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| Published by Tom Henry
Contains:
- Article 680 in pictures.
- Code rules
- Closed book exams
- Answers
From the Introduction
Recently, I contracted to have a swimming pool installed per my doctor's request as a form of exercise in the extreme summer heat of Florida. I decided to video the installation and write a book as I feel there is a void in this area. I learned quite a bit from this experience and I'll share it with you.
First of all, electricity and water don't mix. To avoid a shocking experience, certain rules must be followed.
Improper maintenance, the aging process, corrosion and questionable installations have made underwater swimming pool light fixtures a potential source of electrocution.
As I've mentioned in other books I have written, the National Electrical Code is the minimum safety standard, you can always go one step better. Since electricity and water don't mix, I was cautious, especially when it came to the underwater light. Do I want a light with a supply voltage of 120 volts in my pool? No way! It's permitted by Code, if you have it ground-fault protected.
Although GFCIs do provide improved safety, research has indicated that a small but significant percentage of GFCIs, particularly older ones, do not interrupt faults when evaluated in the field several years after installation. GFCIs contain electronics, much like computers. They can be subject to damage from power surges (Orlando, Florida, is the lightning capital of the U.S.) and other sources that can go unnoticed.
As a result, UL has added certification requirements to ensure that UL Listed GFCIs are more resistant to adverse field conditions.
Seven revisions to the UL requirements for GFCIs have been adopted as certification requirements, which became effective January 1, 2003.
Installed GFCIs should be tested on a regular basis, as identified in the manufacturer's operating instructions, to promote proper operation of these devices.
NEMA released the results of a study that found as many as 12% of GFCIs were non-operational in some parts of the country.
When was the last time you tested your GFCI? Your response, "Was I supposed to test it?"
Do I want a light with a supply voltage of 120 volts in my pool? No way!
Some inspectors are very much against the use of 120-volt lights because of a higher potential, and are prohibiting the use of the fixtures. They say after a period of time, because of tripping of the GFCI, the homeowner will get a handyman to change the GFCI protection to an overcurrent device without this protection. This is the reasoning which the inspectors base their opposition to the use of 120-volt lighting, and rightfully so.
A wet-niche light fixture is to have the termination of the #8 bonding jumper in the forming shell covered with, or encapsulated in, a listed potting compound. Whereas, the end of the flexible-cord jacket and flexible-cord conductor terminations within the fixture shall be covered with, or encapsulated in, a suitable potting compound.
The use of other than a "listed" potting compound would be a violation for encapsulating the #8 bonding jumper.
One must understand that some compounds called for in the National Electrical Code are intended to perform a mechanical rather than an electrical function. In general, when the concern is a mechanical one, the wording of the rule does not specifically call for the use of "listed" or "identified" seals or compounds; instead these rules require the use of "approved" or "suitable" products. And when the concern is an electrical one, the wording of the rule typically calls for the use of "listed" or "identified" products. Although subtle, the difference is important.
The terms "listed" and "identified" essentially require the product in question to be tested in accordance with accepted standards by a recognized third-party testing lab; whereas the word "approved" simply requires the product to be "acceptable" to the authority having jurisdiction, which may or may not require a product to be listed. The bottom line is that where the compound is performing an electrical function, only "listed" or "identified" products can be used. But, when the function is mechanical, the determination of suitability is up to the local inspector.
Flush deck junction boxes pose another hazard because many were not filled with an approved potting compound, or were too close to the pool; many have broken cover gaskets, and many contain higher voltage wiring within the same junction box.
Even though it was over 100 feet, I special ordered a light fixture with a 125-foot cord to reach the above ground listed pool junction box thus eliminating the flush deck box and all the National Electrical Code rules that go with the flush deck box.
Many people have been accidentally electrocuted while swimming in older swimming pools. Years of exposure to chlorinated water results in a serious hazard caused by obsolete underwater swimming pool lighting systems which may have not been properly installed or maintained. This hazard can be eliminated by proper equipment and installation methods.
An additional hazard is the placing of non-GFCI protected, 120-volt receptacles within 20 feet of the inside walls of pools, which may result in someone being electrocuted by an appliance too close to the swimming pool.
The National Electrical Code did not systematically address swimming pools until 1962 when Article 680 first appeared in the code. From that point forward until 1975 the National Electrical Code allowed as one option, but did not require, GFCI protection on line voltage lighting systems.
The 1975 National Electrical Code was the first code to expressly mandate GFCI protection, unless the operating voltage did not exceed 15 volts.
Rules that apply to the wiring of swimming pool areas are as important as life and death and yet Article 680 is probably one of the most inconsistently applied articles in the entire National Electrical Code.
There are comparatively simple remedies which, when made by qualified licensed electricians, will dramatically improve the safety of these older installations.
The code-enforcing authority will judge each installation and determine its acceptability, and many jurisdictions have local code rules that supersede the National Electrical Code minimum.
I have always maintained; wrong is wrong, even if everyone is doing it. Right is right, even though no one else does it.
Doing what's right isn't the problem. It's knowing what's right.
In the end, it is education that will make a difference. And educated we will become - either by books, videos, seminars, or by lawsuits.
Table of Contents
Article 680: Part I: General. Section 680.6: Grounding. Section 680.8: Overhead Conductor Clearances. Part II: Permanently Installed Pools. Section 680.22(B): Light Fixtures, Outlets, and Fans. Section 680.23: Under Water Light Fixtures. Section 680.24: Junction Boxes and Enclosures. Section 680.26: Equipotential Bonding. Part III: Storable Pools. Part IV: Spas and Hot Tubs. Part V: Fountains. Part VI: Pools and Tubs for Therapeutic Use. Part VII: Hydromassage Bathtubs. Closed Book Exams. Answers. |
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