disconnecting pool lights

[spark master]

If you were to disconnect pool lights. cap the hot & neutral in the deck box.... would you leave the ground connected ?? The ground obviously runs back to the pool panel..
No idea if the niche is bonded, rusted through, or even if bonding was ever done properly...

The lights have a metal ring under water... which should be grounded... if leaving the ground wire.
If not leaving the ground wire connected.. then the metal ring becomes a separate piece of metal, like an unbonded pool ladder. So I'm thinking it's best to leave the ground wire, even though it runs back to the panel, and the bonding is unknown??

What do you think ??

 

[mikeames]

I think the bonding is more important than an EGC. The pool is grounded. If the light ring were left isolated it would not pose a danger. With no power its essentially part of the pool. A ladder is different because it provides a conductive path out of the water to a different potential gradient thus why it needs to be bonded. I don't have an official answer to your question but that's my thought process. The Niche should already be bonded.