Electrical Service Drop and 680.8

[LennisLandry]

I have a home built in 1978 that has a pool. I bought about this hoe about 10 years ago as is (investment property)(2004). I am trying to sell it now, and am being told that the electric wires running to the house have to be 22.5 feet from the surface of the water. It's about 11 feet from the waters surface now at it's closest point.

Could anyone tell me how long has this code been in place, and how could they have built a pool with the lines so close in the first place? I'll need to have the lines moved in order to sell the home, can anyone tell me how i go about getting the lines moved and what that might cost?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Since this is not a how to I will allow it. I don't go back that far with code info but it was there in 2005 NEC-- someone here will chime in

 

[Dennis Alwon]

To move the lines you will need to contact an electrician and the power company and see what they will require.

 

[LennisLandry]

I have a home built in 1978 that has a pool. I bought this home about 10 years ago as an investment property (2004). I am trying to sell it now, and am being told that the electric service lines running to the house have to be 22.5 feet from the surface of the water. It's about 11 feet from the waters surface now at it's closest point.

Can anyone tell me how long this code has been in place? Any idea how they could build a pool with the lines so close in the first place? I'll need to have the lines moved in order to sell the home, can anyone tell me how I go about doing that and what it might cost?

Sorry for the mistakes in the original post, I posted this before I was ready to do so.... I cannot figure out how to edit the post, so I have corrected it above.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Sorry for the mistakes in the original post, I posted this before I was ready to do so.... I cannot figure out how to edit the post, so I have corrected it above.

I answered most of your questions. Some areas did not have good inspections and for that matter some areas did not have any inspections back then. One of the counties near me didn't start inspections until the 1980's.

480 sparky has all the code books so hopefully he can help with the year that part came into play

 

[Ponchik]

Have you contacted the city to search for the permits for the pool? You can see when the permit was finaled then according to that year you can ask the city if service drop cables were supposed to be 22' above the water line.

 

[kwired]

can anyone tell me how i go about getting the lines moved and what that might cost?

Two basic options,

raise the attachment point(s) how easy this is will depend on other conditions

run it underground - obviously it will have to take a different path or it will be in or under the pool, which also would have some restrictions in the code.

 

[growler]

One of the counties near me didn't start inspections until the 1980's.

That's building inspections. I know of pool installers from rural areas that have never gotten an inspection. A good number of pools installed today don't get inspected (even here ).

 

[kwired]

That's building inspections. I know of pool installers from rural areas that have never gotten an inspection. A good number of pools installed today don't get inspected (even here ).

I've seen a few livestock water tanks get used as pools - and no inpsections

 

[curt swartz]

In most areas the service drop is owned by the electrical utility so the NEC does not apply. You would need to check with your local utility as to the clearance requirements.

In California GO95 regulates the clearances over swimming pools which are less restrictive than the NEC. GO95 specifically states that local jurisdictions are not allowed to apply the NEC to utility owned equipment but sometimes its hard to convince inspector of this.

 

[kwired]

In most areas the service drop is owned by the electrical utility so the NEC does not apply. You would need to check with your local utility as to the clearance requirements.

In California GO95 regulates the clearances over swimming pools which are less restrictive than the NEC. GO95 specifically states that local jurisdictions are not allowed to apply the NEC to utility owned equipment but sometimes its hard to convince inspector of this.

True it may not be covered by NEC. I don't know what NESC rules would be, but think they are somewhat in line with what NEC says from past conversations over this situation.

I don't think most POCO would really want a service drop over a pool anyway, that is kind of asking for a liability claim someday.

 

[growler]

I am being told that the electric wires running to the house have to be 22.5 feet from the surface of the water. It's about 11 feet from the waters surface now at it's closest point.

In most areas the service drop is owned by the electrical utility so the NEC does not apply. You would need to check with your local utility as to the clearance requirements.

It's not really the service drop that's in violation of the NEC it's the swimming pool. For a new pool they wouldn't need to raise the service drop they could just change the location of the pool.

Now that the pool is built one of two things needs to happen. Service drop needs raised or moved or the pool needs to be removed or moved.

My guess is that this is a home inspection requirement and the code doesn't even matter. This was probably written up as a safety concern by the HI.

 

[kwired]

It's not really the service drop that's in violation of the NEC it's the swimming pool. For a new pool they wouldn't need to raise the service drop they could just change the location of the pool.

Now that the pool is built one of two things needs to happen. Service drop needs raised or moved or the pool needs to be removed or moved.

My guess is that this is a home inspection requirement and the code doesn't even matter. This was probably written up as a safety concern by the HI.

Third option - remove about 11-12 feet of dirt from under the pool, effectively lowering the pool to get the required clearance to the service drop

And this safety concern mentioned by the HI is one that is a little hard to dismiss once it has been mentioned, and when it comes to non electrical professionals, is a little scary once any potential problem with it has been brought up, making it a big issue, yet a missing GFCI somewhere may get dismissed easily though it maybe is a bigger threat to someone's life or health.

 

[electricguy61]

In most areas the service drop is owned by the electrical utility so the NEC does not apply. You would need to check with your local utility as to the clearance requirements.

In California GO95 regulates the clearances over swimming pools which are less restrictive than the NEC. GO95 specifically states that local jurisdictions are not allowed to apply the NEC to utility owned equipment but sometimes its hard to convince inspector of this.

I've had this discussion with the City of San Jose, specifically two electrical inspection supervisors. And they will not pass an installation where the mast/connection point wouldn't ensure the 22' rule.

I lost a customer on an upgrade because to meet the requirements, I needed @ 12' of mast above the roof line.

 

[kwired]

I've had this discussion with the City of San Jose, specifically two electrical inspection supervisors. And they will not pass an installation where the mast/connection point wouldn't ensure the 22' rule.

I lost a customer on an upgrade because to meet the requirements, I needed @ 12' of mast above the roof line.

Did they not do the upgrade or did someone else do it at a lower mast height?


I find it kind of interesting that there are so many people that can afford a swimming pool but same people can not afford to install the electric service underground

 

[electricguy61]

Did they not do the upgrade or did someone else do it at a lower mast height?


I find it kind of interesting that there are so many people that can afford a swimming pool but same people can not afford to install the electric service underground

Don't know if they ever got it done. The customer had the pool for many years, and claimed he had a permit when it was installed. He and his wife were disabled, on a fixed income, but wanted to add central AC to a 100 amp Zinsco panel.

The 12' mast added @ $500 to the cost, and the customer insisted he could find a way to do it without the taller mast. I never heard from him again. I had already spent @ 3 hours quoting the job, then going down to the building dept to discuss the issues with the senior/supervising inspectors. I didn't feel like arguing the point anymore, and so didn't pursue it.

You win some, you lose some.

 

[kwired]

Don't know if they ever got it done. The customer had the pool for many years, and claimed he had a permit when it was installed. He and his wife were disabled, on a fixed income, but wanted to add central AC to a 100 amp Zinsco panel.

The 12' mast added @ $500 to the cost, and the customer insisted he could find a way to do it without the taller mast. I never heard from him again. I had already spent @ 3 hours quoting the job, then going down to the building dept to discuss the issues with the senior/supervising inspectors. I didn't feel like arguing the point anymore, and so didn't pursue it.

You win some, you lose some.

Nice thing about this is you did mention this to the building dept, so that means they have some chance of watching for someone to try to sneak some un-permitted in there and getting away with not raising it high enough.