Electric shock felt in and around pool

[AimeeH]

Re: Feeling a shock when touching ground

[Moved back to original thread - Mod]
I don't want to get the threads confused either. I now understand that we are not bonded properly as you describe. I also understand that our county doesn't require it so our pb is off the hook. What Deb explained about her daughter sitting on the deck and putting her legs in the water is exactly what happened to me yesterday. I think it was you that posted last about finding a way to get a copper wire into the water system somehow to create that equiponential bond (I'm reading and learning trust me).

On the other side of the issue is our power company did indeed admit that there was a stray voltage issue. Unfortunately they just don't seem to care. Like deb, when the power company shut the power to our off to our property entirely not only was there still measurable voltage between pool and deck but the electrician said it increased.

The problem does (I understand now) seem to be the lack of bonding of the cement with the whole system. I get it now. Stray voltage is bad but not noticeable with proper bonding. Let me know if I'm wrong.

On the other side the power company in my case did indeed admit a stray

 

[AimeeH]

I was sending that last one from my phone and it got cut off. Our power company did indeed admit a stray voltage problem, they just don't seem to care. All evidence points to stray voltage.

I'm wondering at this point (kind of jokingly here) if I can run #8 copper wiring from the ground at the pole underground into my 2 acre pond. Then the stray voltage would bypass the pool and deck? I understand that the pool and deck aren't properly bonded together and that the stray voltage is taking the path of least resistance to the metal framed body of water on the property which is why we feel it between the pool and the cement deck.

 

[etbrown4]

All pool pumps have an equipment ground which is the bare or insulated copper wire attached to an internal or external lug on the pump motor, and to the ground buss in the elec panel which supplies it. No driven ground is needed typically.

How about trying this, we'll call it the poor man's solution but it has a fair possibility of working......

If you have a stainless steel railing with it's base in the concrete slab in the pool apron, you could try to wrap a copper wire a few turns around the lowest part of the rail, and allow the other end of the wire to drop a foot or so into the pool water,

Since this is an experiment with no downside, I'd suggest you use any gauge of bare copper wire #14 or lower. The lower the better, though 14 should tell you what you want to know. If it works, great....... if not, the cost is a few bucks or free if you have some wire. #8 or 6 can be used though all gauges should give a similar result.

The variables which will affect how well this agged ground wire will work depends on rebar/no rebar in your slab, whether the rebar contacts the base of the hand rail, and the moisture content of the concrete, and the moisture in the soil beneath the slab.

 

[Navywife]

Lol.. Well, I hadn't thought much about the stray voltage til I talked to my best friends husband tonight (master electrician). I was telling him about the power outage and he asked whe the transformer was and I told him we had a 2' x2 ' green box about 50 ft away from the shallow end and when I told him I still got zapped with all the power out he said that transformer or the underground wires leading to it have to be compromised somewhere for that to happen. I have a master electrician coming out Wednesday to see what he can find so I'm crossing my fingers.

Just out of curiosity in case we have to look at that, have you gotten a price on concrete removal and repouring with rebar?

Not sure how your husband feels but mine is about ready to rent a backhoe and buy some dirt, this is very frustrating.

 

[AimeeH]

Deb,

no I haven't gotten a price on getting the concrete jacked up and removed and then re-poured. I wanted more concrete than that original quote which included 3 ft of concrete around all areas. I'm the one who decided to go 10' out on the shallow end wrapping that around to 5' away from the shallow end steps creating a really nice 15'+ area inside the "L"

Needless to say......I don't want to have this jacked up and repoured......especially since I'm now aware that this is nothing that the PB did wrong. I didn't even want to make him (PB) do it unless I could proove that it was indeed sloppy workmanship which I can't. I can only compliment him at this point for putting a good electrician on the job (who didn't originally do the wiring) who wouldn't let it rest(after hours on this job), and hasn't billed us.

 

[AimeeH]

I feel I need to add that I'm disapointed in county code and county inspector behavior.

Ok so county code does not protect us from stray voltage. That is a shame.

County inspector shows up (for lack of anything better to do) and is ready to site and fine us for not having a fence. The only real access to our property is the driveway which has a gate. The rest is wooded....one can't access the property via even a 4 wheeler if there is no access via the driveway......too deep of a trench. We have a 2 acre pond that is very deep in some areas and we have a dock on that pond and a boat aside it. The county is ready to fine us for not having a fence around the pool (nevermind the pond). OK. I get that. but where are they on their codes for bonding????

sincerely frustrated.

 

[Navywife]

I would be too, and the fence issue is ridiculous given the size of your property and the lack of access. I think they like to be able to have power over people just because they can. I'd look to see what they define as a fence. Maybe you can get away with something really cheap and remove it once they leave. Have you read the code that he is looking at? Maybe there is some type of exception for large parcels? I would ask to speak to his supervisor, and ask him to come out to take a look. If you aren't comfortable asking him (since he can fine you I might be a bit nervous) call the main number and ask someone. I'd keep going higher up the chain and explain all that.

What I find the most frustrating is having a beautiful looking pool in the back that zaps the kids. I can tell you this, if the pool inspection showed this we NEVER would have bought the house. I feel like this was a major fail and I won't even step foot in their store (also because they are very rude too).

 

[cowboyClay]

we do not have any metal ladders in the pool. we have metal railings in the cement at the wide walk in steps in the shallow end, and a bench type of "swim out" in the deep end, but no metal steps in the pool. And oddly enough we only felt this on one side of the pool and I believe it is the side OPPOSITE from where all the electrical wiring got buried for the pool.

I have almost this exact pool with exactly the same problem. After reding this thread and others for days, I decided to drill 5/8" holes in the deck to the steel pool wall and then cut a saw joint to the outside of the deck. I used grounding wire and self tapping screws to the steel wall, out and around the deck, and bonded around the fiberglass steps and swim out, and drove ground rods at both (outside the deck). Problem solved for me!!!!!! So glad to swim without the kids hollering about being "shocked".

I built and completed my first pool 2 weeks ago. Big Rookie to pool thing but I love it.

Thanks for a great site. The info is unbelievable. 1 stop shopping for help.