New equipment pad - bonding question

[26venus]

I'm planning to make the switch from toting bottles of liquid chlorine to a SWG and new variable speed pump this spring, while keeping my old sand filter. I plan to pour a new equipment pad for this...the original one is just barely large enough to fit everything on to. I want a little more room to maneuver around. My questions are about the bonding. There is a #8 solid wire that comes out of the ground right beside the existing pad that connects to the pump motor housing. When I break up the old pad should I expect to find a wire tied into the pad itself, considering there's either rebar or mesh within the pad? If so I want to remain conscious of that when I'm demoing the old pad. If not, should I tie into the existing wire and connect it to any metal reinforcement that goes into the new pad? Also, considering the location of the existing wire, when I pour the new pad the wire will basically be surrounded by concrete. Is that okay? should I put some type of protective sleeve over the section of wire that will be exposed to the concrete?

 

[jamjam]

not an expert but it is my understanding that the rebar of the equipment pad does not need to be bonded to the bonding grid (it certainly can) - what you need to bond is all equipment, all metal parts of the pool, anything metal within 5' of the pool and the ground surrounding the pool. The bare wire is fine being buried you don't need to protect it unless it is in an area that has a higher than expected chance of being damaged. All that matters for your new pad is that you have a bonding wire that connects to the existing bonding wire and connects to your equipment.

 

[Randrx2]

If you have rebar in your pad, that would be great. Then you can bond that rebar with the rest of the bonding. But unless it is within 5' of the pool, you do not have to. It will not hurt if you do bond it. You can sleeve the wire to help protect the wire or you can dig it up so it comes up outside the pad. But, having the wire come up through the concrete is not an issue. It is no different than the bonding done at the rebar of the pool. The copper wire has to poke out of the pool concrete somewhere.

 

[26venus]

Thanks guys. I appreciate you help!