I put in a 18x40 liner pool with polymer walls last year. The kids have been complaining of a shock when they touch the metal coping while in the water. The light and coping where grounded during construction, we even looped the ground wire around the pool step and cozy cover for continuity. We used fiber in the concrete so there was no rebar to ground. While trouble shooting the problem I have grounded the pool pump with its own ground rod and did the same for the ladder with no relief. I have measured the voltage and it is between 1 and 2 volts when measured across the water and the coping. This is driving me crazy, does anyone have any ideas of what this could be?
My Pool is shocking the Kids...
- Thread starter bradroberts
- Start date
First i would say no swimming until you figure it out.
Pools and equipment have a requirement for Equipotential Bonding, and I think you are talking about that, but multiple ground rods are not part of the system. I might suggest getting an elecrician who is knowledgeable in pool installations to check it out.
Check out article 680 of the National Electrical Code to see how it should be done. Properly bonded, you should never see a voltage difference between parts of the system.
http://www.mikeholt.com/download.ph...80_Pools_and_Similar_Installations_PART_2.pdf
Pools and equipment have a requirement for Equipotential Bonding, and I think you are talking about that, but multiple ground rods are not part of the system. I might suggest getting an elecrician who is knowledgeable in pool installations to check it out.
Check out article 680 of the National Electrical Code to see how it should be done. Properly bonded, you should never see a voltage difference between parts of the system.
http://www.mikeholt.com/download.ph...80_Pools_and_Similar_Installations_PART_2.pdf
Your swimming pool is not Bonded and you are experiencing electrical potential differences. This equipotential difference is what causes static electricty which is what's probably being experienced. You need to take care of that asap. It is a serious safety consideration.
If your pump were to short out, and the pool not be bonded, then as soon as you touch any metal part of the pool, it will be serious and dangerous situation.
Here is a pretty decent explanation of bonding and why.
http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/bl...hy-Handrails-Coping-and-Water-Could-Shock-You
If your pump were to short out, and the pool not be bonded, then as soon as you touch any metal part of the pool, it will be serious and dangerous situation.
Here is a pretty decent explanation of bonding and why.
http://www.riverpoolsandspas.com/bl...hy-Handrails-Coping-and-Water-Could-Shock-You
Most likely incorrect bonding of your pool, as mentioned above. But could be more serious.
A couple quick experiments:
1. Do you still see the 1-2 volts when you turn off the circuit breaker that feeds the pump?
2. Do you still see the 1-2 volts when you turn off all the circuit breakers to your entire house?
3. With all the circuit breakers off, do you see a voltage between the ground wire in a house outlet and the outer shield of a cable TV jack?
A friend of mine had a weird issue where he would get shocked when trying to connect a cable TV coax to a TV or modem. After a lot of investigation, it turned out that the electrical transformer for his neighborhood (the transformer that converts 25,000V to 240V to supply to the homes) was faulty, and was dumping significant voltage into the ground. This created voltage gradients in the soil throughout the neighborhood.
In any case, a visit from a qualified electrician, preferably one with swimming pool experience, is definitely needed ASAP.
A couple quick experiments:
1. Do you still see the 1-2 volts when you turn off the circuit breaker that feeds the pump?
2. Do you still see the 1-2 volts when you turn off all the circuit breakers to your entire house?
3. With all the circuit breakers off, do you see a voltage between the ground wire in a house outlet and the outer shield of a cable TV jack?
A friend of mine had a weird issue where he would get shocked when trying to connect a cable TV coax to a TV or modem. After a lot of investigation, it turned out that the electrical transformer for his neighborhood (the transformer that converts 25,000V to 240V to supply to the homes) was faulty, and was dumping significant voltage into the ground. This created voltage gradients in the soil throughout the neighborhood.
In any case, a visit from a qualified electrician, preferably one with swimming pool experience, is definitely needed ASAP.
I was going to say pretty much what Tom said
Get voltage reading then unplug stuff until the voltage drops. Atleast you will have the problem device identified.
Same technique I use with stray voltage on my saltwater fish tank.
Get voltage reading then unplug stuff until the voltage drops. Atleast you will have the problem device identified.
Same technique I use with stray voltage on my saltwater fish tank.
Pools aren't grounded, they are bonded. Multiple ground rods can make the problem worse. You should have a single wire connecting the lug on the pump, the coping in multiple places around the pool, the concrete decking via a metal grid, all hand rails and ladders, dive stand, slide base, heater, SWCG, light niche and anything else conductive within reach of a bather. Plus the water if you don't have anything else in contact with the water to take care of it.
I would always have either wire mesh or rebar in concrete to create a bonding grid in the deck. The lack of the grid is probably making the problem much worse than it otherwise would be.
Did you install the pool or did you have a pool builder do it?
Did you have a qualified electrician do the bonding and electrical work?
Did you have a building permit and pass all inspections?
Is this a salt water pool?
Did you install the pool or did you have a pool builder do it?
Did you have a qualified electrician do the bonding and electrical work?
Did you have a building permit and pass all inspections?
Is this a salt water pool?
Turn your main breaker to you house off and see if the voltage is still there. Make sure it is the main to the total house load not just the pool. Doing this will tell you is it is something at your house that is putting the voltage on the pool or maybe something off property doing it. It is likely as mentioned above that it could be coming from your neighbor's house or even the utility transformer. I have seen bad water heater elements from several house away cause this but the worst one I have dealt with we had to install a "Ronk Blocker" on our transformer to isolate the incoming neutral to eliminate the incoming voltage on the neutral. BTW I work for a public electric utility and at one time it was my job to investigate this kinda stuff along with a bunch of other stuff. You may have to get the utility involved and if so maybe they will pull your meter for you and let you check it that way.
8 replies with no response from the OP in over a week ... might be time to wait and see if the OP is going to come back before piling on.