But ungrounded pool pump motors pose the serious threat of electrocution. When a device or product is defective, improperly installed or maintained, or if a component of that device is worn or frayed, anyone who comes in contact with water charged with an electrical current is at risk of electric shock drowning.
How to test pool water for electricity? One way to test pool water for electricity is to use a device called shock alert. It will notify you if there is electricity present in the water. If it beeps and flashes red, it means there is a presence of electricity in the water and you should not swim in it.
Pools can become electrified by faulty pool pumps and lighting that is improperly grounded or has defective wiring or wiring that becomes faulty with age or damage. Unfortunately, there are no sure-fire warning signs that a swimmer is being electrocuted.
Common Causes for Electrocution in Pools. Pool Lighting – If you have pool lights that haven't been grounded or bonded by a professional, electricity can be sent directly into the pool and shock the swimmers. The lights don't even have to be turned on to send electrical currents through the water.
Pool lighting: When pool lights have not been correctly bonded or grounded, they can send electricity directly through the water and shock those in the pool. In fact, faulty pool lights can send electrical currents through the water even when they are turned off.
A 9-year-old girl died Sunday in a tragic accident in her family's pool. McKenzie Kinley was swimming at her father's house in Citrus Heights, California, when she was electrocuted by a wire attached to an underwater pool light that was under repair, NBC affiliate KCRA in Sacramento reported.
Electric Shock: Signs
Swimmers may feel a tingling sensation or not be able to move. Muscle cramps are another early sign of electric shock. You may observe swimmers moving frantically away from an area or lying motionless in the pool. If you notice this behavior, immediately turn off the power to the pool (see below).
The current NEC code shows that SĀFTRON pool rails do not need to be grounded or bonded as the rails are sealed at the time of manufacturing. We have also received a letter form NFPA (NEC Codes) stating that they feel SĀFTRON pool rails are not required to be grounded or bonded.
Electrical components, such as pumps, and non-current-carrying metallic components, such as pool rails, are electrically interconnected (bonded) and grounded to the earth so that electrical potential cannot exist between them. Together, proper bonding and grounding ensure the electrical safety of your pool.
The liquids in which submersible pumps operate certainly cannot come in contact with electrical components, which can result in damage. To prevent this, pump manufacturers hermetically seal all internal components within cast iron or a synthetic casing.
To check if your pool is properly grounded, there should be an equipment-grounding conductor installed with the feeder conductors. It should be located between the grounding terminal of the pool equipment panel board and the grounding terminal of the applicable service equipment.
Chemicals that you add to your pool while the water is circulating don't need to be recirculated; they will stay mixed even if you don't pump the water continually. Although it's generally recommended that all the pool water undergo filtration every 24 hours, the pump does not need to run all the time.
Electricity flows through water because it contains ions of dissolved salts and metals. Distilled water, which does not contain impurities, does not conduct electricity.
If you do not bond your pool equipment there is the risk that the equipment itself will become the anode in a galvanic couple with other metal components in or around your pool. If this happens, the anode metals will deteriorate at an advanced rate, a phenomenon called galvanic corrosion.
Without bonding, there is a risk that stray currents will remain in the one conductive elements making it live with electricity. Alternatively, the current will be conducted by the water in your pool, which electrifies your whole pool and by default you!
The process of pool bonding, also referred to as equipotential bonding, works to connect all conductive elements in pools, spas, and hot tubs to create a single network that can evenly balance electrical voltage and reduce the risk of shock.
Bonding is joining metallic parts to form an electrically conductive path that will result in electrical continuity between components to ensure that the electrical potential will be the same throughout. This is referred to as equipotential bonding.
All components such as handrails and ladders that have anchors recessed into the patio are bonded by connecting the copper wire to the side of the anchor.
If someone in the water is being shocked, extend a carbon fiber rod (such as a fiberglass Shepherd's crook/rescue hook) to the person to grab onto or loop the person's body and pull them (face up) to safety. Position the victim on his or her back, check for breathing and administer CPR if needed. Then call 9-1-1.
Sand filters need chlorine to sanitize the water. The sand is used to remove debris from the swimming pool, while chlorine is added to get rid of bacteria.
Sanjay Gupta says anything electrical in or around your pool can be a risk – lights, pumps, filters – especially in pools built before 1984, a time when there were fewer safety regulations. In this case, WFOR reports the pool became electrified due to unconnected ground wires in the pool pump house.
Over the past few years, instances of pool electrocution have seemed more and more prevalent. There have been approximately 60 deaths in the years between 1990-2003 that have been attributed to pool electrocution, a phenomenon that occurs all over the world that mostly affects small children.
Every pool must turn over at least once a day, so most pool pumps should run approximately 8 hours a day. But here's the thing: you don't have to run your pool pump consecutively. You can choose to run it for three hours in the morning before you leave for work and another 5 hours in the evening.