Bonding for sump pump? Help needed today

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Kat_TN

Member
Jul 10, 2019
15
Nashville, TN
Based on advice from this forum, we installed a French drain around our vinyl IG pool and a sump pump pit. The pit is about 3 feet away from edge of the pool and has a Zoeller sump pump (made of cast iron). I understand that it needs to be bonded but our electrician said that there is not a bonding nut on it so he doesn't know how to do it.

Help! We have to backfill today and not sure what to do about it. Can the copper wire just be screwed or somehow attached to any metal part of the sump pump? I tried to search the forum and nothing came up.

Thanks!
 
Interesting, most sump pumps are not left in the hole all the time and only used when the water level is high and you need to lower the water in the pool...

Therefore it would not need to be bonded to the system.. most of the time a cord is ran from the house to the sump pump and then lowered in, it is protected by GFCI.... I have not heard of anyone bonding a sump pump on a permanent install.. Are you also running power to it from your equipment pad? I am not saying bonding is or is not needed I just have not heard of anyone doing it..

If power is being run and this will be a permanent install I would drill and tap the pump on a leg or somewhere and connect the bonding wire and call it a day.. or at least run the bonding wire to the pump pit that way if you do figure out a way to install the wire to pump it is there.. :)
 
If necessary, you can use a brass nipple in the the threaded outlet and then add a bond clamp.

However, the pump might be considered to be "Temporary" and exempt from the bonding requirement as long as it can easily be removed.

Or, you can just drill a hole in the brass nipple and connect a bond lug to the nipple with a nut and bolt.

You can tap threads into the hole if you have a tap, but it's easier to just use a nut.

Don't drop the nut into the pump.

It does not matter if it leaks a tiny bit because the water just goes back in the hole.

Make sure that the pump is on a GFCI.

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@cowboycasey & @JamesW , thank you so much for fast replies.

We have a lot of torrential downpours causing flash flooding and very high ground water table. Mostly in spring and fall but we get some heavy rains in summer too. We also have clay so when it rains, water will happily find its way to the gravel overdig around the pool. Therefore, we want this pump to be in the ground somewhat permanently, mainly to protect vinyl liner from floating.
  • We built a large sump pump basin by using a commercial basin and then putting another one on top of this one upside down to extend it to ground level.
  • We will cut a hole at the top and use a cover with a latch so that the pump can be taken out and serviced.
  • We will use rigid PVC to bring downstream water to daylight in the back of the property. We'll use a union inside the sump pump pit so it can be easily disassembled.
  • The pump will plug into a GFCI outlet that electrician installed within couple feet of the pump.
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With all this in mind, what do you think about necessity of bonding the sump pump?

On another note, does this electrical outlet need to be bonded? Currently, it's not. The bonding wire goes all the way around the pool and connected to the pump on equipment pad.

Thank you!
 
I suspect that if it's considered to be permanent, it would need to be bonded.

Check with the local inspector on if they require the bonding as the inspector is the final authority on these things.

If you need to bond, I would probably do the brass nipple and attach a bond lug to the brass nipple.
 
@JamesW , thank you. Our inspector, strangely, said he could care less about inspecting bonding. He wanted only the final inspection with everything finished and they are more concerned about safety gates & latches. I guess they don’t care about us getting electrocuted. :LOL:

So pretty much all my bonding questions are for our own safety and peace of mind. Will go ahead and proceed with your suggestion. Better be safe than sorry.

Does the electric plug need to be bonded?
 
Where a permanently installed pool is installed, no fewer than one 125-volt, 15- or 20-ampere receptacle on a general-purpose branch circuit shall be located not less than 1.83 m (6 ft) from, and not more than 6.0 m (20 ft) from, the inside wall of the pool. This receptacle shall be located not more than 2.0 m (6 ft 6 in.) above the floor, platform, or grade level serving the pool.
Click to expand...

The outlet has to be more than 6 feet away from the pool wall.

It does not need to be bonded.

If something comes with a bond lug, bond it.

If something does not come with a bond lug, you typically do not need to bond it.
 
What type of decking are you planning to use?

Even if it's not required, I would recommend a wire mesh grid to surround the pool in the decking or under it.

ERICO POOLMESH250 EQUIPOTENTIAL MESH | Gordon Electric Supply, Inc.

ERICO POOLMESH250 EQUIPOTENTIAL MESH
www.gordonelectricsupply.com www.gordonelectricsupply.com

www.cmiwebsite.com

3′ WIDE X 100′ LONG COPPER EQUIPOTENTIAL BONDING GRID W/KIT <span> Case Qty. 1</span> - Consolidated Manufacturing

KIT INCLUDES 20 #8 SPLIT BOLTS, 16 METAL STAKES Case Qty. 1 AVAILABLE IN CUSTOM LENGTHS ; 50’. 125’, 150’, ETC.
www.cmiwebsite.com www.cmiwebsite.com

For a concrete deck, I would do regular steel wire mesh embedded in the concrete.

For pavers, I would consider going with a copper mesh.

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@JamesW , Thank you!

The outlet is 7 feet away from the pool wall so that's perfect.

We are going to install a paver deck and I was just looking into bonding requirements for it. We'll be pouring a bond beam to go under bullnose paver coping and, as far as I understand, it may be best to use rebar in it (even though many YouTube videos don't and just pour it). I'm guessing, if we use rebar, it will need to be bonded in at least 4 places around the pool. For the rest of the deck, we'll have a 6-8" compacted gravel base with 1" sand layer and will dry-lay the pavers.

Your advice is very appreciated!
 

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Kat_TN said:
I understand that it needs to be bonded but our electrician said that there is not a bonding nut on it so he doesn't know how to do it.
Click to expand...
This is a bit of an unusual setup and I am not sure about the bonding requirements.

I would want an electrician who knows pools to give the final ok on the installation before you power the sump pump just in case there is some issue that I might be missing.
 
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