How To Add a Line to the Pool Bonding Wire

By code, all electrical pool devices, lights, pumps, control boxes etc., must be tied into (or bonded to) a common grid that surrounds the pool. When the pool is built, it will incorporate a continuous steel rebar grid within the concrete pool wall. This grid is grounded into the earth and all electrical units, like the light niche show here, are wired with heavy 8 gage wire to this grid. This is referred to as bonding. This guide shows how to add a new bonding wire to this grid when you are adding a new electrical unit to your pool system.

Step 1

Step 1 image

VIEW SETUP - In this pool configuration we are adding a Salt Chlorine Generator to the pool system. We are looking for a place to connect the bonding wire from the SCG (labeled To SCG) to the bonding grid. A bonding wire has already been connected to the pump motor and we would like to connect to that wire.

Step 2

Step 2 image

VIEW PROBLEM - The motor has a lug at the top of the motor to attach the bonding wire to. We tried to attach the bonding wire to the SCG into that same lug but the lug is too small to accommodate both heavy wires securely and the second wire kept slipping out. The solution to this problem is to use a split bolt to connect the two wires.

Please click here to view the bonding lug.

Step 3

Step 3 image

ORDER PART - You can purchase a copper Split Bolt (usually sold in pairs) from any hardware store. Look for one that will accommodate a #8 or #10 gauge wire.

Step 4

Step 4 image

UNSCREW NUT - Take the nut off the end of the Split Bolt.

Step 5

Step 5 image

PLACE SPLIT BOLT - Slide the Split Bolt over both wires at the point where you want to connect them. In this case we connected the bare bonding wire from the SCG to the motor lug. Then we connected the end of the green bonding wire coming from the grid to a convenient point on the bare grounding wire.

Step 6

Step 6 image

TIGHTEN NUT - Replace the nut onto the Split Bolt and tighten. Make sure both wires are connected solidly and cannot be pulled out of their connectors.

Step 7

Step 7 image

VIEW CONNECTION - This and the previous picture show the final connected.

Related to

Articles in this section