Intex 32x16x52” AGP electrical questions

[Gvndual]

Ok, this is frustrating. I’m installing an Intex 16x32x52” Ultra Frame pool. It has a vinyl liner, metal braces to hold the thing up, and round metal “pipes” inside the top edge sleeve. NEC 680 is as dry as toast, so for an amateur, I can’t make heads or tails of it. So...
First, it looks like I can run romex inside PVC under the pool so long as it’s 12” deep (table 300.5, column 4 row 1). The electrician said it needs to be 18” deep. Who’s right?
Second, my city inspector is requiring a bonding loop. What the heck am I supposed to connect it to? Where the braces insert into the top edge pipes, the tips of the braces are encased in plastic, A, and B, Intex says nothing about it being bonded, and C, there’s no place on the braces to attach a wire. Arrgghhh.
Third, what is water bonding all about. Do I need to do it, and if so, how do you do it?
Fourth, NEC says the cord for the pump can’t be longer than 3’? Why’d Intex send me one that’s 10’ long?
Fifth, the pump exterior is completely plastic, no idea if it’s “double-insulated” (is it likely that it is?), and I see no bonding attachment, so how the blazes do I bond it?
Sixth, assuming I do need to run this goofy bonding cable around the pool, I’ve seen that it needs to be 4” deep or 6” deep. Which?
Seventh, we had a new 20amp breaker installed at the breaker panel specifically for the pool. Is the pool pump the only thing allowed on that circuit (which has a GFCI outlet on it immediately downstream from the cb and from which all the romex for the pool will be run).
Eighth, what else, in plain English, do I need to know?

 

[AggieBQ95]

You need to create a signature first so we know what kind of equipment you have. For instance, have you installed a skimmer? First, I am no electrician, but what i had planned was 18” for the electrical line as that is what I had read (btw, you did call 811 before digging, right?). With regards to the bonding, there are many recent threads about bonding AGP’s that you should be able to reference. Once again, knowing the details of your pool would help. My understanding is that removable pools (which Intex are usually considered) that are 42” or less do not require bonding.

We had a 30” Intex that was never bonded (mainly because I didn’t know about it); however, my understanding is if your Intex goes above 42”, some municipalities will require the bonding. Basically you bond the frame of the pool and the water to the ground (via the halo that goes all the way around the pool. Again, the details of how to do this are on other threads. What I am not sure of is how you would bond the water if you have not installed a skimmer, as that is where most AGP’s bond to the water.

Fill out your signature with your equipment and people will chime in.

Edit: I now see the size of the pool in your thread title -since it goes over 42, I think you will have to bond it.

 

[Gvndual]

I don’t know how to create a signature.

So the bonding is because of the depth? The only thing I see about depth is 680.2 Definitions for a Permanently Installed Pool defined, in part, by depths greater than 42”. Otherwise I don’t recall seeing anything in NEC 680 connecting those 2 issues. What I do see is 680.26 (B) (1) that says, “Vinyl liners...shall be considered to be nonconductive,” and 680.26 (B) (2), “For nonconductive pool shells, bonding at 4 points shall not be required.”

 

[danpik]

No, the bonding is to even out voltage gradients that WILL be around your pool. Most instances they are not noticeable but, in a lot of them they are. You will feel a tingle when you are standing on the ground and put your hand in the water, touching a metal component while getting out of the water, etc.

To address something else you mentioned. Romex type cables are not permitted in pool circuits weather they are in conduit or not. In fact most romex type cable is not code listed to be inside conduit. You need to run THWN wires inside the conduit with an insulated ground wire.

If the pump does not have a bonding lug then it most likely is a double insulated unit that does not need to be bonded.

As for the pool frame, I would ask your inspector what he wants to see. He ultimately has the final say as to what he wants to see. I have my opinions on these things but have been hesitant to say it due to the fact that we only try to give out code compliant info on this site.

Dan