Bonding of light niche

[bdavis466]

Does that ground wire in the panel go to a grounding rod or is that your bond wire?

 

[kadavis]

Don't forget to encapsulate the junction inside the niche. AquaBond Pool Light Potting Compound | Wet Niche Potting Compound

 

[orangepower10]

Separate question but does the bonding grid of all the metal structures within 5 feet of the pool get connected to a ground rod? I've read about 10 different threads discussing this and people give different answers.

I ran a copper wire around the entire pool and bonded it to the metal liner track and rebar under decking. Ive been told that is sufficient. I've also been told to run the bonding wire to pump and connect everything together (The pump is not within 5 feet of the pool.

The only grounding rod I have right now is for the breaker panel and I was planning on running a separate wire from my pump (it's metal) and salt housing (also metal) into that grounding rod. Do I need a separate grounding rod for the pool grid?

 

[JamesW]

You don't deliberately connect the bond wire to the ground.

Do connect the bond wire to any equipment that has a bond lug.

Pumps have to be connected to the bonding grid because they are electrical equipment that is part of the circulation system per NEC.

Any electrical equipment that has a bond lug will also have a ground lug.

So, the bond wire/grid will be connected to the ground though equipment housings.

 

[orangepower10]

So just run a jumper from the rebar over to the lug on the pump? Read something about a double insulated pump being prohibited from connecting to bonding grid. What does that mean?

 

[JamesW]

If you have an inground pool, the pump should have a ground lug.

What pump do you have?

You run the bond wire to the pump from the bond wire around the pool.

 

[orangepower10]

Hayward ecostar variable speed. It has a lug on the outside. My aqua rite salt chlorinator has a lug too so I guess it would just go to both of them. Where should it end?

 

[JamesW]

Bond everything with a bond lug. It ends when everything is bonded.

 

[jimmythegreek]

all the pool equipment gets bonded, pump, heater, aquarite, etc. only filter doesnt get one. this is regardless of distance of pool. the light needs the bare #8 to outside lug to the UL approved Jbox outside lug. inside the ground bar is tied to the bonding lug anyway this is where your ground from light cord goes AND a #8 stranded insulated extra ground that terminates to the metal plate inside the light niche. this then gets 3M potting compound to protect the connection from chemicals, and this is also your water bond. if your pool is filled you must drain down to lower part of the light to do the potting, dont skimp that step the lug will corrode in a few years and you wont have a water bond any longer. In the US if you follow the NEC code there is no ground rod attachment of the bonding wire. I see you posted mike holts guide page, its the bible to pool installers follow it carefully. if you have any questions ask away, the electric is NOT to be short cut for any reason, loved ones lives are at stake

 

[JamesW]

I ran a copper wire around the entire pool and bonded it to the metal liner track and rebar under decking.

The metal liner track comes in several pieces. Every piece has to be bonded. You can use connectors at the joints to create a continuous connection between all the pieces or you can connect the bond wire individually to each piece.

The deck rebar should be connected to the bond wire at at least 4 points evenly spaced around the pool.

 

[jimmythegreek]

^^^ yes good point. if this is a composite pool you need continuous run thru the liner track

 

[orangepower10]

thanks for advice. What I have done so far:

#8 copper wire bonded to every piece of liner track
4 jumpers from liner track to rebar
1 jumper from liner track which goes through pool pump and terminates at aqua rite housing
The light has conduit running the light wire and the insulated stranded #8 copper wire to junction box

Only thing that I think I might have wrong is that the #8 bare wire on back of plastic niche is a jumper that is tied into the bare wire going around liner track. I don’t have the #8 bare wire from back of niche going to junction box.

Is that one wire connected to back niche supposed to be by itself going to junction box or connected to the rest of grid?

 

[orangepower10]

Does that ground wire in the panel go to a grounding rod or is that your bond wire?

Goes to ground rod.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

Ground wires can be stranded and sized appropriately for the current draw of the other wires. Bonding wires have to be solid #8 or larger (smaller gauge).

Mike Holt's website happens to have the 2017 code sample chapter the one on pools. Take a look at that...

 

[orangepower10]

Ground wires can be stranded and sized appropriately for the current draw of the other wires. Bonding wires have to be solid #8 or larger (smaller gauge).

Mike Holt's website happens to have the 2017 code sample chapter the one on pools. Take a look at that...

Sorry I'm not following what you're meaning. I used 8 gauge solid wire for the bonding and the 8 gauge insulated stranded wire from inside the niche is a separate type of ground I believe. It's going to the junction box.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

A ground wire is not a bond wire and a bond wire is not a ground wire, even though ultimately they can be and usually should be at the same potential.

Bonding makes sure that the parts of the pool are at the same potential, including the decking, but that does not have to be ground potential. It could be that the pool, the water and the deck are 500v above ground potential but if they are all the same then when you get out of the pool and step onto the deck there is 0v potential difference to zap you.

A ground wire is earth grounded (at one end! Or you get loops and potential differences.) Now yes, my pool is bonded to the pump but then it's grounded from there to the panel. Making them at the same potential. But if the ground wire was to break, the pool should still be safe because everything is bonded together. Hopefully that should explain it better.

Ground wires can be stranded. Bond wires have to be solid. That's code. Like I said pick up that sample chapter and read it. Even if you don't understand why it is how you have to do it...

 

[JamesW]

Only thing that I think I might have wrong is that the #8 bare wire on back of plastic niche is a jumper that is tied into the bare wire going around liner track. I don’t have the #8 bare wire from back of niche going to junction box.

It's not required to bond the junction box if it is more than 5 feet away from the pool. If the junction box has an external bond lug, then I would bond it to the bond wire. If it's more than 5 feet from the pool and does not have a bond lug, I would not worry about connecting it to the bond wire.

The junction box is bonded to the bond wire anyway by the #8 ground from the inside of the niche to the inside ground lug in the junction box.

 

[Rattus Suffocatus]

I should add that five feet away requirement is correct. The theory is that you can't reach that far away accidentally anyway to get to a differing potential if it exists. It seems confusing but the code is actually pretty straightforward if you read it. Not only does the Holt site have it for free but you can get the actual NEC code from the NFPA for free too if you sign up for a free account. It's worth reading one or the other if you are doing this sort of work anyway because it is the official guide to doing it correctly.

 

[orangepower10]

Does the pool pump and salt chlorinator get bonded into the grid as well? This picture seems to indicate so but many people have told me not to do that. Which is correct?

 

[JamesW]

Bond the pump and the salt chlorinator and anything that comes with a bond lug.

Electrical equipment. Metal parts of electrical equipment associated with the pool water circulating system, including pump motors and metal parts of equipment associated with pool covers, including electric motors, shall be bonded.