Bonding of light niche

[orangepower10]

I am confused on the bonding of my light niche. I bonded the exterior lug with the 8 gauge wire to the exterior equipotential grid. This picture looks like there is a separate bonding inside the light. Is that one just part of the chord light or another bare copper wire? Which copper wire serves to bond the water to the grid? The housing is plastic if that matters.

 

[d_red1]

Are those the actual instructions for the light you are installing? I went back and read the instructions for my lights (Pentair Intellibrite 5G, 12V) and it makes no mention of needing an additional bonding wire inside the conduit if is used. I think those instructions are confusing bonding and grounding? The title of the figure mentions Grounding and the illustration seems to show a grounding wire going back to a common lug.

 

[bdavis466]

12V lights don't need the ground wire.

120V lights need an insulated #8 stranded ground wire that runs from the niche where it sealed with potting compound then runs on to the ground bar inside of the junction box.

 

[orangepower10]

Where does the insulated copper wire connect to and what is it’s purpose?

 

[ajw22]

Is this a 12V or 120V light?

Is the niche plastic or metal?

You are asking about the green ground wire or the bare copper bonding wire?

 

[bdavis466]

wet niche forming shell.JPG

• bdavis466
• Aug 20, 2019

 

[orangepower10]

120 volt plastic shell. We bonded the back of the housing to grid and already ran light wire which has a ground in it. My understanding is there is supposed to be another 8 gauge insulated wire bonded inside the niche and ran through conduit to some type of junction box. The problem is conduit is already covered with dirt and I can’t pull the light wire out. I think I’ve read the insulated wire is for some type of dissipating electricity within conduit. Am I out of luck? There’s no way for me to run this extra wire where I need it to go.

 

[JamesW]

The wire is a supplemental ground wire. It's required by code. Why can't it be installed? Are you building the pool yourself? Is an electrician doing anything? Do you have a permit? Are you required to get inspections?

 

[orangepower10]

Yes building pool by myself. No permit. No electrician has done any work yet. Not required to get inspections. Ive already ran the conduit and it is covered up to pools edge with rock and dirt. It would require an extreme amount of work to dig everything up and run a new line. I made a U vertically outside of niche as to keep water flow from coming all the way up to breaker box. Problem is now I can't pull any wire through. Not sure I would be able to pull the insulated 8 gauge wire through anyways. Had no clue about this 3rd wire until after the fact. Bad news for me. What are my options?

Additionally I had left some slack in the housing (to be able to change lamp later) but upon looking inside at this bonding lug I realized the slack is gone so thats a problem as well.

 

[JamesW]

You probably need to have an electrician advise you at this point. You should do everything to code for safety. It is what it is. If you have to dig it up, you have to dig it up.

 

[ajw22]

Code says you run the conduit from the niche to a junction box, then conduit from the junction box to the breaker panel. Junction box is required to be a certain height above the water level. That provides an air gap and prevents water from flowing to breaker panel.

You really should redo the light wiring to meet safety codes. In addition if you can’t pull wire through you will not be able to replace the light when it inevitably fails. With the junction box it should be an easy pull.

pool light wiring

• ajw22
• Aug 20, 2019

 

[JamesW]

It sounds like you have exceeded the limit of the amount of bends allowed in the conduit.

How did you get the light cord pulled in the first place if the conduit is so convoluted that you can't pull it out?

Also, note that the U isn't going to stop water from filling the conduit. Unless the U went above the water line, the water would go right past it.

 

[d_red1]

Sounds like you got a bit of re-work and correcting to do. Is it possible to dig up the U and carefully cut it out with the wire inside, remove the wire and splice the conduit back together without a U? Or, you may just want to dig up the U, sacrifice the existing light and wire, cut out the U and wire, splice the conduit and install a junction box to code height and location. Then re-pull an new light wire and the required 8gauge wire together

 

[Cincicobra]

You definitely need to get that "U" out of there regardless of what you do before you cover it with concrete. When it's time to replace your light down there road you will be SOL if you don't.

The insulated Green wire bonds the niche to the required junction box where the light is powered from. Old builds used metal conduit to perform that function, but with the use of pvc the green wire is necessary to keep the J box properly bonded with the niche and grid.

 

[orangepower10]

Thanks for the advice. Got it dug up and pulled out. The U is above water line. We ran it as we put it together and glued as we went. Running a new conduit to junction box today without U. Read on mike holts website that the 8 gauge insulated wire can be stranded. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[bdavis466]

It can be stranded and probably should be so it's easier to pull

 

[JamesW]

I would recommend stranded, green, #8.

 

[orangepower10]

Does the insulated ground connect in junction box or breaker box?

 

[orangepower10]

Pic

 

[JamesW]

Junction box.

The power from the breaker box to the switch to the junction box should have a black (power), white (neutral) and green (ground).

So, there will be the #8 green ground from niche to the junction box and a ground from the breaker box to the switch to the junction box.

There will also be a ground in the light cord that will also attach to the junction box.