A continuity test of all bonding and grounding should be a requirement forced on the contractor before anyone can say a pool is safe to go in many of these contractors go pull a permit and relay on the actual electrician the Inspector is the last line of defense and he is not their all the time to see actual installations.?

UL1310 and UL8750 and UL5085-3 clearly indicate requirements for Class 2 and Class 3 in wet and dry environments. The NFPA should copy the construction requirements of these standards to article 680 *verbatim*, as article 725 does not adequately define power-limited equipment for swimming pools or jacuzzi. Hazardous voltage or power levels for these areas should had never been considered acceptable.

Talked to a building code writer once and subsequently went home to beat my head against a brick wall for a few minutes...

My inground pool light assembly has shorted out. It was 120 V 500w. Is the 12v DC option safe? The pool maintenance company stated that the GFI should protect us with the 120 V.

As a contractor and home inspector in S Florida for 20 years I can't tell you how many times I have found pools that were not bonded properly.

If I had a nickle for every time I did a re-inspection of repairs and found an "electrician" (most of the time with a paid receipt)had come out and installed a ground rod and connected it to the bonding lug on the pool pump I wouldn't have to work any more. One guy used stranded #8 and literally wrapped around a section of chain link fence with his fingers 2 ft away no clamp.

I would have to say based upon my experiences that most electricians know nothing about pool bonding because I refuse to believe they are that uncaring and incompetent.

Regarding the wildwood occurrence. This pool was passed by the local ahj. Maybe jobs should be taken more seriously.

We will never be free from shotty or dilipidated electrical work as long as the do-it-yourselfers and unqualified/ uneducated folks attemp to play electrician. Maybe it should be written that an E-stop and shunt trip breaker be installed on all pools. If there was a E-stop push button in a readily accessable location, it would allow for a quicker response from confused bystanders. Thank you for reading.

Although Mike puts heavy emphasis on bonding I have found countless violations of good practice. Electricians should understand the a bond that has a 10 ohm resistance across it can cause heavy damage or death. A solid bond should have less than 1 ohm resistance. In the case of grounds on VSD a 2 ohm bond could cause current flow through the motor bearings thereby destroying them.This is why the code only permits specific screws to be used in bonding. Self piercing sheet metal screws are a no no. Remember aluminum almost always has a resistive oxide coating. Use the proper precautions when bonding to it. Of course copper does too but it less resistive.