I’ve been getting off and on stray current in my pool for a few months now that I’m aware of. Just moved in earlier this year. I was all but positive it was a bonding issue until yesterday. Whenever my light was connected to the ground wire there was always current near the light. So when I disconnected it the current was gone. But then I started checking other parts of the pool and I was getting current at different times of the day. So for peace of mind I ran a whole new line from the main panel to my sub panel, installed new gfci breakers as there weren’t any previously, and ran a new line to the light. To much dismay I got the same results. Immediate voltage in the water when I connected the light ground wire and went away when I disconnected. So could there be a hot neutral coming into the main bus that could be sending current to all my grounds but it’s only noticeable in the water? Also could a hot ground going to the pump cause current in the water only sometimes? It has nothing to do on whether the pump is running or not. I’m going to test it today and when I detect current in the water I’m going to try disconnecting all of the equipment and see if it goes away. Forgot to mention that previously I had turned off all the breakers and was still getting current but I hadn’t tried disconnecting the equipment all together yet except for the light.
Current In Water
- Thread starter spencia98gt
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Plettschner
Gold Supporter
Sure sounds like a bonding issue (not a grounding issue).
Get a pool electrician out there ASAP. Don't fool with it.
Get a pool electrician out there ASAP. Don't fool with it.
Plettschner
Gold Supporter
I’m going to guess that when you disconnect everything, the problem will still be there. But it depends on what kind of voltage you’re reading. Did you measure because you felt a shock or because you’re curious?
Orion7319
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He was having issues before.
Stray Voltage in Pool
if there are metal sleeves where the ladder was supposed to be then that was probably part of the bonding that is no longer there... Try running a copper wire from the ladder sleeve down into the pool and see what you get...
www.troublefreepool.com
Orion7319
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Your best bet is to have a licensed electrician come out and try and figure out what’s going on.
Ah, I remember that.He was having issues before.
Stray Voltage in Pool
if there are metal sleeves where the ladder was supposed to be then that was probably part of the bonding that is no longer there... Try running a copper wire from the ladder sleeve down into the pool and see what you get...
I’ve had 4 different “pool” electricians come out and no one can figure it out and I’m frankly getting tired of paying $100-$150 an hour for nothing. Yes the kids were getting shocked while sticking their hands in the water one day and I’m only able to feel it when touching the wet concrete and touching the water with day a cut on my finger. I check the voltage by sticking one lead in the water and the other on the wet concrete. When it’s there it’s anywhere from 1.5-4.5 volts. So today I did confirm that when I disconnect the main ground wire coming into my sub panel the voltage goes away immediately. It was always doing that by the light if I disconnected the light from the ground but today I was getting voltage by the steps with the light disconnect but the pump and booster pump were still connected so I disconnected the ground from the panel and the voltage went away. I tried leaving the main ground wire connected and just disconnect the sub panel from the grounding rod but that did nothing. What could be going on with the grounding wire? I honestly don’t think this is a bonding issue because the voltage wouldn’t go away when I disconnected the ground pool f it was a bo ding issue would it? I also tried disconnecting the neutral and leaving the ground connected and that did nothing. The voltage only goes away when I completely disconnect the ground coming into the sub panel. Sorry for the long novel but I’ve got to get this fixed. Help!!! My last electrician last words to me were “I’m truly stumped” after I told him all of this.
Orion7319
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Hopefully one of the licensed electricians chimes in. It’s really bizarre that 4 electricians couldn’t figure it out. How old is the house? My house was built in the 60’s and I can’t make heads or tails of half of what I see with it’s electrical system. It’s kind of lame of them for charging you when they can’t figure it out.
It’s odd that disconnecting ground makes the voltage go away. Also interesting that it goes away when disconnecting the equipment at the pad. Definitely points to equipment and maybe not just stray earth voltage buildup. Are you able to disconnect all three wires on that light and remove that from the system?
House was built in 1975 I believe and I agree the wiring is all over the place. Yes when I completely disconnect the light from everything the voltage is 0 anywhere near the light but it comes and goes in other areas around the pool but when I disconnect the ground from the panel the voltage is 0 everywhere. Also when I just connect the hot and neutral for the light there is no voltage at all. It’s only when the ground is connected. And yes very lame that I keep getting charged. They do find other things they say are wrong but none of it has fixed this problem. And half of them say what the other one did was wrong….I’m pushing $1000 for electricians so far and I still can’t use my pool. Not sure if I mentioned but I ran a whole new line from the main panel out to the pool and installed a new sub panel with all new gfci breakers just to rule out old wires being compromised in the ground somewhere.
Orion7319
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It sounds super frustrating that’s for sure. I’m not an electrician by any means, so my knowledge here is very limited so take it with a grain of salt. I believe it’s the case that the bonding and the grounds are mostly likely going to be connected somewhere in the system. I found a thread in another forum where someone several posts down explains it quite well. I also know that codes have changed a lot since our old pools were installed. I was told my pool is bonded but according to 1970s rules. I don’t think my concrete deck is bonded.
Swimming Pool Bonding and Ground Connections
My family is in the process of contracting out in-ground swimming pool. Although we are using subcontractors and everything is inspected, I personally want to make sure all electrical bonding and grounding is completed correctly. With that being said, I understand that all electrical equipment...
forums.mikeholt.com
I’ve already priced out cutting a trench in my concrete all the way around the pool and installing a new bonding grid just to be safe. All of the pool equipment is bonded together and then the bonding wire goes under ground and who knows what it does from there. I’d say my pool is at least 30 years old so I don’t know if it’s bonded to today’s standards or not. I just need someone to confirm that it is definitely still a bonding issue even though the current goes away when the ground is disconnected?? I’m under the impression that the 2 aren’t related so that why I would hate to pay $4k to cut concrete and install a. We grid if the problem is still going to exist when my ground is connected. The current is pretty much there every day at some point so if I was to leave everything off and disconnect the ground for day 72 hrs and if there was no voltage ever in the water would that prove it is or isn’t a bonding issue??
Orion7319
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I’m not sure. I would think though that if your bonding wire was broken or disconnected somewhere you could check it with a continuity tester or something. That is of course if you could find the two ends of the bond wire that is.
EDIT. I found this article that explains how to easily test your bonding grid. (Link says you are being redirected for some reason)
How to Test a Swimming Pool Bonding Grid
As electrical-related pool accidents spike, it's imperative that pool pros check the safety of their pool wiring. Here's a simple way to do so.
aquamagazine.com
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@spencia98gt , I hope your electricians already did this, but have you found the other end of the ground wire that removes the current when disconnected? I presume it would be in the main panel; make sure it's truly tied to ground and not mistakenly to neutral.
My thoughts are that there could be a bonding issue in your main panel at your house. This would explain why the voltage goes away when you remove the ground wire to your sub-panel.
I’m no electrician but aren’t grounds and neutrals all connected to the same bus in the main?
Ok what does bonding at the main panel look like? This is the first I’ve heard of this.
Orion7319
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Yes that’s where it all gets confusing when your not an electrician. You bond the neutral to the ground somewhere, you can have neutrals and grounds tied to the same bus bar in the main panel( I think) and your pool bonding grid is also going to inevitably be tied into that somehow. Add to that when your house is old all of that gets even more confusing as they sometimes would do all that somewhat different then today. I know you have had 4 “pool” electricians come out, but I think you need a competent electrician to come out and look at your entire system.
I'm no electrician either, but I have personally encountered a problem which was solved by moving a white neutral wire from the ground bus to the neutral bus. I had a GFCI breaker which kept tripping. Opening the panel revealed the misplaced neutral wire (installed by my PB's "electrician"). Moving it to the neutral bus solved the problem 100%.
So in my ignorance, I believe that voltage differential can be present even when my mental model says different wires should be at the same potential.