ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues Pool motor bonding

Does a residential pool motor need to be bonded from the motor to the panel? Or can it be bonding at a water pipe or another closer place. #8 minumum required I believe also, correct?

Read article 680 carefully.

The pool motor (lights etc) gets "grounded" to the panel via the equipment grounding conductor in the circuit feeding it. Pool equipment also gets "bonded" to the pool shell and all other parts of the equipotential grid with a #8 solid copper. That includes pool steel, deck steel, underwater light forming shells and any piece of metal bigger than the palm of your hand within 5' of the water's edge

But does a separate #8 ground wire have to go back to the panel from the motor, or water pipe?

No, the items in gfretwell's post get connected together, but it does not have to go anywhere else.

Bill

[This message has been edited by Bill Addiss (edited 12-29-2004).]

Grounding happens via the EGC in the wiring method supplying the motor. In the case of the light that EGC shall also be made "without joint or splice". (from the listed pool J box to the panel with the only place a splice is allowed is in another listed J box or on a terminal bar in the timer/switch).
The pool bonding grid will get grounded via these paths but that is not the intent. The bonding grid is only to ensure that there is no voltage shift between anything you can touch from the pool. In real life I doubt there is a better grounding electrode at your house than a concrete inground pool but again that is not the intent.

There's a little history to this post in the 100A Subpanel thread, but this thread seemed more appropriate.

To recap:

I have a pool contractor that is replacing existing pool equipment. There is no connection between the pool bond and the panel equipment ground (at least I can't find one). Neither is there an accessible connection point to the pool bond. In 680.26(B)(4), the 2nd paragraph describes bonding provisions for a replacement pump. It specifically says "where there is no connection between the swimming pool bonding grid and the quipment grounding system for the premises, this bonding conductor sall be connected to the equipment grounding conductor of the motor circuit."

Am I missing something? Does code require I bond the pump to the equipment ground (with solid 8 AWG), or do I have to chip out concrete and bond to the pool/patio rebar?

FWIW, the equipment is not within 5' of the pool edge.

Cheers,

Steve

They should have brought an 8ga bonding conductor from the pool grid to the pump. Are you sure it isn't there in the grass somewhere? If there is a screen cage there should be a stub out to bond it there too.
If they buy a double insulated pump you don't need the bond conductor.

The area around the pumps is clear, so I think this is just one more code violation in the house (I've already found many others). There is a bond point on the pump, so I don't think it's double insulated.

So as I read the code, in this scenario, I can use 8AWG to bond the pump to the equipment panel instead of chipping concrete?

Stephen, are you saying there is no EGC (green or bare conductor) in the conduit or cable feeding the pump?

Running a #8 to the panel is not bonding the pool surfaces and equipment to achieve "Equipotential"


Roger