Did my first pool job this week, pool contractor filled pool and didn't say anything about wet niche fixture being installed. Also, #8 insulated CU ground was not pulled in. Am I screwed on the ground and terminating it in the shell? Another dumb ??, apparently the conduit fills with water as well in a wet nich app. Thanks.
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- Thread starter nizak
- Start date
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- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Get your suit on and enjoy the install. I never wire them since the pool contractors do that end of it but I think it can be done with the water in the pool. You should be able to ground the niche but you will need to pull a #8 in there.
Dennis, not being at all familiar with the sequence of events, is it a common practice to install the light after the water is in? I was in the house most of the day working in the basement, nobody said a word about putting in the light. Also, the conduit is going to be full of water to a certain point, is that common as well?
I have never seen a required listed potting compound that can be applied underwater
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Yes, I forgot about that.
To answer nizak- I have never seen the lights go in after the water was filled. That was just dumb. I was thinking about changing the bulb not encapsulating with the compound.
Some pool installers have barricade that goes around the wet niche area that is held onto the pool walls with suction. When it is applied it will trap around 10 gallons of water that can be pumped out then you can apply the potting compound and ground wire. Otherwise you will probably have to drain the pool to a level where you can do your work.
bradleyelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- forest hill, md
The water will go in the conduit. That is not an issue. Your issue is the potting conpound that is required at the insulated #8 termination in the niche. The conduit is required to run from the niche to the "deck box". The deck box has location and height requirements along with sealing requirements to keep the water off terminations in it.
The way we do it is the pool installer sets his frame or rebar and installs the niche. We run conduit from the niche to our deck box. We pull in the #8 and a string and do the potting. Call in trench inspection on the niche conduit and have potting inspected. You want to make sure you only run the male terminal into the niche far enough to make it even with the niche on the inside or it will hold the light from seating properly. Make sure you seal the threads good though or the water will leak out of the pool through your threads.
The pool installer uses the string to pull the light in when he installs the liner or after the concrete is shot and before the plaster is installed. The light can be changed after the water is in the pool, but I don't know of a way to do the potting. We do the terminations in the deck box when we return after the equipment is set. These are inground pools. If you are talking about an above ground pool then they should have given you time to do the niche. At least they don't usually have as much water that needs to be drained.
The way we do it is the pool installer sets his frame or rebar and installs the niche. We run conduit from the niche to our deck box. We pull in the #8 and a string and do the potting. Call in trench inspection on the niche conduit and have potting inspected. You want to make sure you only run the male terminal into the niche far enough to make it even with the niche on the inside or it will hold the light from seating properly. Make sure you seal the threads good though or the water will leak out of the pool through your threads.
The pool installer uses the string to pull the light in when he installs the liner or after the concrete is shot and before the plaster is installed. The light can be changed after the water is in the pool, but I don't know of a way to do the potting. We do the terminations in the deck box when we return after the equipment is set. These are inground pools. If you are talking about an above ground pool then they should have given you time to do the niche. At least they don't usually have as much water that needs to be drained.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
Nizak, that is not the way it is normally done. No one in there right mind would choose to do it that way unless they were changing it out. As stated you have to use a potting compound on the ground wire and you cannot do that when it is filled with water.
- Location
- Chapel Hill, NC
- Occupation
- Retired Electrical Contractor
I would make them drain the pool to the light.
Do I look like a undewater electrician? Nope. Tell that idiot pool contractor to drain it out.
Is the #8 insulated considered an EGC? The back side of the forming shell has a bonding lug that was connected to rebar. The Insulated #8 which terminates in the pool j-box is reduced down to #12 from the branch circuit. Is the EGC in the rubber cord(#16) not a sufficient means to ground it? Thanks
bradleyelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- forest hill, md
The light is installed as soon as the liner is in place in a liner pool or before the plaster in a gunite pool. The only time it is typical to install the light when the pool is filled is to change a broken fixture. Do not turn the light on till the pool is filled. They are made to be cooled by the water and wont last long if lit dry.
The insulated #8 is a bond. The insulated green in the SO is the EGC. Yes the #8 from the outside of the shell to the rebar is also a bond
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bradleyelectric
Senior Member
- Location
- forest hill, md
The inspector may want to see the potting before the pool is refilled.
LarryFine
Master Electrician Electric Contractor Richmond VA
- Location
- Henrico County, VA
- Occupation
- Electrical Contractor
Water-resistant cameras and camera housings aren't terribly expensive.
They're definitely than IR imaging cameras. :roll:
They're definitely than IR imaging cameras. :roll:
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