I've got a customer who has a pool installed. He's going to have around 6 lights around the pool mounted on brick columns on the perimeter of the pool. He has 2 pool lights in the pool. The branch circuit has already been wired from the electrical panel in his garage to a location outside the house and terminated in a 2 gang weather proof box mounted on the outside of the brick. (This is a new house and others did the wiring ) The pumps and subpanel location is going to be about 125 to 150ft. away. He wants separate switches for the lights around the pool, and for each of the in pool lights. He wants the switches located above the existing J box where the feeder has been terminated on the outside of the house. I am thinking about running a 1" conduit to the pump panel location, running the # 6 feeders, and the return # 12 hot wires and neutrals, and ground through the same conduit. Of course I will have to make the J box bigger to compensate for the extra wire capacity. Then coming out of the j box up to a 3 gang weather proof box or the equivalent ( I've never seen a 3 gang wp box) I may have to go with a 2 gang and 1 single gang. Then out of the J box again with the conduits to the "in pool" light j boxes (running one of the pool lights switch legs through the first pool light j box then to the second pool light j box ). Then back out of the big J box again to the lights in the columns around the pool. Anyone see anything wrong with this idea?
The branch circuit wiring that will protected by GFI breakers can go in the same conduit as the main feeder to the pump panel, right? Thanks a lot for the help. By the way, I got me a digital camera for Christmas. Maybe I can bring some pics to the program in the future. Just one problem, my son found out I don't have the right port in the back of my computer that will fit the camera's input My computer is a little out of date, but it works. Anyway thanks for the help.. Steve

I am not sure I follow everything you say but GFCI circuits can't occupy a raceway with non-gfci conductors and the equipment ground to the underwater listed J box must be 12 ga insulated and unspliced back to the panel (with a couple exceptions). How close are the column lights to the pool?

I have the same concerns a Greg on the location of the non-pool lights. 680.22(B) I also need to add that the wiring method for the pool lighting needs to be conduit or tubing. 680.23(F) Am having trouble finding the code reference for separating GFCI and non-GFCI circuits.

George, 680.23(F)(3)

Curt

Thanks Curt- I remembered it used to be in there but I'd lost track of it when they reorganized 680. Haven't had to write that lately either.

Thanks for the reply. It'll probably be cheaper for me, according to the exception of 680.23(F)(3) exception #1 , to put a GFI ahead of the feeder conductors so I can run the lighting wires through the same conduit. The column lights are around 10 or 12 feet or more, from the inside wall of the pool. Anybody every seen a 3 gang wp. switch box and cover?
Also if I read right, according to 680.23 (F)(2)exception (b), I can terminate the grounds for the two "in pool" lights on a grounding terminal inside the switch box that I will install the two switches in.
Remember these switches will be about 100ft. from the "pool pump panel". If I knew how to download a diagram I would show you what I'm talking about, but unfortunately, I don't and don't know if I have the proper port on my computer to do so. Any information on this would be appreciated also. Thanks a bunch ..Steve ...

[This message has been edited by sparkync (edited 01-04-2007).]

[This message has been edited by sparkync (edited 01-04-2007).]

Rather than a 3 gang wp box, can you use one of these in one half of your 2 gang box to control the two pool lights and then use a single switch (for the column-mounted lights) in the other half?
http://www.passandseymour.com/pdf/A12.pdf

Hubbell/Bell p/n 5390-0 is a 3-gang WP box.

p/n 5126-0 is a triple 10A weatherproof switch.

The trick, of course, is finding them in stock!

Thanks a lot guys. I'll see if I can find the 3 gang around here. If not the stack switch will work. Great help!! Steve...