I broke what I think is the bond wire

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BostonSkimmer

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May 26, 2012
49
Hi Everyone,

There is a metal piece of wire that comes out of my ground that I think, from reading the forums, is a bond wire. On my old motor it was rusted to the top of it - I'm not sure if there was a screw there holding it or what, because it all just pretty much broken into bits of rust as soon as I tried to remove it. I now have what looks like the two ends of this metal inside a small little metalish "home". On the new motor, there's just a screw that comes up. How am I supposed to connect this and what are the repercussions of not doing it right? Do I just put the cable around the screw and screw it down?

Thanks!
Chris
 
That does sound like the bond wire and it needs to be attached to the motor on the bond screw ... repercussions are possible electrocution.

I am a little confused by your description of 2 ends in a metal home :suspect:

Can you add a picture?
 
jblizzle said:
That does sound like the bond wire and it needs to be attached to the motor on the bond screw ... repercussions are possible electrocution.

I am a little confused by your description of 2 ends in a metal home :suspect:

Can you add a picture?
Click to expand...

Hmm... I've been electrocuted before. It wasn't pleasant. :oops:

Picture of old cable near new motor - the flash makes it hard to tell, but that's a screw on the motor.
http://i.imgur.com/UV52m.jpg

Here is where it comes up from the ground a few feet away. Based on just a little tugging, I'd guess it's either deep down, or connected to something underground.
http://i.imgur.com/fCQkv.jpg
 
The wire should go all the way around the pool and be bonded to anything metal ... so don't tug on it ;)

You just have to attach the wires to that screw ... I have typically only seen 1 wire, so that is my confusion on how to "properly" connect the 2 to the screw and keep the "house". One option would be to just cut the copper "house" off and connect the 2 ends to the screw on the motor, but I am not sure if the "house" is something required by code to bond the 2 together.

Actually, what I would do is loosen the copper screw on the 2 wires, pull one of the wired through enough to wrap around the screw on the motor and then tighten the copper "house" back together to bond the 2 wires.

OR, that copper lug may have been an old piece of the old motor lug, so it may not actually be needed since you have a new lug on the new motor ... bottom line, just make sure everything is connected.
 
Why not get a split-bolt connector and a foot or two of the same gauge (thickness) bare copper wire at your local hardware store (or Home Depot, Lowes, Menards, etc) and do a pig tail to the motor connector? A lot cleaner, meets code, and you don't have to worry about the wire falling off this connection.
 

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JBizzle: There's already some tingling in the pool sometimes, don't need the electricity :)

SteveK: Sorry, I've a lifetime renter (up until now) and IT geek - let me make sure I follow. I'd just buy the same guage copper wire, then wrap that around what's already there a couple of times, and then put the two ends through a split bolt connector (which I think is this: http://www.summitsource.com/images/products/GRS6SB.jpg ?) and then screw that split bolt connector into the motor where the screw is now?

Danpik: Hehe, sorry, right - and I guess I've probably been shocked more than once now that I think back . . .
 
So... it, uh... works... ? Sorry, this is a pretty uncommon occurrence for me :) I fixed a dryer once, but besides that, the jobs are mostly farmed out - sometimes immediately, and sometimes after I sink hours and dollars of frustration into it. Now time to go turn my green pool back to blue! Thanks everyone for your help, and I'll keep an eye on the thread for the help with the bond wire, thanks!!!

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
I couldn't open the link in BostonSkimmer's previous posting.

Here is a page from an electrical supplier showing several of the connectors : http://www.elecdirect.com/catalog/a6e77b09-b40a-4072-b284-58d0e60cfa85.aspx

You want a split-bolt that can handle 3 wires of sufficient gauge (your wire looks like 8 gauge which is standard size for bond wires).

Cut the loop that came off the old pump so that you have 2 wires & insert those wire ends into the split-bolt connector. Then take a few inches of the same gauge wire and insert one end into the split-bolt connector. Tighten the split-bolt. You essential have a "Y" (i.e., also called a pigtail). The 'base' of the "Y" should be inserted (or wrapped around) the connector on the new pump. Tighten the connector on the pump. Neat, clean and done right. :-D
 
SteveK said:
Cut the loop that came off the old pump so that you have 2 wires & insert those wire ends into the split-bolt connector. Then take a few inches of the same gauge wire and insert one end into the split-bolt connector. Tighten the split-bolt. You essential have a "Y" (i.e., also called a pigtail). The 'base' of the "Y" should be inserted (or wrapped around) the connector on the new pump. Tighten the connector on the pump. Neat, clean and done right. :-D
Click to expand...
Makes perfect sense! Reading this, I feel like my setup will work fine until this weekend when I can make the trip to the hardware store, but I'd certainly rather have it setup as cleanly as you're describing, so it will be done :!:
 
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