How to Ground a Pool Pump [Explained in 5 Steps]

Installing a pool in your backyard is always exciting. But hold your horses! You know the rules, safety comes first.

Before diving into your pool, you need to ensure that your pool pump is properly grounded. 

How to ground a pool pump?

You can ground your pool pump by connecting the ground wire to your electrical panel. Also, you can ground through a GFCI outlet. This type of outlet can detect surges of electrical power and cut the circuit short.

However, this just barely covers the whole idea. If you wish to know about this in detail, read our entire article!

We’ve thoroughly explained the entire process step by step for your understanding. 

What are you waiting for? Get your working shoes on and let’s jump right into it!

Why We Need To Ground Our Pool Pumps

Grounding your pool pump is essential. Without it, you might be exposed to fatal risks. If you do not ground your pool pump, it may function as a conductor. 

Thus, the electrical current may travel towards people or pets in the pool without insulation.

Grounding provides a fast circuit-breaking action. This is the main function that makes the pool secure for safe use. The NEC requires us to ground our pool pumps. 

Do not use the pumps until ground wire installation is finished. 

Once you have grounded your pump, you can also install a pool pump timer. This is a cool feature that runs the pump for a specific period automatically. This can highly save your electricity consumption. 

Understanding its urgency, you must be curious about the process of grounding. So let’s take a look!

Process of Grounding a Pool Pump [Step-by-Step]

Electrons usually follow the electrical circuit towards a positive. But, in times of a short circuit, electrons opt for the path of least resistance. So, this path could be towards an unsuspecting swimmer and can lead to fatal consequences. 

Grounding solves this issue. Grounding will provide a low resistance path to electricity. This usually leads electrons straight to the earth keeping us and our loved ones safe.

Fortunately, this seemingly complex process is easy to implement. Just follow our 5 easy to follow steps and you should be good to go!

You will need a few things to proceed with the process. These include wire nuts, terminal screws, a GFCI outlet. You will also need a multimeter to test continuity.

Talking about GFCI outlets, take a look at some of our recommendations:

Product 1
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These choices should go very well with your overall protection system. Rest assured, these outlets will function excellently.

Step 1

Start by connecting the insulated ground wire to the ground screw. This should be green in color and near the terminal plate. 

Step 2

Make sure to strip the insulation. This insulation should be stripped 3 to 4 inches. Secure the wire around the screw. Tighten this screw properly. 

Step 3

Now, to verify the connection, we need a multimeter continuity test. Set your multimeter to continuity mode. One lead has to be in contact with the ground wire near the ground screw. 

The other lead needs to be touched with the motor frame. The meter should show continuity.

Step 4 

Connect the ground wires to a circuit breaker. A GFCI outlet can also be used in this regard. Whenever this outlet detects an excess surge of electricity, it immediately cuts the circuit. But, sometimes you might face wiring problems with the GFCI.

Wire nuts, terminal screws, or other connectors can be used to connect ground wires.

Step 5

Last, of all, you will need to establish a bonding connection. Find the external bonding lug located on the pump motor. Connect the external bonding lug and the bond wire. 

The bond wire has to be a bare copper wire. 

With all of these steps completed, you have successfully grounded your pool pump. This removes any sort of electrical risks related to the functions of a swimming pool. 

Now your pool is safe. So you can worry about another hassle, which is the cost of filling the pool.

Verdict

If you do not do this process properly, you could put yourself and others at risk. So, precautionary measures and post-verification are highly advised to ensure everyone’s safety. 

This is a must because without verification, you might be forced to redo the entire process following national codes.

In case you’re not familiar with electrical works, it’s best to let a professional handle this. Besides, it’s usually cheaper to let an experienced electrician ground your pump the first time. You can take notes though. 

FAQs

Question: Why is bonding done?

Answer: Bonding is important because it equalizes the voltage differences between different parts of the pool. The bonding process is done so electricity doesn’t try jumping from one piece to another. It allows the safe use of electrical equipment in the pool.

Question: Is grounding a must?

Answer: Yes, definitely. Most laws require the grounding and bonding of pools before their use. You can get it done by an electrician or do it by yourself. But if you do it yourself, a licensed electrician must verify its proper installation. 

Question: Are the grounding and bonding processes risky?

Answer: Yes, there is an element of risk there. Electrical work can be dangerous. This is even more applicable around places with water, like a swimming pool. 

Conclusion 

That’s all we have on ‘how to ground pool pump’. We hope our guideline has been of value to you. If you face any further technicalities, do contact professionals.

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to take a look at our other articles. We have a lot of interesting write ups to help you in your daily household endeavors.

Until then, take care of yourself, and of course, your pool pump!

Good luck!