Exposed Copper Ground Wire?

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Surajone

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Bakersfield, CA
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Healthcare
Hi All,
Thank you for any help/advice beforehand, much appreciated as I am very much a novice with this. I had a brand new in ground pool installed, and there have been constant issues with dirt sinking around the areas that were trenched due to either plumbing leaking or improper compacting of the dirt post-trenching. Since I have artificial turf installed which is now dropping due to the sinking dirt underneath, the contractors Retrenched to see what was going on to find an exposed copper wire ran (picture at link below). They immediately stopped working and informed me that this is egregiously wrong and it should be in a conduit. Please advise, I am tired of this company giving me the run around and will likely say this is "common practice."

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10kuThKsJpohJBwRsi76ME5GS4vzEC0Cm
 
That wire is probably the bonding conductor for the pool and the equipotential bonding. It is supposed to be bare. It is hard to tell because of the depth but if it is the equipotential bonding then it should be 4-6 inches below subgrade and 18-24" from the inside wall of the pool
 
(allowed since it is only questioning, not DIY)
A bare Copper conductor 18-24" from the inside wall of the pool and buried 4 - 6" below subgrade is a standard method to estab;ishing the required perimeter bond,.\

(opps ..typing as Dennis posted)
 
augie47 said:
(allowed since it is only questioning, not DIY)
A bare Copper conductor 18-24" from the inside wall of the pool and buried 4 - 6" below subgrade is a standard method to estab;ishing the required perimeter bond,.\

(opps ..typing as Dennis posted)
Click to expand...


It appears it is far deeper than 4-6" but I may be wrong.
 
agree and I tried to avoid "blessing" the install but attenpted to inform the OP what should be present.
 
spark master said:
Any trench will settle a good year. Maybe longer. It takes 7 years for soil to return to "virgin".
Click to expand...
??

a properly compacted ditch will not settle.
soil when disturbed can’t be “untouched” magically after 7 years...
 
Perhaps a pic from further back to see it's proximity to the pool wall would be helpful. Contractors doing the trenching just don't know. Was wise of them to stop.
As previous posts mentioned. 18"-24" from the pool wall at a 4"-6" depth below sub-grade, which is seems to be open to interpretation by an inspector. I would imagine, I hope, your bonding inspection was performed and passed. Should be a record indicating so.

Sorry for digressing but, plumbing leaks? I don't understand. I pressure test ALL piing prior to backfilling.And, we set sand below and on top piping as well. If the soil from the site is unsuitable, i.e. rocks general crappy soil, we bring in material that compacts well and won't damage piping. As I've said in other posts in relation to my biz, welcome to my world of competition.
 
That is most likely the pool bonding wire going back to the equipment from the pool shell and perimeter bonding. It must be a bare conductor. Common practice is to run it in the same trench as other plumbing or electrical for the pool equipment. The trench is already dug and the wire needs to go back to the pool pump, heater, etc. The trench for the pool plumbing is usually 18" from top of pipes per code so the wire being deeper than 4-6" back to the equipment is normal. It is very important to make sure they did not break or damage that wire when they were digging up the trench.
 
spark master said:
Ask a landscape professional or foundation cement man. 7 years, soil is magically virgin....
Click to expand...

I believe you are talking about the 'compactness' or settling of the soil.
Once the layers of soil have been disrupted and intermixed, they can never be returned to their original state (well not in a normal lifetime). When ground resistance testing is performed disturbed soil can impact the reading as well as the performance of a ground rod.
 
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