Pool inspection: no apparent bonding

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Mgilc003

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virginia beach, va
Hello,

Our city requires yearly pool inspections. I recently conducted a pool inspection, the building is no more than 15 years old. It is an in ground indoor pool, typical of what you would see at a hotel.

The issue is there does not appear to be any bonding. The metal hand rails going into the pool do not ohm out, as i would expect if they were bonded together. Also, the pool pump does not have the usual bonding wire connected to it and there is no bonding wire in the equipment room. The pump is not double insulated, if it was, it would not have the bonding lug.

Is is this enough to say that the pool is not bonded properly? Am i missing something? I always try to err on the side of safety so i rejected to pool inspection. There were other issues as well, but this one is going to be exhorbitanty expensive to fix since the concrete will have to be removed.

Thoughts?
 
What type of tester did you use for your two point test for ohms of the metal components of the pool?

I have run into this before even with pools that were previously inspected by other ECs, you can and MUST tell exactly what you found that is why you were hired.
 
brian john said:
What type of tester did you use for your two point test for ohms of the metal components of the pool?

I have run into this before even with pools that were previously inspected by other ECs, you can and MUST tell exactly what you found that is why you were hired.
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That is what exactly what i did. I tested with a ddm. This one -> https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-T...gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CKmqvYTmp9cCFYXVZAod1pgBpQ

I would expect the ohms to be zero or near zero, the tester read open. (OL)
 
Mgilc003 said:
Hello,

Our city requires yearly pool inspections. I recently conducted a pool inspection, the building is no more than 15 years old. It is an in ground indoor pool, typical of what you would see at a hotel.

The issue is there does not appear to be any bonding. The metal hand rails going into the pool do not ohm out, as i would expect if they were bonded together. Also, the pool pump does not have the usual bonding wire connected to it and there is no bonding wire in the equipment room. The pump is not double insulated, if it was, it would not have the bonding lug.

Is is this enough to say that the pool is not bonded properly? Am i missing something? I always try to err on the side of safety so i rejected to pool inspection. There were other issues as well, but this one is going to be exhorbitanty expensive to fix since the concrete will have to be removed.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'm not surprised about the handrail. Typically aluminum anchor sockets are used and they always corrode from the chems.

Probably like most hotel pools I've serviced, the pool room rarely has a dehumidification system and the room sweats and stinks during operation. The heavy chlorine smell is actually ammonia from the chloramine levels in the room. Improper ventilation allows the room the stay "stale" and never has a proper exchange of fresh air. The metal components corrode at quicker rate.

If there are pool lights, they too must be properly bonded as well as anything metallic within 5' of the water.

Saftron is a company that makes non-conductive handrails and ladders to overcome the bonding issue with stainless deck equipment.

I would report your findings to the city officials via registered/return receipt mail to CYA. The cost may be an expensive fix, but a lawsuit from a death is far more expensive. And EVERYONE who touched or walked in that room for anything related to this issue will be named.
 
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