Lightning protection in natatorium (pool)

[mshields]

Working on an aquadic center which is a first for me. Was looking at another, similar project and they had a lightning protection system for the building. That certainly struck me as making sense but what I was wondering was whether or not it was code driven?

 

[petersonra]

just me, but if the pool is inside a building how would it be any more likely to be hit by lightning than the building itself?

 

[GoldDigger]

just me, but if the pool is inside a building how would it be any more likely to be hit by lightning than the building itself?

It would not be more likely to be hit, but a person in the water might well be more vulnerable to lightning induced voltages than someone sitting in a generally nonconductive office chair.

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[Sahib]

It would not be more likely to be hit, but a person in the water might well be more vulnerable to lightning induced voltages than someone sitting in a generally nonconductive office chair.

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Same grounding and bonding of the pool structure provided for protection against line voltages ground faults may also help reduce risk due to lightning hits. Otherwise, NEC would have included special provisions for it.

 

[steve66]

IMO a risk assessment should be performed to determine the need for an LPS.

Generally, when lightning is spotted nearby, the pool is usually cleared. But you can find online threads where pool managers debate the need for that rule.

Personally, I worry as much about the showers if they are a bare concrete floor. A storm comes, everyone clears the pool and goes into the showers where they may be standing on a wet, bare concrete floor.