Electrictian coming. What extras do I need?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
B

Bart

LifeTime Supporter
Jan 24, 2010
309
Northern Virginia
I've got the electrician coming to wire the pump and pool light next week and I'm wondering if there's anything else I should have done while the crew is there. I'm thinking of at least one additional outlet, maybe two. There will be an outlet at the pump location, but another one closer to the pool would probably be nice.

Is there anything else that I should have done?

Thanks!
 
An extra outlet near the pump is a good idea in case you it in the future. A couple of outlets around the pool area would be convenient also. Put one near your designated seating area for tunes or blenders or whatever.
 
absolutely you will want several properly grounded electrical outlets near the lounging area. Make sure they put the switch for the light close to the pool deck also. I wish I would have added at least one more outlet. I assume the electrician is also doing your bonding at the same time.
 
Silly question: Assuming that your "extra" are not in the contract - would you ask him/her to do the additional work and pay the extra cost through the pool builder (who contracted the work) or pay on the spot?

Just learned that the contracted electrian is coming out tomorrow morning!

Taz
 
Bart said:
Wait. What is bonding?!?!? (no, I'm not joking!)
Click to expand...
Ask your electrician that and if they can't expalin it you need another electrician!

The short version is that it's electrically connecting every piece of metallic equipment that contacts or could contact the water together using a #8 copper wire. Even the rebar under the concrete counts.

There are a lot of threads here about bonding. Read and absorb as much as you can because a lot of electricans don't fully grasp it. Remember, bonding is not the same thing as grounding.
 
Taz said:
Silly question: Assuming that your "extra" are not in the contract - would you ask him/her to do the additional work and pay the extra cost through the pool builder (who contracted the work) or pay on the spot?

Just learned that the contracted electrian is coming out tomorrow morning!

Taz
Click to expand...

My guy said he'd bill me directly for the extras. For instance, an outlet is $150 plus $5/foot of conduit, so it will cost me somewhere around $200 for him to do an extra one for me.
 
How about adding a motion light (or at least have him wire for it) on the eve or wall over the equipment pad. That way when you walk outside at night to turn valves and such you will have light come on automatically for you.

You might want to have one of the outlets out by the pool deck wired to a switch. That way you could add rope light or such and be able to turn it on or off, or replace the switch with an electric eye. They can do it so that just the top or bottom plug for each outlet is switched.

Might also be the time to think about landscape lighting.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
My pool doesn't have an on/off switch out there and I sure would like one! My timer is in my basement next to the box and that's OK as I don't change it much. I have some low-voltage lighting around the garden that surrounds the pool as well as a motion-detector light. Also have some outlets at the opposite end of the pool from the deck (near the driveway, but not that close to the garage). I use them, especially for pumping the cover off in the winter.

Will you want a pool alarm to warn when people / pets get in the pool unexpectedly? Cooking area?
 
Heck.. My 2 cents.. Light switches where you want them like previously stated and also in your house.. The convenience of looking out to your pool and turning off or on the lights pays for itself in the long run..
 
Don't forget low-voltage needs. I had the PB's electrician lay down an empty 1" conduit to the pad. Eventually I pulled two Cat 5e cables, (one for phone and one for internet), two 12ga. speaker cables for tunes, and an RG-6 for the odd time we want to swim and watch TV (usually a major news or sports event.) All have come in very handy.
 
Durk said:
Don't forget low-voltage needs. I had the PB's electrician lay down an empty 1" conduit to the pad. Eventually I pulled two Cat 5e cables, (one for phone and one for internet), two 12ga. speaker cables for tunes, and an RG-59 for the odd time we want to swim and watch TV (usually a major news or sports event.) All have come in very handy.
Click to expand...



Now thats an excellent recommendation.. Extra conduit for future needs is a must but I would go with a 1 1/4" min conduit considering what one might pull for future.
 
I forgot to mention -- my pump is plugged into a receptacle. This is handy for removing the pump for the winter. So, depending on code and your location, you may want to consider whether you want to use a plug or have it wired direct.
 
Bart said:
My guy said he'd bill me directly for the extras. For instance, an outlet is $150 plus $5/foot of conduit, so it will cost me somewhere around $200 for him to do an extra one for me.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

Great ideas - where is that money tree?
 
A few additional (and some repetitive) thoughts, since we just went through this:

1. Definitely consider the location and spread of regular 120v lighting (GFCI protected, of course). The 12v is nice for path delineation, but doesn't do much to really light the area, at least not without specialty fixtures. Our pool is a little smaller than yours. We opted to have the electrician rough out four lamp post positions for us (12/2 UB cable into code-required conduit). I poured the footers and installed the posts and fixtures myself. We use just 40 watt bulbs (we're not trying to read the phonebook out there) which is plenty bright for area light and looks great.
2. Definitely agree with all the comments on outlets. You really can't have too many. Think about not only where you might like to plug in a radio or light, but also where you might like to have an outdoor kitchen or fire pit in the future. Even if you just have him drop conduit in from your equipment pad (or wherever you have a panel), it will make your life so much easier.
3. Think about low voltage lighting for the future and get that cable in or at least put conduits in where you might need to pull under deck or sidewalks int he future. Having pre-laid conduit under our concrete path has already saved me a bunch of time.
4. Speakers are key if you like music and media. The best solution I've found (and most economical) is to use the very same cable for 12v lighting for the speaker runs. It is typically 14 or 12 gauge (12 is better for long runs) and is meant for direct burial. It's a lot less expensive than specialty speaker cable or conduit.
5. Think about phone, network and TV from the house if you're into that sort of thing, or if you are building a pool house. I was able to find a direct burial multi-cable (2 x Cat5e and 2 x RG-6 coax) for a reasonable price online. While it can be put right in the ground, I had the electrician put it in a conduit run from the house to the equipment pad, just for longer-lasting protection (since our soil is quite rocky in areas).
6. If he (or she) is pulling down power from the house to a subpanel at your equipment pad, it never hurts (except in the wallet) to up-size the breaker to give you a bit more expansion room in the future. For reference, we pulled 60A to the subpanel, which feeds a VS3050 pump, a booster pump, SWG, 2xIntellibrites, 4x120v lights and a number of outlets. We'll add a pool house later this year.
 
Things to remember.

No outlet, or light fixture, either 120V or low voltage, can be within 10 feet of the pool. No wiring can be within 5 feet of the water except for wire needed to run the pool including pump or in-pool light. Lights that are between 5-10 feet must be 12 feet high.
This goes for low voltage lights too. Low voltage lights are not GFI protected, so thats why they can't be within 10 feet, ever. (NEC article 411.2)

Speaker wire is fine, however. Electrical around a pool is covered under article 680, of the NEC. Thats what an inspector will look at to determne if something violates code. Now, for low voltage, 12 volt lights. There is nothing wrong with them near a pool, really, but, if an inspector is picky, he will bust it. A lot will look the other way. Best bet is to install something like that after the final inspection is done :wink:

IMO, both article 411 and 680 need work. :hammer:
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply