Whether it is servicing pools or doing pool repairs and inspections, I am amazed at the poor and unsafe condition of many of the electrical connections and controls associated with the operation of the pool equipment. This is a concern for both the pool owner and our technicians.
Please, please folks remember the old “saw” that water and electricity don’t mix!! Some of the more frequent problems I see are:
Missing safety covers and exposed connections on the typical pool timers.
Think about sticking your finger in the timer on the left to turn on your equipment! (Especially in the evening wearing flip flops!)
Missing bonding wiring.
Bonding causes everything conductive in and around the pool to be at the same electrical potential. Without the bonding wire, if there is a short in any of the equipment you could get electrocuted. An example might be a pool motor and heat pump sitting next to each other, with neither bonded. If there was a fault in the system, either in the motor or heat pump, it’s possible for either piece of equipment to become energized with a voltage other than 0 volts. If you were to come up and touch the motor and heat pump you become the conductor between the two and get shocked or electrocuted.
Cracked or broken conduit and connectors.
The flexible conduit shields and protects the wires supplying power to the pool equipment and are an integral part of the safety system.
