Wet-niche underwater luminaire flexible cord

[smallfish]

Is it 2008 NEC code-compliant to run a wet-niche luminaire 30 foot flexible cord from forming shell continuous, without splice, underground in IMC stubbing up into a nearby garage into a metallic junction box or pulling elbow, which is connected to panelboard in IMC?

Must this junction box be listed as a swimming pool junction box (Sec. 680.24 (A)?

Originally, the junction deck box was flush and within 18 inches of the inside walls of the pool (installed in 1965). The perimeter concrete deck was removed to expose a broken gas line supplying the pool water heater. In the process, the deck box with brass piping from the underwater luminarie and with home-run metal piping were exposed.

It is intended to cut the brass pipe below ground and connect IMC to it and run it back to the garage pull box then to the panel.

What kind of connector or method is used to connect brass pipe to IMC pipe?

Thanks

 

[curt swartz]

You must use an approved deck box which will have the proper clamp for the cord and grounding terminals.

IMC is definitely NOT an approved raceway between the forming shell and deck box. You need to use brass or PVC. With PVC you would need to pull a number 8 between the box and the shell. The #8 would need to get bonded to the inside of the shell and covered with an approved potting compound. If you use IMC for this application it would probably corrode through from the pool water before you could back fill the trench.

If you can't find brass at a wholesale electrical pool supplier you can get it from a plumbing supply.

 

[smallfish]

Wet-niche underwater luminaire flexible cord

IMC is an approved raceway between the forming shell and deck box. Please see Sec. 680.23 (B) (2) 2008 NEC.
Do you agree?

 

[infinity]

IMC is an approved raceway between the forming shell and deck box. Please see Sec. 680.23 (B) (2) 2008 NEC.
Do you agree?

It says that it must be approved and brass or approved and corrosion resistant if not brass. I would venture a guess that standard IMC is not designed to be used when it's continuously full of water.

(B) Wet-Niche Luminaires.
(1) Forming Shells. Forming shells shall be installed for the mounting of all wet-niche underwater luminaires and shall be equipped with provisions for conduit entries. Metal parts of the luminaire and forming shell in contact with the pool water shall be of brass or other approved corrosion-resistant metal. All forming shells used with nonmetallic conduit systems, other than those that are part of a listed low-voltage lighting system not requiring grounding, shall include provisions for terminating an 8 AWG copper conductor.
(2) Wiring Extending Directly to the Forming Shell. Conduit shall be installed from the forming shell to a junction box or other enclosure conforming to the requirements in 680.24. Conduit shall be rigid metal, intermediate metal, liquidtight flexible nonmetallic, or rigid nonmetallic.
(a) Metal Conduit. Metal conduit shall be approved and shall be of brass or other approved corrosion-resistant metal.

 

[dana1028]

You must use an approved deck box which will have the proper clamp for the cord and grounding terminals.

IMC is definitely NOT an approved raceway between the forming shell and deck box. You need to use brass or PVC. With PVC you would need to pull a number 8 between the box and the shell. The #8 would need to get bonded to the inside of the shell and covered with an approved potting compound. If you use IMC for this application it would probably corrode through from the pool water before you could back fill the trench.

If you can't find brass at a wholesale electrical pool supplier you can get it from a plumbing supply.

A couple of questions:

1. The current brass available is 'red' brass vs. the older 'yellow' brass...because of the higher copper content. Is this 'red' brass an approved metal conduit?

2. You mentioned finding brass at a plumbing supply??? Are you suggesting that using plumber's pipe is an approved metal conduit?

Just thought I'd ask, as an electrical inspector I would turn down an installation using plumber's pipe vs. electrical grade pipe. [That said, I have not seen any electrical grade brass pipe except that already in the ground from the '60s].