Pool light - code question for wiring between j-box and breaker

[SingleMalt]

Brief history: The junction box for my pool light was not up to code when I bought the house 2 years ago. Specifically, the box was at water level, and water was actually dripping from the j-box. I've had the breaker to the light turned off since I moved in, and recently decided to fix it up.

The easy part was adding 8 inches of galvanized pipe to both the pool light conduit as well as the supply side conduit from the breaker panel.

I was able to push some of the extra wire on the light housing (fortunately there was plenty of slack back there) into the conduit behind the niche, and also pull it out of the conduit at the j-box. Pushing and pulling a few times gave me the 10 inches of slack I need to accommodate the new 8 inches of conduit. I'm well aware that splicing that wire would not be up to code and also not a good idea for my health, so fortunately there was enough slack to not have to install a whole new housing.

My problem is that there is not enough slack in the wires between the breaker and the j-box to pull 10 inches through. In fact there is zero slack. So my choices are either 1) splice the supply wire at the j-box or 2) pull all new un-spliced wires through that conduit. #2 is probably doable with lots of lube, but still a PITA.

Which brings me to my question. Is it within code to have a splice in the supply wire? The breaker/j-box conduit is not flooded like the j-box/light conduit so water ingress/shorts should not be an issue. And as I look at the wires running in the breaker/j-box conduit they are not encased in a rubber sheath either, whereas the wires in the j-box/light conduit are encased in a sheath to protect against water exposure.

Thanks!

 

[PoolStored]

Splices are permitted in conduit bodies that are legibly marked by the manufacturer with their volume and the maximum number of conductors permitted in a conduit body is limited in accordance with 314.16(B) [314.16(C)(2)].

You will have to insert a conduit body in the conduit run that meets the volume and marking in 314.16.

Additionally, if you do this, there are requirements for conductors entering bodies in 314.17.

It would be best to leave as is and pull a new wire.

 

[SingleMalt]

Thank you for the response. I think it is probably easier to install a conduit body in the place where I installed the 8 inch galvanized pipe riser and splice wire extensions there, than it would be to either run new conduit/wires or to try to pull new wires through the existing conduit.

I was just checking in to make sure there wasn't something special in the code regarding pool lights and j-boxes. I know that there are specific rules on the j-box/housing side of things - no splices due to that conduit being flooded. Seems like the j-box/panel conduit just follows regular NEC rules.

 

[nuttyp]

The easy part was adding 8 inches of galvanized pipe to both the pool light conduit as well as the supply side conduit from the breaker panel.

I hope you threaded and sealed the conduit extension. I thought I read someplace in NEC code (probably 680) that the conduit itself must be contiguous without joints - and contractors duly complaining about same. But I never heard of splicing wire into a "conduit body" either, so "what do I know?". I guess I would never splice wire in a conduit no matter what the code says.

My problem is that there is not enough slack in the wires between the breaker and the j-box to pull 10 inches through. In fact there is zero slack. So my choices are either 1) splice the supply wire at the j-box or 2) pull all new un-spliced wires through that conduit. #2 is probably doable with lots of lube, but still a PITA.

The wire from the light/niche usually has a #8 minimum bonding wire in the mix, so I can't quite figure how you got 10" extra out of it. Also, if you shortened the extra coiled wire in the niche, you may have broken the code about leaving enough slack for the luminaire to be raised to deck level for service.

Or else - I'm all wet on all of it!

 

[SingleMalt]

Yes, my conduit extension is threaded and sealed. Most of the conduit, from both the niche and from the breaker, is underground. And while both runs take a 90 degree turn to meet up at the j-box, I am unsure if those are gentle curves or right angle joins. Given that the conduit is galvanized steel, I'm guessing right angle joins.

My wiring from the niche only consists of the wires from the light housing: hot, neutral, & ground. The wires in the other conduit from the breaker do include the bonding wire, in addition to hot, neutral, and ground. That bonding wire and the two grounds are electrically connected at the j-box; there are three posts on the j-box's metal base that each of those wires gets connected to.

After I pushed those 10 inches of wire through the conduit, I did confirm that the housing can still be brought up to the deck for service. I was lucky I guess that there was a plethora of extra wire in the niche. Lucky, given the code violations of the j-box that started this whole journey - one would have expected more bad things.

 

[nuttyp]

I see, good clarifications, thanks. Assuming you have a metal niche and metal luminaire (and/or ring), it must be bonded with #8. At build time they are supposed to make a permanent connection with a #8 bond wire to the structure/grid, which would be underground and in concrete. But they usually (I guess not always) bring a #8 from the niche up to the J-box to be clamped down onto those posts (a small buss grounding bar) along with, as you say, the ground wires from luminaire & supply side. So it might be wise to run a quick test to ensure the niche is bonded to the grid. For example with all wires disconnected in the J-box test resistance from the niche to the nearest bonding wire that is known to connect to all devices on the equipment pad - should be near zero ohms. The nearest might be that same bond wire coming from the "breaker" so long as you know it's bonded also to equipment (pump, heater, etc). And if you also know there is zero ohms from the luminaire ground wire to the niche, the test might be as simple as testing between that disconnected luminaire ground wire and the bond wire from the breaker. While you're at it you could test to any other metal within 5 feet of the pool (ladders, rails, etc). If it sounds like overkill it's just that we've seen many folks getting "tingles" shocks from equipment that isn't bonded, a sign of risk for worse things down the road.

As you suspect the rigid conduit has some right angle joins, I can understand why you're reluctant to try to pull new wire. I wasn't aware there's even a way of making such a right angle join underground and still pull the wire (or seal a right angle connector underground for that matter). More inexperience possibly on my part. In case you're interested in the bigger picture, here's a fun video by Mike Holt. Happy wiring!

 

[SingleMalt]

Thanks for the advice. I'll watch that Mike Holt video and do some ground testing and report back later.