ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues pond pump

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