This is why you bond your pool and equipment!

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An investigation determined that a faulty pool pump caused the incident. Inspectors said unconnected ground wires were supposed to take the currents to the ground and away from the pool but they weren't working properly.
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This appears to be a little garbled by being repeated through people who have no idea what they are talking about. My interpretation is that the pump was neither grounded or bonded and was shorting one of the hot lines to the pump chassis, which was in contact with the water. Since the bonding system was most likely connected to ground, which in turn is connected to neutral, that would create a current through the water from the pump to every location that was bonded.
 
Investigators have blamed the incident in April on an unconnected ground wires in the pool's pump house,
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This comment from one of the other links does offer some sort of clue. If the ground wires, that take the current back to the panel, were unconnected there is no way for a fault to clear (in absence of a GFCI). A bad winding in the motor could be shorting to the motor case which could allow, depending on how the pool Is plumbed, current to be present on the motor case and associated plumbing. Had there been a properly functioning grounding circuit, the path back to source would be a low resistance one and hopefully enough current would flow to exceed the trip threshold of the breaker.
 
When we had our pool installed four years ago the inspector said it had to be bonded. We had to attach a bare copper wire to three locations on the pools bottom rail and run it underground to the pump and connect it to the screw on the pump body.


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gtemkin said:
It IS a part of the electrical code unless you're working to an antique version. Can you please explain where you got your information.
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I claim no direct knowledge of the NEC, I was just responding to the post just before mine:

AimeeH said:
I now know the pool NEEDS to be bonded properly. We are still struggling with this. It isn't code in our county to bond inground vinyl pool but is for gunite, etc.
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100% agreement on the bonding. My new pool deck with the rebar in it was completely bond all the way around and back to the equipment. Concrete could not be poured with city inspected and tagged it. I alos inspected it since I am an Electrician by trade.
All I can say is don't short cut on bonding.
 
PoolPete said:
I claim no direct knowledge of the NEC, I was just responding to the post just before mine:
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I should clarify that the pool equipment is bonded and passed the county bonding inspection. What was NOT done was tying that to rebar that would bond with concrete deck (forgive my ignorance if I'm stating this wrong as everything I learned came from this experience). When I asked the builder about the deck being poured without rebar and bonding to deck he said that they don't do that with IG vinyl pools but absolutely do with IG gunite. Due to the issue we had with the ability to be shocked if touching water and concrete I didn't believe him to be correct. I sought out another higher profile builder in the area with a retail store front and met with the owner and posed my questions. He also said they do not bond to decking when the IG is a vinyl pool. I was told that was not a requirement (code). I can't attest to whether it is or is not code but was going by what two builders told me.

http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/40536-Electric-shock-felt-in-and-around-pool

We have experimented with a thick copper wire in the water and laid it on the cement....shock appears to go away.
 
I did not read thru all 4 pages of the link you posted. From what I did read, tells me that the two builders you talked to do not have a good understanding of why pools are bonded. If the inspector in your area did not require it either then they are just as incompetent. I have fixed problems such as this in the past. It is not easy but can be done
 

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JasonLion said:
Bonding rebar of any concrete within 3' of the water is very much required by the national code.
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After reading this thread, I did a little more research with regard to bonding requirements here in Australia.
Reo need only be bonded in 1 spot, provided rebar is all tied together so as to act as a single metal structure. This includes any reo in the deck, regardless if the pool is gunite, fiberglass, vinyl, etc
ALL metal fittings (eg pool fencing, diving boards, etc) within 5' of the water must also be bonded.
Any metal parts of pumps etc not protected by double insulation must also be bonded
 
Andrew69 said:
After reading this thread, I did a little more research with regard to bonding requirements here in Australia.
Reo need only be bonded in 1 spot, provided rebar is all tied together so as to act as a single metal structure. This includes any reo in the deck, regardless if the pool is gunite, fiberglass, vinyl, etc
ALL metal fittings (eg pool fencing, diving boards, etc) within 5' of the water must also be bonded.
Any metal parts of pumps etc not protected by double insulation must also be bonded
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dang. that seems excessive. i dont have an inspections on mine, im going to bond the pool, pump, and water. thats where im stopping. I think someone could go nuts trying to bond everything. where im at, the chances of an outside force charging my pool is very slim, as im in the country. im just worried about pump and equipment.
 
hum gtnos.........I'm in the country. We have stray voltage.

I've linked to my thread before. There was no rebar under my concrete. We get shocked when touching concrete and water. Just a warning.
 
gtnos;652159 said:
where im at, the chances of an outside force charging my pool is very slim, as im in the country.
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The idea that an outside force causing a charge in the pool is the biggest misconception there is about electrical shock in pools. Several years ago I got a call about an abov ground pool shocking people. The owners were convinced that the problem was coming from the power company, the neighbors underground service, etc... I put my meter probe in the water and the other in the ground and measured a voltage differential (don't recall the number) After they had the power company out there for several visits I suggested that we try something. I connected a copper wire to the bond wire around the pool and stuck about 10' of it into the pool. voltage differential (potential) was gone. I then installed a bonding plate in the skimmer as well as a bond to the pool heater heat exchanger. The people were satisfied but still not convinced that the problem was not being caused by something from the power grid.

About two months after the repair, we had a massive power outage. This was one of those massive state-wide types where nothing was on. I decided to try something. I went over to the pool in question and unhooked the water bond and heater bond. I then measured the voltage differential between the water and the ground. The voltage differential was back, or should I say, still there. I think after that I had them convinced that the problem was not utility related.
 
Same experience here danpik. We had all power cut off to our property entirely and still had the equipotential difference. I've learned stray voltage exists and that is the purpose of proper bonding. Even to the decking. They didn't even use rebar under our concrete. Hence no bonding to the concrete.
 

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