Town of Bow
Municipal Office Building
10 Grandview Road
Bow, NH 03034

SWIMMING POOL WIRING

BASED ON THE 2008 NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE – Article 680

I. Use #8 solid copper wire for bonding. Bond all metallic non-current carrying parts of a pool:

  1. Pool reinforcing steel.
    1. (An above-ground pool does not have
    2. Ladders re-enforcing rods, so you will need to bond the circulating pump
    3. Diving board to one metal pool support.)
  2. Circulating pump motor
  3. Metal conduits
  4. Metal junction boxes
  5. Lighting fixtures
  6. Pool heaters

II. PVC or conduit must be used as a raceway for underwater lights and must terminate in a service panel board or remote panel board.
An insulated green wire (not smaller than #12 wire) must be used for the equipment ground - unbroken.

III. Underwater lights over 15 volts must have ground-fault circuit-interrupter (GFI) protection.

IV. The circulating pump must have GFI protection – 120 volts, only if an outlet is used.

  1. If an outlet is used to feed the circulating pump: A single outlet must be used and must be of the locking and grounding type. A rain-tight outlet cover (not your standard weatherproof cover) must be used so the outlet will remain weatherproof with the plug inserted.
  2. If the circulating pump is hardwired: A switch and ground fault protection are required (120 or 240 volt, single phase).

V. An outside outlet must be installed not less than 6 feet and not more than 20 feet from the edge of the pool. (The 20' rule can vary some). GFI protection is required for this outlet.

VI. Single family dwellings: PVC or conduit must be used from the dwelling to the outlet or switch at the pump. The PVC or conduit must be buried at least 18 ” . Expansion joints must be used at both ends. Romex may be run from the electrical panel to a weather proof box on the exterior of the dwelling.

VII. Other than storable pools, the flexible cord shall not exceed 3 feet in length and shall have a copper equipment grounding conductor not smaller than #12 wire.

VIII. In-ground metal pool: If the pool is of metal construction and suitably welded or bolted together, only one bonding connection needs to be made to the pool from the circulating pump.

IX. Do not use Romex or UF cable in PVC or conduit. Romex may be used inside single-family dwellings only.

X. Ground rods are not required by code for any pool.

XI. The cord from the pump to the outlet must be a #12/2 AWG wire with a twist lock cord cap and a weatherproof connector for the pump. If not, it is a code violation.

XII. Read the National Electrical Code for finer points!

Town of Bow Building Department

10 Grandview Road, Lower Level, Bow, NH 03304
Phone: (603) 228-1189 ~  Fax: (603) 225-2982 or Email: Contact Us

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