Im hooking up a submersible pump for a small pond.Im going to get power from a security light on a telephone pole next to pond.I plan on installing a gfci rec. at base of pole on a switch.Is this a safe way of doing this and what type of cord can i use to put under water? thanks

John,

Welcome!
Your idea sounds Ok, make sure to get a "weatherproof in use" cover (bubble cover - it covers the plug)

The pump should be coming with it's own cord and plug already.

Bill

ty bill.

If your pump does not come prewired, check Art. 310-8(c) for appropriate types permitted by NEC.

Thanks warren,shall be of type listed for use in wet locations.Finally i get some real use out of this computer.

What would 16/3 sjtw cord that says water resistant on it be classified as ?The pump came with this on it,and i need to make the cord longer so i can get it to my gfci.Would sjtw that says water resitant on it be ok for under water?Called graybar and 2 other places and they say i need under water wire,but why does this submergible pump come from the factory with sjtw on it and a cord end on it? HELP

[This message has been edited by johnd24 (edited 07-12-2001).]

John,

The problem in touching the cord is that it is sealed at the pump end now. Water cannot get into the area where the 'juice' is. If you remove it you will probably not be able to ensure that water cannot get in. How long is the cord? And how much is underwater? Can you put the GFCI closer?

Bill

The cord is 8 foot long ...it has a pecker head on it,where the float switch is located,the pump motor itself is sealed.I need 40 feet to get to the bank of the pond.I thought of leaving the 8 foot cord on there and splicing under water but ...that would probably fail..so i thought if i got the same cord that came with the pump i could extend it to the bank.Thepecker head has a rubber gasket on it and a 3/8 inch cord grip.sjtw is what id like to use.

You'll probably blow the U.L. rating of the pump with such a long cord I would imagine.

I still am not clear on whether you could locate a receptacle beside the pond and plug in the 8' cord.

I would probably bury 12-2G UF as far as I could go and then place a receptacle.

As for splicing the cord, I would probably try 14 AWG cord, StaCon heat shrinks, and heat shrink a tube over the whole splice. My theory is that if the splice leaks, the GFCI should trip. Test weekly. Test your smoke detector every week too just like the directions say.

If your pond is plastic, I would make some provision to provide a ground such as bending a piece of copper pipe over the side at an inconspicous location.

John,

I wouldn't recommend replacing the cable. I don't see how you can keep water out unless there is some provision there where you can put in some potting compound to seal things up again. That would depend on the type of pump you've got. How big is this pond?

Does anyone know if a pond is considered a decorative fountain? I don't have a code book but I think 10 foot is the maximum exposed cord length allowed on submerged equipment in a fountain (680-51)and cords must be permanently attached rather than run to a dry location and plugged in (680-56). A potted submersible junction box may be one option.

Phil H

The pond is probably 80 + 100 feet.the punp is being put in the middle of pond to circulate the water.It will have a fountain type hose on it.I plan on getting 14/3 sjtw cord and put it in pvc from my gfi to the bank of the pond ,and then lay it on the bottom of the pond till i got to the pump.The pecker head has a rubber gasket on it ,and the motor it self is sealed,i plan on using marine grade sealer to seal pecker head.

Im ready to bail from this job i already told the home owner that it could leak and that im not going to buy a new pump when this qiuts working.He purchased a heavy duty sump pump and thinks its going to be submerged like a well pump.Its theses little no brainers that give me ulcers when dealing with homeowners. he he

John,

You have had me scratching my head here because you started off sayng that it was a small pond. Not your fault, I was picturing a small goldfish pond that someone puts in a plastic insert in the ground and fills with water.

2 things, is a sump pump even made to be submerged? They're supposed to pump well before it gets submerged.

The other thing, why not a fountain? Many Condominium complexes and golf Courses etc I've seen have floating fountains in them. The pumps are made so that a cord of any length can be attached and then the connections get sealed by pouring in some plastic resin or such. That sounds like what you need. If they don't want a fountain maybe you can let it hang down from an innertube so that it is below the surface but not touching bottom. and make sure that it has an adequate screen to keep out debris.
It would still be floating and could be easily pulled to shore for service.

Bill

Some sump pumps are submersible. But I imagine that the intended depth is only three feet or so. I've seen them with a battery-powered backup pump sitting on top of them.

We had some electrical safetly training for the labs here at work. The instructor claimed that the number two cause of electrocutions at home was sump pumps. (Number one was conductive ladders.)

I wouldn't alter any factory wiring arrangement at the pump. I agree with Dspark that installing a GFCI receptacle adjacent to the pond is the right thing to do. Makes sense because the cord is only eight feet long. Could the pump sit close to the edge of the pond and then run a longer hose to the fountain? Some of the ponds I've seen have a pump box installed at one end of the pond and a tube, hose, etc., routed to the other end.

WOW....thanks guys...After thinking about this for a day i think im going to recomened that he come up with a differant kind of pump that either floats or is made to be totally submerged.He bought this at a plumbing house and they told him it could be totatly submerged.I disagree.There has got to be something out there made just for this function and i think ill put the gfci in for him and let him shop for it.

I agree with Mike, put in a land based pump and a long hose. Another alternative would be a deep well pump, the kind that goes all the way to the bottom of the well. But I have never seen one, so no help from me on that way. That may also be too expensive for this application.
Hope your customer find a good pump for this application without endangering people around the pond.

well thanks guys,,,job is done found water resistant 14/3 cord installed it on a switch and gfi tested it ,runs fine and no leaks .whewwwww thanks guys