New Subpanel for pool equipment


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Old 06-23-19, 11:58 AM
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New Subpanel for pool equipment

Hey guys,

I have an above ground 15' pool and a 1HP pump (11,8A) plugged in a 120V GFCI outlet. I want to add an electric water heater (20,8A), but I realized I'll have to redo the wiring.
I need to
  • Add a new circuit (60A Breaker) to the Main Panel to feed the new subpanel
  • Bury PVC 1-1/4" conduit with cables (#6) inside to the new subpanel
  • Add an outdoor subpanel with
    • 30A GFCI Breaker for the Electric Water Heater
    • 15A Breaker for the pump
    • No main breaker
    • No ground rod
I think I could bury #8 cable with a 45A Breaker, but I want to future proof a little and I have a 60A Breaker lying around.

See the attached file for a drawing of all this. I live in Canada, so UF cable are named NMWU if I'm not mistaken.

Do you guys have any comments or feedback on my plan?

Thanks,
 
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  #2  
Old 06-23-19, 12:19 PM
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Welcome to the forums.

Canadian codes differ from our NEC codes.

Here.... in the States..... that hardwired 240v water heater would not require a GFI circuit but it could be used if desired.

Your NMWU cable needs to be 6/3 with ground.
Pulling NMWU (UF) cable thru a conduit can be a bear. No electrician will pull UF thru that much conduit. You could consider using single conductor wires like THWN.

Also..... as per the NEC code..... the ground needs to be insulated for pool/spa use which it is not in UF type cable.
 
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Old 06-23-19, 01:02 PM
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Thanks!
I'll go with your suggestion and use THWN cables and use an insulated ground.
 
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Old 06-24-19, 09:03 AM
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A electric panel near a pool ,,,,,,, danger will robinson.

All of the pools I have done are with rigid conduit or brass. The electric code requires a redundant ground to the pool equipment. Putting a plug in for a pump is poor practice IMO. Pumps should be hard wired and not have a cord and cap. Choosing a panel with spaces to add more loads is just asking for trouble later on. Then you may need the main breaker.
I do not see a bond wire going to the pool structure. REQUIRED. So you could have two different potentials, DANGER. That bond wire should be a #10 or larger, UNBROKEN back to the service.
Do not see a light, hope there is not one.
I do not believe that a outlet should be anywhere near a pool. People are stupid and all it takes is some dolt to plug in a extension cord and put a radio on the edge of the pool for the party.

I do not swim in pools if the light is on. My life is worth more than what some for profit company sells a GFCI that says it will protect me. The NEC or NFPA do not have a standard for testing GFCI's. They both say push the button. Found this out when working at a surface mine and locked horns with the OSHA and MSHA inspectors over it. At least that was the way it was when I retired 3 years ago.
 
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Old 06-24-19, 10:34 AM
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All of the pools I have done are with rigid conduit or brass.
Those are some of the options allowed within the equipotential plane of an inground pool (feeding a wet light for example), but are not requirements for above ground pools.

Putting a plug in for a pump is poor practice IMO. Pumps should be hard wired and not have a cord and cap.
Cord and plug connections are explicitly required for double-insulated package pumps that go with above ground and storable pools.

bonding
The code requirement for bonding (especially above ground pools) has increased significantly in the last decade or so. Depending on when the pool was installed it may have no bonding at all, to having a full bonding ring in the soil and water bonder in the filter system. Although with many above ground pools there is very little metal to bond so it's somewhat unnecessary.

The NEC or NFPA do not have a standard for testing GFCI's...At least that was the way it was when I retired 3 years ago.
That is something that has changed, at least in the US since 2015 all new GFCI devices must be self-testing and fail in the OFF position if the self-test fails. This requirement was added largely because nobody ever tested GFCIs, certainly not monthly or weekly like the manufacturer instructions say.
 
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