Grounding and Bonding an in ground pool

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A

Aquaman7

Well-known member
Sep 15, 2019
502
NJ
Pool Size
21000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Hello everyone,

I’m in the process of planning to install an vinyl inground polymer pool.
In reference to bonding I know that anything metal within 5’ of the pools edge and all pumps, anode and the heater must be bonded with #8 wire. Does the bond wire start and end at the pump? Does it matter where it starts and ends as long as it’s a loo
Also how do I ground the pool?

Thank you,
Joe
 
Aquaman7 said:
Hello everyone,

I’m in the process of planning to install an vinyl inground polymer pool.
In reference to bonding I know that anything metal within 5’ of the pools edge and all pumps, anode and the heater must be bonded with #8 wire. Does the bond wire start and end at the pump? Does it matter where it starts and ends as long as it’s a loo
Also how do I ground the pool?

Thank you,
Joe
Click to expand...

Bonding does not need to start and end at any point or be a loop. #8 bare wire needs to electrically connect all items bonded.

The water needs to be electrically bonded. Since 2008 NEC Section 680.26(C) mandates that pool water must be electrically bonded. Specifically, a water bond:

  • Must consist of at least nine square inches of conductive material
  • Shall be in contact with the water 24/7, whether the circulation system is running or not
  • Connector (lug) must be unable to “back off” at any time

Read...

www.c-m-p.com

The Essential Guide to Pool Water Bonding Basics - CMP

The number one concern of any pool installer must be safety. This is the essential guide to keeping a pool safe by following NEC pool bonding guidelines.
www.c-m-p.com www.c-m-p.com


Pools do not get grounded.

www.troublefreepool.com

Bonding vs Grounding

Electricity and water don't mix. Learn a few basic tips how to keep your family safe when dealing with electricity around your pool.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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Since your pool is a polymer structure with a vinyl liner it's considered non-conductive, so you need to be concerned with perimeter bonding, water bonding, conductive, and electrical equipment bonding.

While the code doesn't call out a bonding loop per sé, it says that the bond wire shall follow the contour of the pool, so that pretty much makes it a loop. To me, making it a loop is a good plan as it maintains the bonding effectiveness in case the bond wire gets inadvertently cut at some point.
 
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If you have aluminum or metal coping, each piece needs to be connected to the bonding grid.

Any concrete deck should contain metal rebar or metal mesh and the metal should be connected to the bonding grid at multiple places.

Ladder or handrail anchor cups should be bonded.

Any light niches should be bonded unless they qualify for an exemption.

Anything that comes with a bonding lug should be bonded.

You should consult with a qualified electrician to help you design and install the electrical work.
 
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Rob, aj, Bama and James You guys have been very helpful. Thank you!

Being that this is a saltwater pool, the walls will be polymer and as will the light niche. How can I bond the water? Normally it’s the metal niche that grounds the water. In this situation there is none. I understand to meet water bonding requirements the bond must be in contact with the water even if the pump is off. How can I accomplish this?

When grounding the pool, is it a #8 bare copper wire the is attached to the bonding grid with a split bolt and to the service panel?

Thanks for any info.
Joe
 
What exact light niche do you have?

Even polymer niches sometimes have a metal strip that functions as the water bond.

Does the niche have the metal strip?

Note that you don't "ground" the pool.

You do run a ground wire from the main panel to the subpanel ground bus and a ground wire from the subpanel ground bus to any electrical equipment that comes with a ground lug.

Ground lugs are different from bond lugs.

Ground lugs are usually inside equipment housings and bond lugs are usually outside equipment housings.
 
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I’m in the early stages of planning for a pool so I don’t have any equipment yet but I assumed that in a saltwater pool with polymer panels that the light niche would also be polymer, but you mentioned the metal strip which makes sense. Thank you for the clarification.

The only electrical equipment I will have is a pump and SWG. This is all that needs to be grounded?

So the bonding loop does not come into contact with the ground wire? It’s totally separate?
 
Aquaman7 said:
When grounding the pool, is it a #8 bare copper wire the is attached to the bonding grid with a split bolt and to the service panel?
Click to expand...

Pools are not grounded. Electrical equipment is grounded to the subpanel with a #12 green insulated wire.

Bonding is done with #8 bare wire and is not attached to any ground lugs or wires.
 
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You don't intentionally connect the ground to the bonding grid.

However, they do end up in indirect contact through the metal frame of various pieces of equipment that have a ground lug and a bond lug.

Anything that has a ground lug should be grounded.

Anything that has a bond lug should be bonded.
 
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Aquaman7 said:
The only electrical equipment I will have is a pump and SWG. This is all that needs to be grounded?
Click to expand...

Both the pump and the SWG will have power wires and a ground wire to it. The ground wire conencts to the ground bar int he subpanel.

Both should be on GFCI CBs.

Aquaman7 said:
So the bonding loop does not come into contact with the ground wire? It’s totally separate?
Click to expand...

Bonding and grounding are separate systems for different purposes. Read...

www.troublefreepool.com

Bonding vs Grounding

Electricity and water don't mix. Learn a few basic tips how to keep your family safe when dealing with electricity around your pool.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
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For a new pool, I recommend that you get a variable speed pump and an automation box with included SWG and subpanel.

Without an automation box, you will have to buy a SWG and a timer, which ends up being relatively close to the cost of an automation box anyway.

Install the automation box with subpanel and SWG included.

Run power to the subpanel from the house main panel. 4 wires, red (hot), black (hot), white (neutral) and green (ground).

Anticipate any future power needs such as a heat pump and size the wire accordingly.

Install circuit breakers in the subpanel to supply power to the equipment.

What brand of equipment are you considering?

Will you want a heat pump or gas heater in the future?
 
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Thank you aj and James for clearing that up for me.

I’m considering the intelliflo VS pump and the Pentair Quad DE Filter 60. The pool will be 11k gallons, vinyl, inground.

I would like to get the intellichlor IC20 combo but it doesn’t get a great grade here

CircuPool RJ-20 PLUS Saltwater Chlorinator | Discount Salt Pool.

I was thinking to go with the Circupool RJ20. Which has a much higher rating the intellichlor.

Any thoughts or experiences?
 
So I’ve read to stick with the same manufacture to avoid communication problems. so I’m leaning towards a Easy touch 8 with an SWG. Intellichlor IC 20.
 
Thank you aj and James for clearing that up for me.

I’m considering the intelliflo VS pump and the Pentair Quad DE Filter 60. The pool will be 11k gallons, vinyl, inground.

I would like to get the intellichlor IC20 combo but it doesn’t get a great grade here

CircuPool RJ-20 PLUS Saltwater Chlorinator | Discount Salt Pool.

I was thinking to go with the Circupool RJ20. Which has a much higher rating the intellichlor.

Any thoughts or experiences?
 
A big cartridge filter has the least amount of resistance to flow. So, you can run the pump at a slower speed and still get good flow.

A DE filter is an ok choice, but I would give the edge to the cartridge filter.
 
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