Above ground pool installation over electrical service?

[philc]

As I am researching electrical installation to my pool, I saw in the NEC that an above ground pool should not be installed over buried electrical wires. The inference is that this applies to permanently installed pools and not temporary pools. Is there a safety reason for not installing a pool over the electrical supply to a house? If so, would that not also apply to a temporary pool installation?

 

[philc]

I am bumping this up to the top, hoping one of our knowledgeable members will chime in.

 

[Zrock]

A shot in the dark here is a above ground pool that has been built up with deck and other permanent objects around it.. compared to just putting the pool up with no additional decking or structure. This way it can be taken down fairly quickly in the case of electrical issue

 

[philc]

That is what I am thinking, or hoping. In the event the service needs to be maintained, I don't mind moving the pool, or paying to have the service re-routed.

 

[Zrock]

best thing would be go and talk to a local building inspector or city worker and ask for clarification

 

[CJadamec]

Any pool with 42" of water or greater is considered a permanent pool by the NEC. The problem with going over buried lines isn't servicing the lines it's a problem with electricity finding it's way into the pool.

 

[philc]

So as long as the water depth is less than 42 inches, the electricity can't find its way into the pool?

 

[CJadamec]

Electricity can find its way into a puddle if the conditions are right. The distinction here is permanent vs temporary in the eyes of the people who write the code book. Permanent implies prolonger multiyear use in the same spot with repeated splashing of water and gradual build of conductive salts and chemical residue from the pool water increasing the chances of finding the weak spot in any electrical conductor under or around the pool. A properly installed bonding grid, and proper site selection are the major defense against these types of issues.

A temporary pool is one they expect to only be there for a few months at a time then to be drained and removed. Chances are it might not get set up ever again and it might not go in the same spot. So some of the risks are negated. While there is no code rule stopping you from putting the pool over a known buried electrical line I'm not going to tell you its wise to do so either. Code is always bare minimum there is nothing say you can't go above and beyond the minimum.

Its all about hazard mitigation at some point you have to draw the line where the cost and effort to prevent the hazard far outweighs the risk presented by how something is intended to be used.

 

[philc]

Ok thank you for the explanation, that makes more sense.

With all that having been said, would I be better off bonding my pool in the usual fashion, or would I be providing a pathway for current from the buried electrical line, to get into my pool? I did bury the copper wire in the soil around the pool base, and did install bonding lugs on the pool frame legs, and a water bug in the skimmer........ Should I hook them up, or not?

 

[CJadamec]

If you are installing the pool that is in your signature you should be doing a full bonding loop no matter where you install it.

You shouldn't be installing over any buried electrical lines. You really shouldn't be installing a pool any where near a wire that isn't run fully encased in conduit and buried at least 6 inches down.

 

[philc]

Thanks CJadamec. I installed the pool 3 summers ago. I read on this forum about bonding loops wired to all the metal parts, water pumps etc, the water, the pool legs etc. , so I buried the bare 8 ga. copper wire loop after I leveled the site. I have not as yet connected all the metal pool parts to the bonding wire loop. So now I am thinking about stray electrical currents, and did not know if my bonding loop was a help or a hindrance as far as keeping the stray currents out of my pool. I did not know about avoiding buried electrical wires until I started running wires in conduit out to the pool pad, and started reading the NEC 2 weeks ago.

 

[CJadamec]

The wires you are concerned about are the feed for you pool equipment and they are installed in sealed conduit buried more than 6 inches?

The bonding loop is your single best defense against stray voltage in your pool.

 

[philc]

No the wires of concern are the buried wires that go from the transformer in my alley to the meter on my house. I am in the process of placing wires in conduit buried 18 inches down that go from my breaker panel in my home out to the pool pad.

 

[CJadamec]

The best advice I can give you is to not put your pool over the utility feed to your house.

Make sure to take care to install your bonding grid correctly.

 

[philc]

Thank you for your expertise and insight.