Hello -- I am new to this forum and was hoping I could get some advice on pool bonding. I have a 23,000 gallon inground pool that was buit in the 1970s. I don't believe anything is bonded (I saw a video on how to test this with an analog multi-meter and wire -- and think I did it correctly). I have a metal ladder, metal light, and metal pump (the pump is about 6 feet away from the pool). The light niche doesn't have any metal in it and no lug that I can connect the #8 wire to (since there is no metal casing in the niche, I don't think that would do any good anyway). I recently replaced the light and am going to add a GFCI breaker (there were no GFCI breakers at all) and the conduit leading to the light. I used the grey rigid PVC non-metallic conduit from HD. Since there was no lug in the concrete niche, I just ran the 3 wires from the light, through the conduit (I haven't back-filled the ditch I dug for the conduit yet and there is still room in the conduit if I need to run another wire). Another thing is that I have a metal bar driven into the ground that sits next to my pump. I am thinking this is a grounding rod, but I have also seen in the forums that it could be a bonding rod. Since I don't believe anything is bonded, I am guessing it is a grounding rod. There is a solid copper piece (looks like a very thick solid wire) going from the pump to the rod. All of this leads me to my questions -
1. Do you believe that is a grounding rod that sits next to my pump, or a bonding rod?
2. I'm not sure if rebar was used in the construction or not, but if there was rebar and it isn't bonded, should I still try to bond the light, ladder, and pump? Or would that not do me any good because the rebar would have a different potential?
3. If yes, would I just run the #8 from the screw that is on the light, to the j-box and then run a #8 from the pump and ladder to the same j-box and connect all 3 to the green screw? FYI -- There is no J-box currently --- I would have to install one..
4. For the ladder, would I just cut the concrete and attach the #8 to he leg that goes into the concrete and run it to the jbox (underground)?
5. Do I need to run the #8 through conduit, or can I just run it in the earth?
6. Since the ladder steps are in the pool, would that also bond the water? (the light is obviously in the water too)..
7. I also read that when bonding a pool, there needed to be wire wrapped completely around the pool. Is that correct? Or, is that just for the rebar?
To recap: I'm trying to figure out if I should bond everything (I believe I should), and if so, will the ladder, pump and light be enough (without the rebar bonded). And, if I should bond them, what is the best way to go about doing so.
Any help/advise will be much appreciated!
Brian
1. Do you believe that is a grounding rod that sits next to my pump, or a bonding rod?
2. I'm not sure if rebar was used in the construction or not, but if there was rebar and it isn't bonded, should I still try to bond the light, ladder, and pump? Or would that not do me any good because the rebar would have a different potential?
3. If yes, would I just run the #8 from the screw that is on the light, to the j-box and then run a #8 from the pump and ladder to the same j-box and connect all 3 to the green screw? FYI -- There is no J-box currently --- I would have to install one..
4. For the ladder, would I just cut the concrete and attach the #8 to he leg that goes into the concrete and run it to the jbox (underground)?
5. Do I need to run the #8 through conduit, or can I just run it in the earth?
6. Since the ladder steps are in the pool, would that also bond the water? (the light is obviously in the water too)..
7. I also read that when bonding a pool, there needed to be wire wrapped completely around the pool. Is that correct? Or, is that just for the rebar?
To recap: I'm trying to figure out if I should bond everything (I believe I should), and if so, will the ladder, pump and light be enough (without the rebar bonded). And, if I should bond them, what is the best way to go about doing so.
Any help/advise will be much appreciated!
Brian