Permanent pools must be bonded. Essentially all concrete/gunite, metal, equipment, and the ground around the pool must all be connected with a bonding grid of wire. Storable pools such as Intex pools are exempted from this bonding requirement. They have a few other safety requirements for equipment that permanent pools do not have because of this bonding exemption. If you use equipment that rated for permanent pools on a storable pool, the pool is now considered permanent and must be bonded as a permanent pool.
Yes, Intex does make SWCG specifically for Intex pools. However they don't have a reputation for lasting long, and the output is minimal, likely requiring almost 24/7 pump running to produce enough chlorine, which would be wasteful. The use of the Intex SWCG would not require my pool to be bonded, since it is designed for storable pools. However if I got a SWCG I'd really like to follow the oversize guidelines recommended by TFP members and get a big beefy unit that would only require 3-6 hours of running a day and which would last 5-7 years before electrode replacement. None of these units are made for storable pools though.
Ok, I think I understand the grounding part which means attaching a grounding wire to all electrically conductive parts. According to the NEC, non conductive components do not need to be grounded.
(1) Conductive Pool Shells.
"Bonding to conductive pool shells shall be provided as specified in 680.26(B)(1)(a) or (B)(1)(b).
Poured concrete, pneumatically applied or sprayed concrete, and concrete block with painted or plastered coatings shall all be considered
conductive materials due to water permeability and porosity. Vinyl liners and fiberglass composite shells shall be considered to be nonconductive materials.
Yes, the vinyl liner is not conductive, but my Intex pool has 56 metal supports, half vertical, half horizontal. They are all connected by plastic joints, not joined like on a hard-walled permanent pool. According to my electrical inspector, all would have to be connected to the ground bonding grid...a somewhat laborious undertaking.
I was still planning on doing it, then upgrading our pump and adding a heater, but then the barn our camper and boat were stored in burned down, and we decided to put our money to a new (upgraded) camper instead of upgrading the pool this year. So maybe next year...
A couple of my experiences with "inspectors"
I wanted to add a lighting fixture in my yard. And according to the code, I can use direct burial wire, which I bougt (no conduit required). There is always some yard work being done so I decided to stick the direct buriel wire in conduit.(This is over and above the code). The "inspector" then said I cannot put direct burial cable in conduit and he made me take it out. Then I put regular wiring in the conduit, and he apporved it. However, the conduit was thin wall conduit which is not supposed to be burried and now I am actually in violation of the code.
On another occasion an inspector deemed that my ground(earth)wire in the breaker box needed to be replaced because of cracking insulation (!!!). For good measure I had it done by an electrician who replaced that wire with a BARE wire.....Approved.
So draw your conclusion about these "inspectors"
I worked for forty years on electronic medical equipment where code requirements are a little more stringent than swimming pools., and which are semi-annually inspected by state inspectors, who can shut a medical center down.
