Pool Earthing

[mdfdust]

Hi,

I was wondering if there someone can tell me what the function of earthing a pool is.

I'm thinking of concrete in ground pool here.

What are the problems if a pool is not properly earthed?

How would I know or test if my pool is appropriately earthed?

[thatirwinfella]

it's not earthing the pool, it's bonding the poolframework... all exposeed metal, including the frame of the pool, the ladder, fencing etc, has to be bonded.

the idea behind it is to create a path to earth of zero resistance. because of such a huge a mount of water nearby, electrical hazards are more likely.

lets say there is a mains powered cd player out near the pool. one fo your kids goes out to change the cd. the cd player happens to be faulty and gives them an electric shock as they touch the cd player while leaning against the pool fence [it could happen alright!!]. the idea behind the zero resistance path is that it trips the circuit breaker by allowing a huge in rush of current to the circuit. this current is actually stopped at the breaker when it trips.

if bonding wasn't in place, the current could have been much much lower and not tripped the breaker, meaning that the child, or whoever, is in contact with the supply for longer, which puts them at a higher risk of electrocution [death] rather than an electric shock [hurt].

so yeah, pools need to be bonded.

To test it, use a multimeter set to ohms, and a long, long lead. place one probe from the multi at the earth stake [usually under your switchboard] and the other on exposed metal [not painted metal, paint isn't conductive]. you should get zero ohms if you've set the meter correctly.

alternatively, get a sparky to do it. whoever installed the pool equipment should have given you some documentation that it was done.

[null & void]

the cd player happens to be faulty and gives them an electric shock as they touch the cd player while leaning against the pool fence [it could happen alright!!].

http://www.stackmasula.com.au/lit_update.htm

An electrical fault in the swimming pool at a gold coast resort killed a man a few years back. My understanding is that a normally earthed part of the pool became live due a fault.

The earthing may require any part of the conductive pool structure, metalltic fittings such as ladders and diving boards and fences, pipework within arms reach of the pool.

[dan76n]

Hmmm, I thought it had something to do with my pool lights, for the simple reason I had a concrete pool installed and the guy who built it told me when I get an electrician to connect up my pool lights I need to make sure he hooks the earth up aswell.
I still dont have my lights hooked up so the earth is not hooked up but we still use the pool.. Should I be worried about this ??????

[thatirwinfella]

i'd be getting in an electrician reasonably soon, but it's no hurry if you're not using the pool.

it also depends on the number of electrical devices in the area around the pool... lights, radios, pumps stuff like that. the more you have, the more urgent it is that you get the bonding connected, especially so with kids.

if you have no appliances nearby and it's you or the missus swimming laps everyday then it could wait if it had to.

technically, if the pump had an electrical fault and a sparkie came to fix it he'd have to do it then anyway.

[markharrison]

Personally, I would make the whole pool live, but that says more about my attitude to pools

[mdfdust]

Hmmm, not sure I fully understand.

As far as I know, my pool pump/filter and lights take their feed off an external powerpoint back up at my house.

I've had some earth work and paving done around the pool in recent months.

As part of the earth works the pool power run was broken (along with some plumbing), according to the contract I have all of these breakages were my responsibility to fix....

It seems that when I had my electrician in that my pool used to draw power from a light circuit.

When he reconnected the power to the pool he ran three new cables. One for my lights, one for my water fall, and one for the pump. All three running from an external powerpoint. Note that the light one actually goes to a couple of LV transformers.

What I don't know is how/where the pool is bonded. There is no way of getting access to the sub structure, and other than the LV cable for teh lights nothing runs from the pool to the powerpoints at the pool.

So how bad is my problem and what can I do about it?

[Clinton1]

Not sure if the bloke that did the lights was talking about the pool earth or the earth for the light's circuit.

The sparky will figure it out, and let you know.

[mdfdust]

Not sure if the bloke that did the lights was talking about the pool earth or the earth for the light's circuit.

The sparky will figure it out, and let you know.

Not so sure, I think he is dodgy as....and that's part of the reason I'm asking this question in this forum.

I watched him the entire time he was here. ,,,,,,I didn't seeing any 'bonding'. I saw him connect three 2.5mm2 cables to an external powerpoint in a 600mm deep trench, and then terminate it in two double external BPO. Then plug in the pumps, and transformer.....