Pool Electrical Safety: Ensuring Compliance with the 2023 National Electrical Code

This is a test conducted to EPRI standards on a pool in Orlando, FL. It demonstrates that constructing a pool without adherence to pool safety standards regarding stray voltage and proper equipotential bonding, particularly to a standard lower than the 2023 National Electrical Code® as amended, poses a risk of fatality to individuals in the pool and on the deck. In contrast, it shows that a pool built in compliance with the 2023 NEC® ensures safety both in the water and on the deck, even in the event of electrical faults not interrupted by a GFCI device. This encompasses issues like failed pumps, lights, appliances on extension cords, electric hot water heaters, and underground nicked power lines. 

This scenario is not uncommon; it has been observed that the individual conducting this test applies a line fault (i.e., electricity from a home’s wall plug receptacle) directly to the equipotential bonding network for the pool, resulting in 96V of electricity entering the pool water. This indicates that a person simultaneously touching the water and the deck area above the single wire would likely suffer fatal consequences. However, if they were in contact with the water and the deck area above the NEC TIA 23-9 compliant equipotential grid, they would likely survive and may not even sense the electrical current. Similar tests have been repeatedly conducted, with published results from NEETRAC, Enernex, and EPRI. It was also studied by the NFPA in 2022, leading to an emergency amendment to the 2023 NEC, which now offers adequate safety measures.