrupter."


680.51(E) says the the "maximum length of the exposed cord in the fountain shall be limited to 3.0 m (10 feet)".

You don't state when this installation was done. Article 682 probably would not apply if the installation is older than January 2005. Depending on the date of the installation it could be satisfactory even if it doesn't meet todays standards. IMO. That's not to say it shouldn't be brought up to todays standards, especially if it is a public lake/fountain.

David
 

eastcreek

Member
Colosparker,

Negative. The pump and motor both are in the dog house. The 500' submersed cord is the branch circuit conductors from the magnetic starter in a electrical room.
So....That negates 680.51A and 680.51B (Pump is not submersed)

It does appear that 680.51E applies. The allowable cord length is exceeded. (I've answered my own question....I'm still wondering what other violations might exsist in the 05 code.)

I'm amazed that the NEC would have even allowed such an installation despite the facility being built in 1976. (I'm not aware when the nightmare fountains were installed. (Yes there are 2...I haven't checked the other one yet.)

I agree that todays standards should be carried out. I think I'll suggest trenching around the lake to the dog house.

Thanks
 

dlhoule

Senior Member
Location
Michigan
NEC 2005 Article 680.51(B) states: "Operating Voltage..... Submersible pumps and other submersible equipment shall operate at 300 volts or less between conductor".

Read the definition of equipment. That cord is equipment and violates NEC 680.51(B)Z
 
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