Jacuzzi proper grounding

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

RBGS

Member
Location
Boston, MA
Hello,

I just bought a nice Jacuzzi that I want to install in my back yard.

Question:
1)What are the new Rules (NEC 2017) for grounding a Jacuzzi? or what I need to do to properly ground a Jacuzzi?

I was planning to install (1) ground rod by the Jacuzzi and (1) ground rod by the meter.

2)Do I need a disconnect switch at the Jacuzzi?

3) GFCI circuit breaker?
 
If you've never done a 680 install I guess learning on your own hot tub is probably not the worst way to do it. For the sake of others that may use it, consult locally with an electrician who is experienced installing Jacuzzis. The questions you ask have been very much the same answers for a very many code cycles.
 
I agree with the others, you need to read through article 680 to get started.

Roger
 
JFletcher said:
If you've never done a 680 install I guess learning on your own hot tub is probably not the worst way to do it. For the sake of others that may use it, consult locally with an electrician who is experienced installing Jacuzzis. The questions you ask have been very much the same answers for a very many code cycles.
Click to expand...


Yeah, now every time I'm in a pool or the like I wonder if the installer knew what they were doing. Sometimes life is more peaceful when you don't know what you don't know....:blink:
 
DBoone said:
Yeah, now every time I'm in a pool or the like I wonder if the installer knew what they were doing. Sometimes life is more peaceful when you don't know what you don't know....:blink:
Click to expand...

If you think the electrical can be scary, don't even think about the chemicals in the water or lack thereof.

Huge places like water parks have people who specialize in water chemistry on staff. Your local hotel... some of the maintenance guys do not even know how to take pH and chlorine readings, nor have any idea of the dangers of the chemicals they are(-n't) handling.
 
JFletcher said:
If you think the electrical can be scary, don't even think about the chemicals in the water or lack thereof.

Huge places like water parks have people who specialize in water chemistry on staff. Your local hotel... some of the maintenance guys do not even know how to take pH and chlorine readings, nor have any idea of the dangers of the chemicals they are(-n't) handling.
Click to expand...


See, now I had never thought about the water chemicals before... thanks!! :)
 
A jaccuzzi is a brand name-- Is this a hot tub- water stays in it or a hydromassage tub where the water gets filled every time you use. If this is filled at all times then there are chemicals and it would be considered a spa or hot tub
 
kwired said:
Installing the mentioned ground rod may do more harm than good.
Click to expand...
what harm?
but for clarity, the title of the thread says "grounding", and we know "grounding" and "bonding" are not the same thing. if you tie bonding to the egc at spa, you effectiviley ground the bonding stuff down to the neutral at main (assuming split 1ph, etc).
carry the egc to the spa egc lug, put in the bonding ring stuff around the spa, put 1-2 rods in near the spa, tie the bonded ring(s) to the rods and to the egc wire (or the frame of the sub panel if there is one, and close by).

EPRI concluded that a wire mesh embedded in a concrete deck, properly bonded, was the best way to maintain “near equipotential” between the pool deck and pool water. Lacking that, double or triple ground rings tied to a ground rod provide a method of reducing voltage differential.
Click to expand...

Even after NEETRAC reiterated its findings, stating in a letter to the panel in March 2010 that “We are not aware of any tests of a single wire or data that would prove it to be safe…the single wire was never intended to stand alone (without ground rods attached) as the 2008 version allows,” and in spite of an NFPA membership general session and NFPA electrical section vote in favor of restoring the grid language at NFPA’s annual conference in June, the panel stood firm. Following NEC revisions protocol that gives deference to Code Making Panels’ deliberations and votes, NFPA’s Standards Council overturned the NFPA floor vote, sending the amendment down to final defeat.
Click to expand...


from another thread
winnie said:
I absolutely agree that this ground rod is not required, however:

With a proper EGC and required bonding, this ground rod is essentially irrelevant, but a normal 8' ground rod in soil will certainly couple enough current back to the source to be able to trip a GFCI breaker. Even a 1000 ohm resistance to ground would trip a GFCI.

-Jon
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
What harm? A ground rod at the spa may provide a vector for a nearby lightning strike to go into the rod, through the gec, and into the circuit board or boards in the spa control panel, thus wiping them out. And, if there is any rod above ground, someone's bare foot will surely find it.

Dboone, many people do not think about the chemicals, or assume they either are not needed, or that they are correct.

Eta: the other major safety Factor is keeping a lid on it when it's not in use, and making sure your home owners insurance would cover something like a neighbor kid getting in it unattended and drowning.
 
Last edited:
JFletcher said:
What harm? A ground rod at the spa may provide a vector for a nearby lightning strike to go into the rod, through the gec, and into the circuit board or boards in the spa control panel, thus wiping them out. And, if there is any rod above ground, someone's bare foot will surely find it.

Dboone, many people do not think about the chemicals, or assume they either are not needed, or that they are correct.

Eta: the other major safety Factor is keeping a lid on it when it's not in use, and making sure your home owners insurance would cover something like a neighbor kid getting in it unattended and drowning.
Click to expand...

rods not needed to have that happen. have you seen spa pumps where the egc is isolated from pump frame where the bond lug is?
if anything, rods will help direct lightning that may run across the surface down into the ground where ohms is typically less. i am also sure whatever gec there is at the location the lightning will find that too, and hence a very large voltage spike will just run through just about everything there that has egc on it (but thank goodness for those nema-1 cap cords), including the spa control panel.

every locale (hopefully) has pool/spa rules for creating barriers to help prevent kids from getting in when they are not authorized to do so, but, only that 1st time inspection if a permit was pulled to install the pool/spa, after that nobody is checking anything, like we are supposed to press gfi and smoke alarms "test" button on a regular basis.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top