Pool cage grounding

[City Guy997S]

Originally Posted by wpc691

The landscaper who redid our yard accidentally cut the ground wire to the pool cage. I figured easier to repair it myself than hassle with him for 3 months. When I went to replace the wire, I found the grounding lug, split nut and carriage bolt corroded solid. When I tried to loosen the bolt, it pulled right through the aluminum. Basically the cage had been completely ungrounded for a long time through simple neglect. All the new parts (solid copper grounding lug, solid copper split nut, stainless carriage bolt, washer and nut, and a couple of feet of solid copper grounding wire cost about 10 bucks, and the job took about 15 minutes. How long has it been since you checked your cage ground wire? Could save you a house fire if your cage gets struck by lightning, or electrocution should house current somehow stray into the cage from a soffit light, etc.

Thanks for the tip but not too many house fires from cages getting hit by lightning.......electrocution is what they are trying to prevent with bonding. Also keep in mind that older cages were never bonded even when new. Electrical code changed in 1971 or 1975 when bond wires were required on pool equipment, metal fences, cages etc.

[wpc691]

Originally Posted by MartyGras

The best way is to get some aluminum wire and an aluminum screw.

Screw the wire to the cage and run the wire to the grounding rod with some anticorrosion grease that can be found at the big orange store in the electrical dept.

Gary

That would probably work if you used NO-OX-ID Special A, but I don't know about an outdoor application. I'm thinking code probably requires bare solid copper (not sure).

[PCHI]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

On pool cages it is usually bonded to the pool bond wire (encased in the concrete when the pool was built). Pool equipment, cage, hand rail, pool light, ladder all bonded together.

Correct this is a bond wire, not a grounding wire. What this wire is designed to do to be connected to all the metal in the pool construction/system. The pool light, rebar, cage, pool pump, heater and so on.

Defined: Bonding - Bonding all metal parts together and then to the system winding is done to provide a low-impedance path to the source (system) to facilitate the opening of the circuit-protection device to remove dangerous voltage on metal parts.

IE if in the event of a electrical short the charge has a "least impedance" direction to go. In pools where voltage and water can possibly mix, its important.

[wpc691]

Originally Posted by PCHI

Correct this is a bond wire, not a grounding wire. What this wire is designed to do to be connected to all the metal in the pool construction/system. The pool light, rebar, cage, pool pump, heater and so on.

Defined: Bonding - Bonding all metal parts together and then to the system winding is done to provide a low-impedance path to the source (system) to facilitate the opening of the circuit-protection device to remove dangerous voltage on metal parts.

IE if in the event of a electrical short the charge has a "least impedance" direction to go. In pools where voltage and water can possibly mix, its important.

@CG & PCHI: thanks, I knew somebody would have more info. I didn't know about pool bonding grids. If the pool pump and heater are bonded into that grid, and both are also grounded, isn't the whole grid grounded? If I checked for continuity between the bond wire and the ground wire on the pump, I'd find it...right? Anyway, I'm glad I fixed it, cuz my cage definitely wasn't bonded.

[sunshinewi]

Thanks for the valuable information. We didn't know this, and I have just added it to the list of things we should check out and be aware of. Pool cages are not common up north.

[PCHI]

Originally Posted by wpc691

That would probably work if you used NO-OX-ID Special A, but I don't know about an outdoor application. I'm thinking code probably requires bare solid copper (not sure).

Correct!

[mikefrnorthport]

When I did footers up north we always used a 20 ft lenght of #5 reabar and bent 3 foot of it up and poured into footer for eletricla panel inside house