Pool Light Bonding

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ampool

Member
When we install pool lights, we usually bond the niches by running #8 bonding wire through the conduit per 680.23(B). Today we failed a bonding inspection and were told that we needed to bond to the outside of the light niche as well. I can't find anything in the code that required bonding the niche, with the exception of 680.26(B)(4) reqiring bonding the forming shell for a niche-less luminaire. We are using wet-niche luminaires so that wouldn't apply to us. Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance.
 

shortcircuit2

Senior Member
Location
South of Bawstin
The bonding conductor in the PVC pipe to the approved light box assures continuity between the two. The forming shell bond is in addition and ensures continuity between the forming shell and the other bonded parts of the pool.

Consider that the pool light box will also most times be fed with PVC. The #8 in the PVC bonds this box and all equipment grounding conductors. This will ensure equipotential of pool equipment.
 

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
When we install pool lights, we usually bond the niches by running #8 bonding wire through the conduit per 680.23(B). Today we failed a bonding inspection and were told that we needed to bond to the outside of the light niche as well. I can't find anything in the code that required bonding the niche, with the exception of 680.26(B)(4) reqiring bonding the forming shell for a niche-less luminaire. We are using wet-niche luminaires so that wouldn't apply to us. Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance.

The inside of the niche gets an EGC (equipment grounding conductor). You can call it a equipment grounding jumper if you want. It is part of the required equipment grounding. It also has to be an insulated conductor and potting compound applied to the connection.

The outside of the niche is what gets bonded. It bonds to the rest of the equipotential bonding grid.

Both of these (grounding electrical equipment & bonding for the equipotential bonding grid) are required but each do separate jobs.
 

shortcircuit2

Senior Member
Location
South of Bawstin
The inside of the niche gets an EGC (equipment grounding conductor). You can call it a equipment grounding jumper if you want. It is part of the required equipment grounding. It also has to be an insulated conductor and potting compound applied to the connection.

The outside of the niche is what gets bonded. It bonds to the rest of the equipotential bonding grid.

Both of these (grounding electrical equipment & bonding for the equipotential bonding grid) are required but each do separate jobs.


Actually the #8 inside nonmetallic conduit as required by 680.23(B)(2)(b) to the forming shell is a "Bonding Jumper" not a EGC. I agree they do separate jobs.


Here is a question for the readers...is this insulated #8 conductor required by 680.23(B)(2)(b) to marked green?
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
When we install pool lights, we usually bond the niches by running #8 bonding wire through the conduit per 680.23(B). Today we failed a bonding inspection and were told that we needed to bond to the outside of the light niche as well. I can't find anything in the code that required bonding the niche, with the exception of 680.26(B)(4) reqiring bonding the forming shell for a niche-less luminaire. We are using wet-niche luminaires so that wouldn't apply to us. Am I missing something?

Thanks in advance.
680.26(B)(4) is the correct reference.. that actually covers two items: (a) forming shells and (b) mounting brackets. Your wet niche fixtures is mounted in a forming shell:


Actually the #8 inside nonmetallic conduit as required by 680.23(B)(2)(b) to the forming shell is a "Bonding Jumper" not a EGC. I agree they do separate jobs.


Here is a question for the readers...is this insulated #8 conductor required by 680.23(B)(2)(b) to marked green?

Almost always are green :) but I see no Code requirement for bonding jumpers to be any particular color.
 

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
Actually the #8 inside nonmetallic conduit as required by 680.23(B)(2)(b) to the forming shell is a "Bonding Jumper" not a EGC. I agree they do separate jobs.


Here is a question for the readers...is this insulated #8 conductor required by 680.23(B)(2)(b) to marked green?

My point was that the bonding on the inside was different than on the outside.
I did say it can be called a jumper. Regardless what you call it, it runs back to an equipment grounding bar (where the rest of the egcs land) in the junction box or enclosure.
 

ampool

Member
Thanks everyone for the information and NEC reference. This was the first time a bonding inspector had asked for bonding on the outside of a niche so I was thrown off a little.
 

ampool

Member
680.26(B)(4) is the correct reference.. that actually covers two items: (a) forming shells and (b) mounting brackets. Your wet niche fixtures is mounted in a forming shell:




Almost always are green :) but I see no Code requirement for bonding jumpers to be any particular color.


Actually, it was 680.26(B)(4) that threw me off. I thought that it only applied to niche-less light fixtures, but what it's saying is that all forming shells are required to be bonded and all mounting brackets are required to be bonded. Is that correct?

(4) Underwater Lighting. All metal forming shells and mounting brackets of no-niche luminaires shall be bonded.
 

david

Senior Member
Location
Pennsylvania
Almost always are green :) but I see no Code requirement for bonding jumpers to be any particular color.

Actually article 680 requires a min of # 12 awg equipment grounding. The conductor in PVC conduit between the pool deck box equipment grounding positive pressure terminals and the lighting nitch is required to be insulated #8 and green
 

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
Actually article 680 requires a min of # 12 awg equipment grounding. The conductor in PVC conduit between the pool deck box equipment grounding positive pressure terminals and the lighting nitch is required to be insulated #8 and green

The #8 I agree with, the insulated I agree with, but where does it say it must be green?
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
My point was that the bonding on the inside was different than on the outside.
I did say it can be called a jumper. Regardless what you call it, it runs back to an equipment grounding bar (where the rest of the egcs land) in the junction box or enclosure.
The bonding jumpers must be no smaller then 8 AWG.

An EGC is only required to be minimum size required by 250.122.

An EGC must be green, green with yellow stripes, or bare (except bare isn't allowed here but is in most general applications).

A bonding jumper doesn't have any color identification requirements.

Bonding jumpers don't have to run back to the EGC bar. They are for bonding all the metal equipment around the pool, they will be bonded to the EGC at some point though unless you have no equipment that needs both EGC and bonding jumper - but that often means you don't even have any pumps.
 

david

Senior Member
Location
Pennsylvania
The bonding jumpers must be no smaller then 8 AWG.

An EGC is only required to be minimum size required by 250.122.

An EGC must be green, green with yellow stripes, or bare (except bare isn't allowed here but is in most general applications).

A bonding jumper doesn't have any color identification requirements.

Bonding jumpers don't have to run back to the EGC bar. They are for bonding all the metal equipment around the pool, they will be bonded to the EGC at some point though unless you have no equipment that needs both EGC and bonding jumper - but that often means you don't even have any pumps.

That’s true for the equal potential bonding,.

Isn’t he talking about the (bonding) jumper in the conduit between the grounding terminals in the pool deck box and the nitch.

Article 680. throughout requires a min of a #12 equipment ground for all electric equipment including under water light niches except for low voltage not requiring equipment ground.

The insulated # 8 AWG in conduit is called a bonding jumper, but the section clearly says it for lighting fixtures requiring grounding.

Equipment grounding in article 680 min of # 12 and not smaller than 250.122

(B) Wet-Niche Luminaires.

. All forming shells used with nonmetallic conduit systems, other than those that are part of a listed low-voltage lighting system
• not requiring grounding,
shall include provisions for terminating an 8 AWG copper conductor.
(b) Nonmetallic Conduit. Where a nonmetallic conduit is used, an 8 AWG insulated solid or stranded copper bonding jumper shall be installed in this conduit
• unless a listed low-voltage lighting system not requiring grounding is used.
 
Last edited:

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
The bonding jumpers must be no smaller then 8 AWG.

An EGC is only required to be minimum size required by 250.122.

An EGC must be green, green with yellow stripes, or bare (except bare isn't allowed here but is in most general applications).

A bonding jumper doesn't have any color identification requirements.

Bonding jumpers don't have to run back to the EGC bar. They are for bonding all the metal equipment around the pool, they will be bonded to the EGC at some point though unless you have no equipment that needs both EGC and bonding jumper - but that often means you don't even have any pumps.

As David mentioned, I'm not talking about the equipotential bond. I'm talking about the jumper from a wet niche to the junction box. Also, it does have to land on the EGC bar in the junction box.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I don't do pools and may be wrong, but I thought the EP bond had to go to all metal components within certain distance of pool or in contact with pool water whether they are electrical related items or not.
 

Little Bill

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee NEC:2017
Occupation
Semi-Retired Electrician
I don't do pools and may be wrong, but I thought the EP bond had to go to all metal components within certain distance of pool or in contact with pool water whether they are electrical related items or not.

True for the EP bond but, again, that's not what we are talking about. David posted the article that addressed this.
Basically if you run PVC conduit to a wet niche light (not low voltage or LED) you have to run an extra wire that is a jumper to the EGC. It is sort of a redundant ground. It has to be an insulated #8 and it goes from the inside of the niche back to the junction box for the lights and lands on the EGC bar.

This is one that I did showing the #8 landing inside the niche



A potting compound then has to cover the termination



This is the EP bond on the outside of niche to the rebar



 
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