Splash Pad bonding

[woody7]

I have been wiring day care facilities that are having splash pads installed as an option. I have looked through this forum and found a couple of threads related to the topic, but have questions. What I need to find out is, are splash pads required to have the splash pad bonded, and the perimeter deck bonded like a pool? I know splash pads are not by definition a pool, but in the ones I have been providing power to, employ a controller with GFCI breakers that powers a small pool recirculating pump utilizing a 2-500 gallon underground tank to recirculate water. This water is pumped through a series of 12 volt sprinkler valves, that are alternately cycled on and off by the controller. I have had different AHJ tell me different things. Some AHJ's say to treat it like a pool and bond it accordingly. Others say it is a water feature, and the only requirement they care about is that the pump is properly bonded, and grounded. I have always bonded a #8 bare solid copper conductor around the interior of the splash pad. I attached that bond to the 12" rebar grid at 4 corners, and attached that to a second #8 bare copper conductor surrounding the perimeter paved or unpaved deck, 18" from the edge of the pad. I take that to a grounding electrode, and also attach the recirculating pump to the electrode. I consider this installation to be safer than no bonding grid. In the past month I have been asked by the out of town splash pad installer to go check for issues with three splash pad pump motors. One was a faulty 2 pole GFCI breaker, the other, a pump motor overheated, because the strainers of the drains that feed the holding tank, were clogged with debris which caused the pump to overheat. Both easy fixes. On the last call, it was to a building that I didn't wire. This particular pad was one of the first the out of town installer had put in. I was informed a pool company rep had replaced a bad motor and would not reconnect the new motor because there was no bond to the motor housing. Upon inspection I found that not only was the pump not bonded to a grounding electrode, but that there was no bonding of the splash pad. In addition, the splash pad was poured after construction of the facility, and attached with 12" rebar pieces, that were drilled and then hammered into an existing sidewalk. This motor pump was cord attached and wired 110v and plugged directly into a dedicated GFCI receptacle serving the pump motor. The motor is located about 4' from the edge of the splash pad, and the receptacle is 5' off the edge of the pad. There is no fence or barrier between the splash pad and the exposed pump motor. Would I be meeting requirements of the NEC code by, #1 driving a ground rod, and bonding the motor to the electrode, and #2 getting a wood or vinyl 4-5' tall fence to isolate it from the splash pad? I cannot find anything in 680 that says anything about a splash pad. I am not an EE, and want to provide a safe installation on future splash pads.  At the same time, if the only requirement is to bond the motor and put up a barrier, it would prevent the owner from having to damage his splash pad trying to find and bond the rebar in place, or demolishing the pad and starting over. Thanks for your answers in advance.

 

[steve66]

I treat splash pads the same as a swimming pool, mostly due to lack of any better guidance from the NEC.

IMO, that means a bonding grid, and a ground ring around the pad, and bonding any fixtures, and other items per the NEC. Even for a splash pad that only has a couple of low voltage solenoids. (Some splash pads have no pumps or line voltage devices - they just run off off city water pressure, and all the water goes to a drain).

I couldn't get any better guidance from the manufacturer. They just said to follow codes in our area.