Bonding a pump motor without a bonding lug.

[Kchamb1206]

This is my first post, hope I'm in the right forum. My township informs me I have to bond the above ground pool in my back yard. After doing a lot of reading I think it's a good idea, required or not. The pool is a 16 footer with a pump upgraded to an Intex EC15110-1 sand/saltwater system. It works great, but the pump is a plastic enclosed system and does not have an external bonding lug. Does anyone know of a way to include this motor into the bonding grid? By the NEC codes, does it need to be, or is it isolated by it's construction? If I bond the pool water by using one of those strainer plug bonding devices in the strainer plug hole would I be bonding the pump too? I tried contacting Intex figuring they had to have been asked this one but couldn't find a place to aske a question like this.

Ken

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I believe those pumps are double insulated, so there is no need to bond them ... this is true of many above ground pumps that just plug into a wall socket.

 

[Kchamb1206]

Thanks for the quick reply Jason. So if the motor fails, the grounding lead would trip the GFI breaking the current so as not to energize anything else on the grid?

 

[jblizzle]

Honestly, I have no idea how the "double insulated" works

But the pump should certainly be on a GFCI wall outlet.

 

[danpik]

A double insulated device is constructed as to have no exposed components that can be conductive in the case of an electrical failure (short) in the unit. If it is double insulated, it will/should have a designation on the data tag or in the owners manual stating this. If this is the case with this pump then there is no requirement to have it part of the bonding grid for the pool.

Dan

 

[JohnT]

While you are doing the wiring, run the bond wire to the pump site. That way if you ever want to replace the pump with one that requires bonding you are ready to go.

 

[JamesW]

Exception: Metal parts of listed equipment incorporating an approved system of double insulation are not required to be bonded to the equipotential grid.
(a) Double-Insulated Water Pump Motors. Where a double-insulated water pump motor is installed, a solid 8 AWG copper conductor from the bonding grid must be provided
for a replacement motor.

Check to see if the pump is listed as double insulated. If it is double insulated, you don't have to bond it but you do have to provide a bond wire that can be used if a replacement motor is installed that is not double insulated.

If the motor is double insulated, it might not have a bond lug. If it does have a bond lug, connect it to the bonding grid.

 

[cfherrman]

Old power tool with metal case, current can travel through the case, requires ground wire

New power tool with plastic case, current can't travel through the case, no ground wire.

This is the difference with single/double insulated, same with pool pumps.

 

[Bama Rambler]

The double insulated symbol is two squares, one inside the other. If the pump is double insulated it should have this symbol or should have the words Double Insulated on the data label.