Bonding Question - 16x48 ABG with Heat Pump

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M

mcutugno

I have been reading the first 4-5 pages of search results in this forum regarding bonding "temporary" pools and so far do not have a clear answer or understanding.

I have run a 16x48 Summer Waves pool with an Intex Sand filter for the past few seasons. This is attached to a 12/3 extension cord to a GFCI outlet (as many of us do). This year, I got tired of the solar cover and small solar heaters so invested in a heat pump that has a standard 120v plug. Link below.
fibropool.com

FibroPool FH120 Above Ground Swimming Pool Heat Pump -

120 Volt, 60Hz, 10A draw Built in 8 foot long power cable with standard USA plug Suitable for pools up to 7500 gallons in coastal climates Plug into an GFCI protected outlet
fibropool.com fibropool.com

Now, there is a bonding lug on the heater and I am concerned that this should be bonded. The Intex pump has no way to attach a bonding cable and there seems to be an unclear consensus on the board as to if it is possible or necessary to bond the powder coated metal frames of these pools. The ladder I have in the pool is not metal and there are no lights.

Picture of equipment below (the valves control flow to the solar heaters and intex sprinkler). Again, both of these are connected to a tested and functional GFCI outlet.

What is the recommended course of action for this setup? I have this pool up for only the summer months and then store it.

1591281315906.png
 
To be clear, I would like to bond the pool but am trying to figure out how. The pool is sitting on foam insulation on top of pavers so I cannot bury a cable around the pool. Also, the legs are powder coated and the ladder is plastic.

Does it make sense or help to bond only the pool water (via the skimmer) and the heat pump together? I am coming to the conclusion that Intex pumps cannot be bonded per reading other threads.
 
Yes, plumbing needs work and the goal is to hard plumb everything once it’s easier to make a trip to Home Depot.

For the time being, I am cutting the power to the heater when we swim.

I would like to bond the pool. The question is how? ... considering I cannot bury a copper cable as the pool is on pavers. Does it help to bond the water, heater, and some of the frame... or is it ok to run the copper cable around the pool (not buried).

Thanks.
 
Hi, MC. Have you searched this forum for “bonding”? There are a bunch of threads discussing this. There are some pretty knowledgeable members on this subject... I‘m going to try to track one down for you.
 
The wrinkle here is your 16'x48" pool does not meet the NEC definition of:

Storable Swimming Pool, or Storable/Portable Spas and Hot Tubs.Swimming, wading, or immersion pools intended to be stored when not in use, constructed on or above the ground and are capable of holding water to a maximum depth of 42 in., or a pool, spa, or hot tub constructed on or above the ground, with nonmetallic, molded polymeric walls or inflatable fabric walls regardless of dimension.

and it does not look like it has nonmetallic, molded polymeric walls or inflatable fabric walls. So bonding codes apply to the pool.

On the other hand you used a pump that is double insulated with a 25' cord with a plug made for a storable pool. So the Intex pump cannot be bonded.

Other aspects of bonding an AGP are described in Electrical Bonding - Further Reading and you can find more detail in https://www.mikeholt.com/instructor2/img/product/pdf/17UND2-1483-sample.pdf

Does your pool need to pass a code inspection or are you doing the bonding for safety?
 
Thank you kellyfair and ajw22 for jumping in to help out here. Reading through the links provided now.

To answer some of the questions above, I have read a ton on bonding from the other posts on here. I have also read the NEC code and a few other sites on the topic. What I gathered is this:
  • The Intex pump that I have is "double insulated" and does not need to be bonded.
  • The heat pump that I have installed has a bonding lug and should be bonded.
  • Bonding the pool would consist of connecting a plate in the skimmer (to bond the water), the heat pump, and four uprights at equidistant points around the pool.
  • It would also require a halo of 8 gauge copper wire to be run around the pool 12-18' away and buried... while making connections with 4 uprights.
Now the issues/questions:
  • The pool sits on top of a carpet and foam insulation boards to cancel out the slope of the yard away from my house (gotta stay level).
  • I cannot bury copper wire, but only put it under this carpet (which gets wet and would touch this copper wire).
  • The uprights and frame are powder coated and connected with plastic pins. They are not conductive as tested with a multimeter. How would I attach bonding wire to it (scrape off paint?)
  • Would bonding the pool heater, water, and pool frame in 1 place offer any protection (and not make the full loop)?
While I figure these things out, what I am doing is simply cutting the power to the heater when we go in the pool. The question around bonding are purely for safety as I do not have an inspection to worry about.

Thanks for your advice.
 
The expectation is you drill holes in four uprights and attach bonding lugs. Then you need to rustproof those holes.

The bonding wire would be around the pool under the carpet. Then the bonding loop is attached to the water bonding plate and the heater.

The purpose of the bonding grid is to keep everything that can possibly carry electrical current at the same equi-potential. In that way even if there are stray electrical currents in the ground they don;t shock anyone.

Either do it right or don't bother doing it at all. The bonding grid must be properly constructed for it to serve its purpose.
 
Ok. Thank you ajw22. That makes sense, my hold up was not knowing if having the cable unburied and closer to the pool than the 12-18” would still be effective or if it was more dangerous because it would be wet at times.
 
ajw22 said:
The expectation is you drill holes in four uprights and attach bonding lugs. Then you need to rustproof those holes.

The bonding wire would be around the pool under the carpet. Then the bonding loop is attached to the water bonding plate and the heater.

The purpose of the bonding grid is to keep everything that can possibly carry electrical current at the same equi-potential. In that way even if there are stray electrical currents in the ground they don;t shock anyone.

Either do it right or don't bother doing it at all. The bonding grid must be properly constructed for it to serve its purpose.
Click to expand...
No you have me worried. I did the loop, heater and water for my pool. The pump is double insulated and the frame just isn't feasible to properly bond with all the many pieces and plastic inserts. There are 18 legs alone! I was under the impression that some is better than none.
 

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There is no requirement that those pools be manufactured to be easily bonded. It is left up to the installer to figure out how to meet any bonding requirements.

If you have conductive surfaces within 5 feet of the pool that can be touched it should be part of the bonding grid. When you have a mix of bonded and unbonded conductive surfaces within that circle then the bonding safety protection has not been achieved.
 
Where does that leave us with the legs for these pools? If we attach to only 4 points around the pool, does that not leave the other legs outside the bonding loop since the frame is not necessary conductive (coating and plastic connectors).
 
mcutugno said:
Where does that leave us with the legs for these pools? If we attach to only 4 points around the pool, does that not leave the other legs outside the bonding loop since the frame is not necessary conductive (coating and plastic connectors).
Click to expand...

It’s a bonding problem in the pool design.
 
So what kind of heater do you have, and do you run it with the pool occupied? I plan to continue cutting power to mine even after I do the bonding and connect at four points... since we can’t really be sure everything is bonded effectively.
 
mcutugno said:
So what kind of heater do you have, and do you run it with the pool occupied? I plan to continue cutting power to mine even after I do the bonding and connect at four points... since we can’t really be sure everything is bonded effectively.
Click to expand...
I have a NG heater, I typically on run it overnight to maintain temps.
 
mcutugno said:
So what kind of heater do you have, and do you run it with the pool occupied? I plan to continue cutting power to mine even after I do the bonding and connect at four points... since we can’t really be sure everything is bonded effectively.
Click to expand...

Cutting the power to the heater can't hurt other then wear out the CB however it does nothing for what equipotential bonding looks to prevent.

Equipotential Bonding

This definition explains the meaning of Equipotential Bonding (EPB) and why it matters.
www.safeopedia.com www.safeopedia.com

electrical-engineering-portal.com

What is the purpose of equipotential bonding? | EEP

Equipotential bonding is essentially an electrical connection maintaining various exposed conductive parts at substantially the same potential.
electrical-engineering-portal.com electrical-engineering-portal.com

iaeimagazine.org

Taking the Mystery Out of Equipotential Bonding Requirements for Swimming Pools - IAEI Magazine

Perhaps nowhere in the NEC is this mystery more prevalent than at 680.26 dealing with equipotential bonding for swimming pools and similar installations.
iaeimagazine.org iaeimagazine.org
 
sammckin said:
The question remains in my mind. Is it an all or nothing type situation? By the time I drill and connect 30 pieces that make up the frame I'm afraid the pool will collapse!
Click to expand...

I would not do that unless required by an inspector.
 
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