Bonding Aluminum Coping

[drimacdaddy]

Hi. A little background...after converting my pool to SWG in 2013, my pool developed a 1 - 1.5 volt potential difference between the Aluminum coping, ladders, and the pool itself. To troubleshoot, I mechanically disconnected all power from the pump, SWG, and light...the voltage remained. The local power company came out to determine if there was an underground power leak. After disconnecting my transformer and two of the neighbors transformers, they could find nothing. They cleaned, and replaced several ground connections and bonding connections, but they found nothing.

Three years later, the 1 - 1.5 volt shock remains. I took care of the ladder issues by replacing my stainless with polymer ladders. The only remaining point of shock is the aluminum coping. My plan is to remove sufficient concrete from the coping, to attach a copper grounding wire to the coping with a stainless bolt, cover the connection with silicone, patch the concrete, and connect this wire to the bonding wire from the pool. As a last step, I'll mechanically join each section of coping with stainless screws.

Thoughts? I don't see that I have any other options short of tearing out all of the decking, and having the bonding redone.

 

[gwegan]

So you have a voltage differential at the pool even with the main house power turned off. And the PC could find nothing. Not fun.


Don't use a stainless bolt and don't cover with silicone. Use either a split bolt or a clamp. Bury directly in concrete or mortar.

Shop Blackburn 0.235-in Copper Split Bolt at Lowes.com

Shop Blackburn 2-Count Copper Lugs at Lowes.com

Shop PRO-FLEX Brass CSST Bonding Clamp at Lowes.com



So another suggestion is to get a saw cutter and cut a line around the pool about 3 to 4 inches beyond the coping and put a #8 bare copper wire in there and tie it to the coping and to a water bond in the skimmer for example. Try and make it look decorative. The copper line only has to be an inch or so deep in the deck. Backfill with mortar. That should give you a reasonable deck bond under the circumstances any should eliminate the voltage differential. If it were me I would have two water bonds and two copper lines around the pool in the deck because you have an existing voltage differential.
Tying the deck to the water is the most important thing you can do.

 

[Leslie790]

Hi. A little background...after converting my pool to SWG in 2013, my pool developed a 1 - 1.5 volt potential difference between the Aluminum coping, ladders, and the pool itself. To troubleshoot, I mechanically disconnected all power from the pump, SWG, and light...the voltage remained. The local power company came out to determine if there was an underground power leak. After disconnecting my transformer and two of the neighbors transformers, they could find nothing. They cleaned, and replaced several ground connections and bonding connections, but they found nothing.

Three years later, the 1 - 1.5 volt shock remains. I took care of the ladder issues by replacing my stainless with polymer ladders. The only remaining point of shock is the aluminum coping. My plan is to remove sufficient concrete from the coping, to attach a copper grounding wire to the coping with a stainless bolt, cover the connection with silicone, patch the concrete, and connect this wire to the bonding wire from the pool. As a last step, I'll mechanically join each section of coping with stainless screws.

Thoughts? I don't see that I have any other options short of tearing out all of the decking, and having the bonding redone.

Hi. Did you ever fix this bonding issue? We have the same problem. Tingling at aluminum coping (vinyl pool) and handrail. About to spend 8,000 to have pool builder rip up 18-24 inches of concrete all around pools edge so the bonding can all be redone (25 yr old pool) Of course this requires new coping since ripping out the concrete also removed the coping. Let me know how your’e doing either way. It’s a stressful predicament to be in.