Pool pump bonding

Must a pool pump be bonded? (See the attached photo which would seem to answer my question.) If so, what would they bond it to? The ground rod was on the other side of the house and the plumbing pipes were PEX.

Why would that be necessary if the pump has a grounded (3 prong) power cord?

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I don’t see many pools but this thread has a similar discussion:

Doesn’t look like there’s much to bond on this pool, with the exception of the pump motor.

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Yes, generally on a permenent installed pool with pool pump motors you would indeed bond the pool pump motor. It gets bonded to the equipotential plane that is required at the pool.
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Thanks guys for your input. It seems it all hangs on the definition of “permanently installed” pool. This is an above ground and probably doesn’t meet that def. If you disagree, please let me know.

Per 680 Definitions

Permanently installed swimming, wading, and therapeutic pools. Those that are constructed in the ground or partially in the ground, and all others capable of holding water in a deppt greater than 1 meter (42 inches), and all pools installed inside of a building, regardless of water depth, whether or not served by electrical circuits of any nature.

I would say the pool shown meets that definition.

I agree with Jim…if deeper than 42 inches and is most certainly falling under the “All Others” label…it would be permenent to me and my electrical inspectors.

Here’s a couple of pics of my pool (above ground) pump bonding wire. The electrician attached it to the base of the pool.

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Don’t ask me why, or what the difference is, but above ground does not require the same bonding as in ground.
The second is “closer to ground” than either.???!!!

A pool is a pool.
I think they all should be bonded, but this is about code which “holds little water with me” (pun intended)! :wink:

Can anyone tell me WHY this pool heater was bypassed from the pool pump system? The prospective buyer asked me WHY is this like this.The power had been off for some time the pool is full of water, Not a good site.

I can only speculate, but that’s usually done when the heater is no longer functional and/or leaking.

Looks to me like it was never hooked up in the first place.

Maybe just the camera angle.

From the looks of the piping on the unit it appears that they have been cut off about an inch below the elbow.

I would go with Jeff’s answer that the thing was leaking, broken or it just cost too much to run it.

I almost never see a pool heater in working condition. Usually they appear to be abandoned. Seems like they don’t hold up very well.

Just this week I ininspected a pool system that had a driven ground rod and bare copper conductor bonding each motor and the panels. Feeder from home system was 3 wire. Appeared to be OK to me (certianly better than most I see :slight_smile:

To the best of my knowledge, pool pump, pool heater, pool metal framing, metal rods in concrete, metal enclosures around pool, metal fence…all need to be bonded!

Well the ground rod was wrong. It serves no purpose in this instance.

Bonding of the metal parts together would have been required.

Be careful with that statement…;)…the pool can be in the ground, partially in the ground OR have water deeper than 42" and be totally ABOVE ground and still be considered a “Permanently installed swimming” and/or at least treated as such in the eyes of the National Electrical Code.

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So, as a HI, how can we tell if the required ground place exists and tell the owner what qualifies as an acceptable ground plane? Most times, all we can see (at best) is a #8 wire attached to the pool pump(s). When did the main changes take effect and are any retroactive?