Stray Voltage in Pool

[gamerfan2004]

@spencia98gt

I'm currently having a strange voltage issue at my pool as well. Were you able to resolve the issue?

 

[spencia98gt]

@spencia98gt

I'm currently having a strange voltage issue at my pool as well. Were you able to resolve the issue?

No not yet. Just had my concrete trench cut around the pool this week and I just installed a new bonding wire around the entire thing. They will be back tomorrow to fill in the trench with concrete. I do have a question though. Does the bo ding wire need to be touching the dirt and the concrete once poured? I ask because I used 6 gauge thick wire so it’s hard to get it to lay perfectly flat on the dirt. There are areas where it just floats in the air but want to make sure that’s ok. Wasn’t sure if the dirt is the most important thing it’s touching or that it just needs to be inside the concrete?

 

[duckcmmndr]

No not yet. Just had my concrete trench cut around the pool this week and I just installed a new bonding wire around the entire thing. They will be back tomorrow to fill in the trench with concrete. I do have a question though. Does the bo ding wire need to be touching the dirt and the concrete once poured? I ask because I used 6 gauge thick wire so it’s hard to get it to lay perfectly flat on the dirt. There are areas where it just floats in the air but want to make sure that’s ok. Wasn’t sure if the dirt is the most important thing it’s touching or that it just needs to be inside the concrete?

It needs to attach to your pool at 4 points (coping), pool light niches, pool handrail anchors, pool ladder anchors, and to the rebar or re-enforcing wire in the concrete if present...then back to the pump equipment. The wire itself can be in the dirt in places and in the concrete in places and that's perfectly fine as long it it is connected to all the important things along the path.

 

[spencia98gt]

It needs to attach to your pool at 4 points (coping), pool light niches, pool handrail anchors, pool ladder anchors, and to the rebar or re-enforcing wire in the concrete if present...then back to the pump equipment. The wire itself can be in the dirt in places and in the concrete in places and that's perfectly fine as long it it is connected to all the important things along the path.

So previously there was no rebar in the concrete decking but they just added these dowels today before they poured concrete back in the trench. Now these are just individual pieces that aren’t tied together so does my bonding wire need to attach to some of them now?

 

[duckcmmndr]

View attachment 357848
So previously there was no rebar in the concrete decking but they just added these dowels today before they poured concrete back in the trench. Now these are just individual pieces that aren’t tied together so does my bonding wire need to attach to some of them now?

Since that is not a grid through out the existing deck...I don't think it will matter. Might not hurt to tie it to some of them just to help hold it up in the concrete in a few places. I wonder since that is a separate trench if the concrete on both sides will conduct the same as that fresh poured strip? What are you doing about bonding the pool coping and fixtures? You might have been better off cutting this trench right at the pool say 1.5' all the way around rather than some distance back from the edge.

I would hate to be in your situation. I know myself pretty good and I can promise if I found myself in this situation, I would tear up every square inch of concrete and do it the way it is supposed to be done.

 

[JamesW]

No not yet.

Can you put an oscilloscope on the place where you are getting voltage so that we can see the waveform, frequency and voltage?

Here are some readings from a different poster with the same problem.

*Shallow end, being shocked when grabbing railing*

The issue: When entering or exiting the pool through the shallow end, and you grab the railing you are feeling like you are being shocked. This is not happening anywhere else in the pool. The deep-end ladder isn't demonstrating this issue. Info: The pool was built in 2003 and is bonded with a...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Bperry]

View attachment 357848
So previously there was no rebar in the concrete decking but they just added these dowels today before they poured concrete back in the trench. Now these are just individual pieces that aren’t tied together so does my bonding wire need to attach to some of them now?

Are you able to test and see if you can be shocked when standing on the concrete before filling it in? Maybe bond the wire to the rebar dowels in a couple spots to check if your solution is going to work?

 

[gamerfan2004]

I have a feeling I will need to cut into my decking as well I truly hope this resolves your issue. My thread has become a mystery novel because of the stray voltage issue.....190 posts and climbing

 

[Poolbreh]

I just bought a house with an in ground pool this year and we just recently got it up and running and converted it to salt water. First day we swam in it a couple of children said they were getting shocked when we turned the pool light on. So we turned of the breaker to the light and they were still getting shocked and we realized the ground wire to the light was getting hot somehow and putting voltage into the water even when the breaker was off. So we disconnected the light all together and boom the issue was solved or so I thought. About a week later I was getting shocked by the steps. I can only feel it if I have a small cut on my finger and I’m touching wet concrete with my other hand. I checked with a voltage tester and it was showing 2.5 volts just near the steps. I tested near the light again and was getting 0 volts. Which is strange I figured it would travel across the whole pool if it was in the water right? The other strange fact is that I get 2.5 volts when putting the red wire in the pool and the black wire on the wet concrete but if I run a ground wire from the ground outside of the concrete over to the edge of the pool and touch it the voltage dropped down to .5? Is my concrete getting a charge somehow? Is it possible whatever was affecting the pool light ground wire is causing this as well? I’ve heard about improper bonding which might be the issue but can that be fixed without ripping out the concrete. How do I know if it’s bonded correctly? There is a copper wire that runs from the pool equipment into the ground but who knows where it goes from there. The other weird thing is that I’ve checked the water for the past 6 days and gotten 0 voltage but then I checked it tonight and it was back up to 2.5 volts. I even turned off the breaker to the entire house and it’s still at 2.5 volts. I will note I live on 15 acres with my power line coming in pretty close to my pool. I figured I would call the power company tomorrow’s to see if maybe there is grounding issue at the power pool which is only about 50-75ft from the edge of my pool concrete. Pool is probably 30 years old and I have no idea if this was an issue with the previous homeowner as well or not because he said he didn’t use the pool the last 2 seasons. Maybe this was why! But I also never tested it before the salt system was installed either. Sorry I know this is long winded but wanted to be sure to give all the details. I’ve seen lots of older stories like this but never seem to find any answers or fixes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I just bought a house with an in ground pool this year and we just recently got it up and running and converted it to salt water. First day we swam in it a couple of children said they were getting shocked when we turned the pool light on. So we turned of the breaker to the light and they were still getting shocked and we realized the ground wire to the light was getting hot somehow and putting voltage into the water even when the breaker was off. So we disconnected the light all together and boom the issue was solved or so I thought. About a week later I was getting shocked by the steps. I can only feel it if I have a small cut on my finger and I’m touching wet concrete with my other hand. I checked with a voltage tester and it was showing 2.5 volts just near the steps. I tested near the light again and was getting 0 volts. Which is strange I figured it would travel across the whole pool if it was in the water right? The other strange fact is that I get 2.5 volts when putting the red wire in the pool and the black wire on the wet concrete but if I run a ground wire from the ground outside of the concrete over to the edge of the pool and touch it the voltage dropped down to .5? Is my concrete getting a charge somehow? Is it possible whatever was affecting the pool light ground wire is causing this as well? I’ve heard about improper bonding which might be the issue but can that be fixed without ripping out the concrete. How do I know if it’s bonded correctly? There is a copper wire that runs from the pool equipment into the ground but who knows where it goes from there. The other weird thing is that I’ve checked the water for the past 6 days and gotten 0 voltage but then I checked it tonight and it was back up to 2.5 volts. I even turned off the breaker to the entire house and it’s still at 2.5 volts. I will note I live on 15 acres with my power line coming in pretty close to my pool. I figured I would call the power company tomorrow’s to see if maybe there is grounding issue at the power pool which is only about 50-75ft from the edge of my pool concrete. Pool is probably 30 years old and I have no idea if this was an issue with the previous homeowner as well or not because he said he didn’t use the pool the last 2 seasons. Maybe this was why! But I also never tested it before the salt system was installed either. Sorry I know this is long winded but wanted to be sure to give all the details. I’ve seen lots of older stories like this but never seem to find any answers or fixes. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

That sounds super scary man, have you checked your breaker ground terminal to see if you get the 2.5v with everything off? It could be traveling to your light junction box Through ground and traveling down the copper conduit into the pool. Sorry didn’t scroll all the way down to see you were tearing up your deck. I know the electric company said everything is good but I feel there is a ground fault on their grid That’s traveling back through the ground wire into the junction box and if the conduit is copper back to the pool.

 

[Bperry]

Also a silly question, but if it really only happens at the ladder perhaps ditching the ladder might also be part of the solution?

 

[ajw22]

Also a silly question, but if it really only happens at the ladder perhaps ditching the ladder might also be part of the solution?

Confirm the ladder is not providing the water bond before removing it.

 

[spencia98gt]

Since that is not a grid through out the existing deck...I don't think it will matter. Might not hurt to tie it to some of them just to help hold it up in the concrete in a few places. I wonder since that is a separate trench if the concrete on both sides will conduct the same as that fresh poured strip? What are you doing about bonding the pool coping and fixtures? You might have been better off cutting this trench right at the pool say 1.5' all the way around rather than some distance back from the edge.

I would hate to be in your situation. I know myself pretty good and I can promise if I found myself in this situation, I would tear up every square inch of concrete and do it the way it is supposed to be done.

Well I think you were correct to wonder about the new concrete and old concrete not conducting the same. I finally got my trench refilled a few days ago and start doing readings again today. Unfortunately I was feeling a tiny shock when I touched the old concrete coping but when I touched the new trench I didn’t feel anything….I feel like something definitely changed for the positive though because before anytime I had the bonding wire connected to the pool light there was always 2.5 volts in the water near the light. Tonight it was only at .2 volts but it was enough for me to barely feel it. I disconnected it just to test and the voltage went up to .4 but I could feel the shock more and when I touched the new concrete it was an even bigger shock. That tells me that the light is actually bonding the water as it should but I think it’s the difference of the old and new concrete not conducting the same. I’m now at my wits end. I think I may have been better to rip out the first 2-3ft including the coping and go from there. I probably should have just ripped it all up. I feel like I just wasted $4k now….