M.Acid Feeder with SWG

[Jacspill]

Have you tested your fill water yet? I wonder how high the CH is in the fill.


All the pool equipment should be tied together with a bond wire. Do you see a big fat bare copper wire going from gizmo to gizmo? Or is this a reeeaaally old pool.

pool is from the 60s - no bare wire in sight... that said i have an underwater lamp with a metal housing so maybe that serves as the connection with the water, should this be grounded to the main panel or just to the other pool equipments?

Looks like my filll water CH is 200 and last time I measured the pool water (before refill) CH was 900

 

[Stoopalini]

pool is from the 60s - no bare wire in sight... that said i have an underwater lamp with a metal housing so maybe that serves as the connection with the water, should this be grounded to the main panel or just to the other pool equipments?

I'm not sure on the answer to your question, but bonding and grounding are two different things. Check this for a good overview on the purposes of each

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

 

[Jacspill]

thanks, I've been reading about grounding and bonding for the past hour and freaking out that my pool is unsafe (even though we haven't had an issue in the 8 years we've been using it).
plumbing used to be copper 1.5" and we had things changed out for PVC 2" when installing a new pump and filter.
I took my multimeter out to the pool, here is what I know seems to be connected together when testing conduction:
very little resistance (0hm) when:

• connecting underwater pool light ground (disconnected temporarily) and pump bounding connector (even though I just realized the bounding wire coming off the pump has been cutout)
• connecting underwater pool light ground (disconnected temporarily) and main metal conduit coming from the main panel.

less than 5 Ohms resistance when:

• plunging both legs of the multimeter in the water
• connecting water to main conduit coming from main panel
• connecting water to underwater pool light ground (disconnected temporarily)

so, from what it looks like, everything seems to be grounded together and there is conductivity between the water and all the grounds.
I suspect the old copper plumbing was acting as the bonding system and the pump bonding lug used to be connected to it.
Of course the guys that replaced the plumbing didn't know about bonding...
I have nothing metal near the pool or in the water.
What other test should I be conducting? Is it worth having an electrician come out and inspect?

other conductivity tests I did:
I have small copper or brass drain covers that I installed around the pool concrete deck to drain the splash water out.

• The conductivity between these plates and the water measures at around 10 Ohms
• The conductivity between the plates and the electrical ground also measures at 10 Ohms

Does this proves there is a proper bonding?
I guess the only thing left is where do I connect the pump and SWG bonding to?

 

[Jacspill]

I've called an Electrician, I think I realize now that the pool needs to be checked for compliance. I can't believe none of the inspectors said anything about it when we bought the house 8 years ago. For safety, I disconnected the underwater pool light (it's not connected to a GFI!) and at least made sure that all the devices are bonded together (my Pentair solar touch doesn't seem to have a bonding lug though).
When measuring conductivity between the pool water and the electrical ground it seems like they are connected (even when I disconnect the pool light ground wire) but I have no idea how.

 

[red-beard]

My salt level was 1000 ppm after only 3.5 months from a drain and refill.

On the CH level, you may want to further lower it. SWG life is hurt by higher CH.

Water Balance for SWGs

Saltwater pools are becoming more and more popular. We discuss How salt generators work and water balance tips for SWGs to run them.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Jacspill]

1000 ppm? you mean you are not using a SWG?

 

[Jacspill]

From the city of LA report, CH should be around 80 ppm, I measured it at 200 using TF-100 kit. Does this mean my measurement is not accurate?
I bought a refill kit for the TF-100 in April, products should still be good right?
My pool water measures at CH 650 ppm today, this is odd since I had it at 520 last week...

 

[Dirk]

I've spoken to electricians that had no idea what pool bonding really meant, and worse, pretended to. Be sure your electrician specializes in pool electrical systems, or find one that does. Bonding is a big deal. It protects your swimmers from differences in voltage potential from one component of your yard and pool to another. It gets sticky because that voltage potential can come from anywhere. So no matter how well all your house and yard are wired, a problem at a neighbor's house or out in the street or wherever can cause a problem at your pool, at any time. Bonding will eliminate the potential danger to swimmers from all those possible sources.

I'm glad to hear you're taking this seriously, and that you're bringing in a pro. Well done.

 

[mknauss]

From the city of LA report, CH should be around 80 ppm, I measured it at 200 using TF-100 kit. Does this mean my measurement is not accurate?

I suspect it depends where the LADWP gets their water at the time you test it. Aqueduct water would be lower CH than Colorado River water. I would trust your testing. Your reagents are fine if that new.