Pool light install - Ground wire?

[rcm21]

We had some new pool lights installed, Pentair IntelliBrite 5G colored LED. At the time our pool guy that installed that said there was an issue fitting the cable and running it to the panel, so he said he removed the ground wire to run it. I immediately questioned this for many reasons, safety being the first but also losing warranty. I had a friend electrician tell him no you can’t do that, so the pool guy separately ran a ground wire.

My question is, is this safe at all? Attached pictures, it looks like the ground wire is just hanging out by itself. Would the wire even survive over time in chemical water, or is there a change of the wire covering eroding away?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JamesW]

Pentair IntelliBrite 5G colored LED

120 volt or 12 volt?

Your pictures are not clear enough.

 

[JamesW]

 

[rcm21]

120 volt or 12 volt?

Your pictures are not clear enough.

Sorry, picture attached. Looks to be 120V.

 

[JamesW]

120 volts requires a ground wire.

You can install the ground wire or switch to a low voltage light, which would require adding a transformer.

 

[rcm21]

120 volts requires a ground wire.

You can install the ground wire or switch to a low voltage light, which would require adding a transformer.

Is what he did okay? Adding the ground wire separately even after cutting it? I’m concerned that the wire covering will erode overtime due to chemicals and expose the wire.

 

[JamesW]

You need a green insulated # 8 wire from the junction box to the niche ground lug and the lug needs to be covered with a listed potting compound.

 

[JamesW]

At the time our pool guy that installed that said there was an issue fitting the cable and running it to the panel, so he said he removed the ground wire to run it.

I am not sure that I completely understand what was done.

What ground wire was removed?

 

[rcm21]

I am not sure that I completely understand what was done.

What ground wire was removed?

When running the light cables to the panel, he had issues apparently with the cable fitting. So he removed the ground wire to be able to have the cable fit when running them to the panel.

I don’t quite understand the thought or how that would have helped.

 

[JamesW]

So he removed the ground wire to be able to have the cable fit when running them to the panel.

Is there a junction box?

Did he install a new # 8 ground wire to the niche and cover with a listed potting compound?

Do you have pictures where the light cord is connected to power?

 

[rcm21]

Is there a junction box?

Did he install a new # 8 ground wire to the niche and cover with a listed potting compound?

Do you have pictures where the light cord is connected to power?

Is the potting compound the white material inside the light where the ground wire is going into?

 

[JamesW]

The white is epoxy to seal the conduit, which should not be necessary unless the conduit is leaking.

Are the light cords not in conduit?

The green ground connects to the bonding lug, which then gets covered in a listed potting compound.

All DuraNiche underwater lighting fixture housings are provided with a combination bonding/grounding connector.

The outside connection is the bonding connector as required by Article 680-22 of the NEC.

The NEC requires that the bonding wire be AWG 8 or larger.

Local codes may require a continuous loop and may require that the bonding point on the fixture housing (niche) be encapsulated.

The inside connection is the grounding connector as required by Article 680-20 (b) of the NEC.

The NEC requires that where a nonmetallic conduit is used, an AWG 8 insulated copper conductor be installed in this conduit.

This conductor is to be connected to the niche grounding connector.

The connector and wire termination must be encapsulated in 3M Inc. Scotch Cast Wet Niche Potting Compound No. 2135 (UL File E130394) or equivalent to protect such connection from the possible deteriorating effect of pool water.

https://hayward-pool-assets.com/assets/documents/pools/pdf/manuals/Manual284.pdf

3M™ Scotchcast™ Potting Kit 2136 or Aquabond ABP-1000 are listed for use, but they require 4 hours to dry before being submerged.

 

[rcm21]

The white is epoxy to seal the conduit, which should not be necessary unless the conduit is leaking.

Are the light cords not in conduit?

The green ground connects to the bonding lug, which then gets covered in a listed potting compound.

All DuraNiche underwater lighting fixture housings are provided with a combination bonding/grounding connector.

The outside connection is the bonding connector as required by Article 680-22 of the NEC.

The NEC requires that the bonding wire be AWG 8 or larger.

Local codes may require a continuous loop and may require that the bonding point on the fixture housing (niche) be encapsulated.

The inside connection is the grounding connector as required by Article 680-20 (b) of the NEC.

The NEC requires that where a nonmetallic conduit is used, an AWG 8 insulated copper conductor be installed in this conduit.

This conductor is to be connected to the niche grounding connector.

The connector and wire termination must be encapsulated in 3M Inc. Scotch Cast Wet Niche Potting Compound No. 2135 (UL File E130394) or equivalent to protect such connection from the possible deteriorating effect of pool water.

https://hayward-pool-assets.com/assets/documents/pools/pdf/manuals/Manual284.pdf

It looks like they covered the ground nut with that white compound.

We are having to drain the pool to get a better look. But it seems like the cable is ran to the panel, coming up from those piping tubes.

I added some new pictures of the light itself, then the panel.

I will post some new pictures when the water level is low to see better in the light casing.

 

[1poolman1]

Is the potting compound the white material inside the light where the ground wire is going into?

That's the bond wire. Installed that way is correct as long as the connection at the back of the niche is potted (covered). Ground wire is internal to the light cord.

 

[JamesW]

The green wire is a supplemental ground wire.

The bond wire connects to the back of the niche.

 

[JamesW]

Why a low impedance bond from a wet-niche luminaire to its forming shell and pool bonding grid reduces the risk of electric shock.

The equipment grounding conductor in the flexible cord of the wet-niche luminaire may be relatively small (as little as 16 AWG in accordance with the NEC), and may have a length of one hundred feet or more.

The relatively small AWG and long length will result in increased impedance through the flexible cord equipment grounding conductor.

If the electrical bond between the luminaire and the forming shell is poor or absent, in an electrical fault condition within the luminaire this increased flexible cord impedance causes a relatively greater voltage potential between the dead metal of the luminaire and other dead metal connected to the premises’ equipment grounding conductor.

The supplemental equipment grounding conductor in the form of corrosion resistant metallic conduit connected to the forming shell or the 8 AWG copper conductor routed with the flexible cord in nonmetallic conduit provides a second, more conductive, path for fault current originating in the luminaire.

https://www.ul.com/global/documents...ators/electrical/newsletters/swimpool0803.pdf

 

[1poolman1]

The green wire is a supplemental ground wire.

The bond wire connects to the back of the niche.

Bond to the rebar is at the back outside. Bond to the J-Box is at the niche inside.

 

[JamesW]

The insulated copper equipment grounding conductor required with rigid nonmetallic conduit is terminated at an approved grounding terminal in the junction box (or transformer enclosure) and at the inside terminal of the grounding/bonding terminal on the fixture's forming shell.

This conductor has an equipment grounding function, not a bonding function.

It's in addition to, and of a completely different function than, the No. 8 bonding conductor usually connected to the external bonding lug.

The bonding conductor, which must be solid, connects the forming shell to the common bonding grid, as required by Sec. 680-22(a) and (b).

The No. 8 insulated copper equipment grounding conductor must be stranded, however. (Sec. 310-3 requires all No. 8 and larger conductors in raceway to be stranded.)

The two exceptions given do not apply here.

And it's important to also remember that Sec. 310-12(b) will normally require that the insulation be colored green.

Wiring wet-niche fixtures at the 1996 OLympics Aquatic Center. | Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) Magazine

 

[JamesW]

It is called a bonding jumper and it's purpose is to bond the niche to the junction box, but its purpose is to function as a supplemental ground to the ground inside the light cord instead of requiring the light manufacturer to increase the size of the included ground wire.

The purpose is not bonding to the bonding grid as that is done by the external bond lug.

 

[1poolman1]

The insulated copper equipment grounding conductor required with rigid nonmetallic conduit is terminated at an approved grounding terminal in the junction box (or transformer enclosure) and at the inside terminal of the grounding/bonding terminal on the fixture's forming shell. This conductor has an equipment grounding function, not a bonding function. It's in addition to, and of a completely different function than, the No. 8 bonding conductor usually connected to the external bonding lug.

The bonding conductor, which must be solid, connects the forming shell to the common bonding grid, as required by Sec. 680-22(a) and (b). The No. 8 insulated copper equipment grounding conductor must be stranded, however. (Sec. 310-3 requires all No. 8 and larger conductors in raceway to be stranded.) The two exceptions given do not apply here. And it's important to also remember that Sec. 310-12(b) will normally require that the insulation be colored green.

Wiring wet-niche fixtures at the 1996 OLympics Aquatic Center. | Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) Magazine

Just a matter of terminology. As the following from Pentair's manual shows, the internal ground lug is connected to the external bond lug. In the j-box that ground/bond wire is attached to the same buss as the pool light and panel ground wires. So, in the field we just refer to it as the "bond" wire to differentiate from the green/green-yellow wire in the light cord. When a new light is installed, if it requires grounding/bonding at the face ring they usually come with two screws, a bronze one that is preferred in the instructions and was called the "bond" screw, now the ground screw. Never sure why they included a stainless screw. Whatever it is called, it appears to have been installed correctly.

"4. On the rear of the niche is a brass terminal called the bonding lug for securing the bond wire. The bond wire is a #8 AWG wire that connects the bonding lug to the bonding grid. The bonding grid is all other metallic items within five (5) feet of the pool including the rebar connected together. For more information, see NEC 680.26 code requirement.
5. Inside the niche is a brass terminal called the grounding lug. The grounding lug is the opposite side for the bonding lug. A #8 AWG insulated solid or stranded bonding/grounding wire must be installed through the conduit from the junction box to the grounding lug inside the niche. This connection inside the niche must be sealed with a listed sealant such as 3M™ Scotchcast™ Potting Kit 2136 or equivalent (see page 5 step 13). For more information, see NEC 680.23 code requirement."

As far as solid or stranded, I've seed about a 50/50 use of both. Never understood the use of solid as it is much more difficult to pull.