NEC Pool Bonding Code

Status
Not open for further replies.
F

fireflygirl

Member
I have a new fiberglass pool, with a Intellichlor Cholorine Generator system, and a Pentair SuperFlo pump.
When someone is sitting/standing on the concrete deck and touches the water we are getting a shock. You only feel it if have an open cut. When checked with meter it is around 8.0 - 1.25 V AC with pump running. When pump is off it is slightly lower.
I hired an electrician outside of the Pool Company that installed it. He stated the pump is grounded by green wire in the junction box. So it does not need to be grounded again in the back of motor housing with the copper bonding wire that goes to the railing that is the only metal object in or around the pool. He said the motor is feeding electricity back to the pool.
When the bonding wire to the metal railing is attached to a grounding rod, and the motor housing is not grounded to anything the shock is gone and there is minimal reading in/around pool .022 V AC with pump on or off. As stated above the motor is grounded with green wire at the panel box.
I would like to make sure it is up to code per NEC to leave the bonding wire from railing attached to a grounding rod, without going up to the grounding clip on the motor housing.
Thanks,
Fireflygirl
 
I will allow this thread to remain, but perhaps it will be short-lived. This Forum is for professional electricians, inspectors, engineers, and other members of the electrical industry. We are not permitted to provide ?how-to? assistance to a person who is not employed in this industry.

If you are asking about whether you have a safe installation, and whether you are getting accurate advice from your electrician, we may be able to answer that question (I can?t, as I don?t know much about pool rules). But if you are looking to do any electrical work, we are not allowed to provide that type of assistance. The Forum owner has a concern over liability issues that might arise, if a non-professional makes an installation error because they mis-understood advice from Forum members, or because they did not ask the other questions that they did not know they needed to ask.

So let me ask exactly what it is that you are hoping to get from our membership.
 
I am not going to do any of the work myself I just want to make sure per the NEC that grounding the metal railing and leaving the motor housing clip out of the loop is ok.
 
What does the ground rod you connected the railing to also connect to -- nothing else, or is it an existing rod for your electrical service?

When you say the motor housing is not grounded to anything, are you talking only about the #8 solid with that normally attaches there and NOT the green wire inside the motor wiring box that goes to the circuit panel ground?

Does you pool have underwater lights with metal housings? If not, was a piece of metal placed in the pool water somewhere to bond it (this too should have a #8 wire to the ladder and pool deck)?

Pools don't need ground rods. I'm suspecting your pump motor is beginning to fail (leak current from the windings to the metal frame), or your local ground is just elevated relative to the pool water. Code requires that the pump housing be bonded to the pool deck, railing, water, and underwater lights via the equipotential grid. If something is energizing the grid, the offender needs to be repaired. If the water isn't bonded, it needs to be. Removing that #8 solid wire from the pump housing is masking the problem. Eventually, if you leave things be, you could be killed if you ever touch the motor frame with wet feet if its ground isn't good.
 
Last edited:
The ground rod that connects to the railing is a ground rod by itself with nothing else connected to it.

The pool light is a fiber optic light system off the pool.

The last electrician said we could posibbly add a seprate ground rod just for the motor housing to eliminate the problem of it shocking someone?

fireflygirl
 
I forgot to answer the question about the green wire inside the motor wiring box that goes to the circuit panel ground it is still attached.
The handrail is ground by a #8 wire to its own rod. The only thing he did different was take the #8 away from the back of the motor housing.
 
You really need to have an electrician come out to evaluate your pool. To put it simply to you, firefly, all the metalic parts need to be bonded with a #8 solid wire. You need an electrician who knows how to wire pools. Never mind trying to add ground rods.

Just curious if this was permitted and inspected?
 
Believe it or not today was the 4th electrician to come out. Everyone has their own idea. The pool was done through a reputable fiberglass pool company here in South Carolina (St. Matthews). They handled everything, permits, inspections, etc. When I called about my problem they have been trying to figure it out. I was really upset and wanted a second opinion. When they still could not fix/find the problem I had someone else come out. I seem to be getting nowhere.
What the guy did today seemed to fix the problem but I want to be up to code.
fireflygirl
 
I also forgot to add in South Carolina they are a little slow and do not put Bonding grid around the pool. They only run a 8# copper wire from the handrail or metal objects to the Pool Pump housing. The side I am feeling the shock is on the part of the pool where there is no copper wire under the concrete. The power company said we have conductive soil. The power for my whole street was cut of at the main transformer (including the nuetral), and the only other item we have coming in is Timewarner bundle with phone, etc. Electric company unpluged that also while they were investigating. I still have about .9 V AC in the ground. They called it Stray Voltage ? I feel like if they would have put a bond grid around the entire pool I would not be having this problem. But I am not an expert.
Fireflygirl
 
FireFlyGirl --

We had a similar problem on a pool several years ago.

You most likely have a stray voltage problem that is originating beyond your yard, and could be coming from a neighbor's yard, loose connection on a utility pole, or even from a nearby distribution or transmission line(s).

I'd be willing to bet that the drier the ground gets (lack of rain, etc) the worse your shocking situation becomes...
 
What did you do to fix the problem ?
Or is there a fix other than removing concrete and putting a bond grid around the pool ?
fireflygirl
 
What about disconnet the pump ckt and feed the pump from a ext cord from a different ckt. Maybe a conduit was hit in the deck. I'm just guessing
 
Fireflygirl,

The NEC 2005 article 680.26(C) requires an Equipotenial Bonding Grid extending under paved walking

surfaces for 3' horizontially beyond the inside wall of the pool. the grid should

be of a 12"x12" pattern.

The pool motor (green wire ) sounds ok, off the lug on the motor a #8 bare

copper bonding wire should connect to any other metal parts of the pool and

also to the GRID.

until at least this much is done it is all guess work about your situation.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top