Hey guys I had a question about bonding your pool. My husband and I have differing opinions. Do you have to bond the pool and all surrounding metal components to the equipment pad along with all metal items on the equipment pad and then to ground. Or can you Bond and ground the pool separately from the equipment?
Bonding dilema
- Thread starter cteal
- Start date
CJadamec
TFP Expert
Bonding and grounding are two different things. In the US there is no connection at all between the bonding loop and the electrical ground system. So much so that the NEC excludes pool sub panels from needing a ground rod. A pool sub panel needs a 4 wire connection to the main panel in the house. All wires going to the main panel must be insulated including the ground wire. This requirement makes direct burial cable unacceptable for a pool power supply.
As Chuck said, bonding and grounding are two different things. However the NEC doesn't prohibit the bonding and grounding to be indirectly connected, but they may not be connected at all.
The pool and all the equipment and metal items larger than 9sqin that touches the pool water or is within 5' of the pool wall must be bonded to a single bond grid (loop). Which may or may not connect to the grounding grid. So that means that the pool and equipment have to be tied to the same bond loop.
Since the pool and pad equipment should be fed from the same sub (or main) panel they will be grounded to the same ground grid.
I hope that answers your question. Please post back if that just made it more confusing.
Bama rambler- that is just what I needed to know. Thank you. I was telling my husband that I thought the pool walls and metal items within 5 foot should be bonded and linked to the equipment pad and from there ground it . he wanted to bond the pool and ground it and bond the equipment pad and ground it. So, they would be separate. We have since dug another trench from the pool to the pad and will bond it together and then ground it. Thanks again.
- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,053
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Do you have an inspection as this is an inspection item? Many pools fail (including mine) for not proper bonding. My PB had to correct several items on the bonding grid.
If the equipment pad is over 5 feet from the pool (in my case well over 5 feet) can the pad bonding and pool bonding be separate?
CJadamec
TFP Expert
Here is a link to the 2014 NFPA section 680 done up by Mike Holt. This is the code that dictates how your pool should be wired and bonded.
The code never explicitly says to join the grounding and bonding systems together. It doesn't forbid them to be joined either be cause that is not practical. Virtually any pool pump that has a bonding lug will be a point for the bonding and grounding to be connected because the bonding and grounding lugs connect directly to the motor frame. The same is true if you have a heater.
This shouldn't be taken to mean that you should be connecting the two systems together every where you can or adding in parts to the system. The codes are fairly clear as to what should be bonded and what should be grounded. They are also very specific about the type, color, and size wire to do each of those things.
The code never explicitly says to join the grounding and bonding systems together. It doesn't forbid them to be joined either be cause that is not practical. Virtually any pool pump that has a bonding lug will be a point for the bonding and grounding to be connected because the bonding and grounding lugs connect directly to the motor frame. The same is true if you have a heater.
This shouldn't be taken to mean that you should be connecting the two systems together every where you can or adding in parts to the system. The codes are fairly clear as to what should be bonded and what should be grounded. They are also very specific about the type, color, and size wire to do each of those things.
In short, No.
The bonding grid has to be a continuous grid connecting everything that requires bonding. The whole purpose of the bonding loop is to keep everything at a single potential. If the pool and pad are separate loops, then they stand the possibility of being at different potentials, and therefore dangerous.
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