-
Welcome to The Building Code Forum
Your premier resource for building code knowledge.
This forum remains free to the public thanks to the generous support of our Sawhorse Members and Corporate Sponsors. Their contributions help keep this community thriving and accessible.
Want enhanced access to expert discussions and exclusive features? Learn more about the benefits here.
Ready to upgrade? Log in and upgrade now.
Equipotential bonding for spa perimeter surfaces
- Thread starter Mr. Inspector
- Start date
Can that work with #8 wire? The expense would be quite high if it didn’t destroy the wire.
wwhitney
REGISTERED
steveray
SAWHORSE
The 6X6 "highway mesh" is what we see in slabs here...
wwhitney
REGISTERED
steveray
SAWHORSE
Pretty sure the highway mesh is what you are going to see for that price...
steveray
SAWHORSE
I can't wait for the first person to put "stepping stones" around their pool and their head exploding when I tell them what they have to do....
Which is obviously put the stones in after I leave....
I would have been ok with bonding the sand and the pavers and not worrying about the concrete below that should never be available to be touched anyway.
I wonder how this will work on curved perimeters? 3'x!00' sells for $683.00 plus tax & shipping. The added labor is probably another $683.00. This is a solid $2000.00 hit for the customer. It has me wondering how many people have been electrocuted at swimming pools?
I asked Grok the following.
How many people are electrocuted each year next to a swimming pool?
Note the distinction between in-pool and next to the pool electrocutions.
"There isn’t a precise, universally agreed-upon figure for the exact number of people electrocuted each year specifically "next to a swimming pool" because data collection on this topic varies by source, and incidents are often under-reported or bundled into broader categories like "electrical injuries" or "pool-related accidents." However, I can give you a solid foundation based on available information and some reasonable extrapolation.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) provides the most cited data on pool-related electrocutions. According to their reports, from 2002 to 2018—a 17-year span—there were 33 fatalities due to electrocutions in swimming pools and spas.
This averages out to roughly 2 deaths per year from electrocution in or around pools and spas combined. More recently, the CPSC has referenced 60 deaths and nearly 50 serious shocks over a 13-year period (roughly 1990–2003 in earlier reports, though sometimes cited as a rolling timeframe), which breaks down to about 4.6 deaths per year. These figures include incidents both in the water and around pools, spas, and hot tubs, often tied to faulty wiring, underwater lighting, or ungrounded equipment.
Now, your question specifies "next to a swimming pool," which suggests incidents outside the water, like on the pool deck or nearby, rather than in it. The data doesn’t cleanly separate "in" versus "next to" incidents, but some cases—like shocks from grabbing electrified handrails or ladders—imply proximity rather than submersion. For example, a 2018 case in Miami involved three children shocked by a pool ladder’s metal railing due to faulty wiring, though they survived. Fatalities, though, are more often linked to submersion (electric shock drowning) than dry-side shocks, suggesting "next to" deaths are a subset of the total.
Given the CPSC’s 2–4.6 annual average for all pool-related electrocutions, and considering that "next to" incidents (e.g., from pumps, power washers, or dropped appliances) are less common than in-water ones, a conservative estimate might place electrocutions "next to" a pool at 1–2 per year in the U.S. This is a rough split, as maybe half or fewer involve dry-side contact based on incident patterns. Non-fatal shocks are more frequent—possibly 3–5 annually—based on the CPSC’s "nearly 50 serious shocks" over 13 years (about 3.8 per year), but again, not all are "next to" the pool.
Globally, data is spottier. The World Health Organization focuses on drowning, not electrocution, and no centralized database tracks poolside electrocutions worldwide. In the U.S., with about 10.4 million residential pools (per the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance), the risk per pool is tiny—on the order of 1 in millions annually—but the stakes are high when failures occur.
So, my best answer: approximately 1–2 people are electrocuted fatally each year next to a swimming pool in the U.S., with a few more experiencing serious but non-fatal shocks. This is an educated estimate, not a hard stat, since the data blurs the "in" vs. "next to" line. If you’re looking for a global number or more precise breakdown, we’d need better reporting systems—something that, frankly, doesn’t exist yet."
The End
The reality is that the 1-2 annual deaths will continue for the next fifty years as the existing pools become replaced. Perhaps an improved method of dealing with stray electricity would better serve humanity as that could be utilized throughout the built environment.
As an aside: As our brains shrink, our finger will grow longer.
I asked Grok the following.
How many people are electrocuted each year next to a swimming pool?
Note the distinction between in-pool and next to the pool electrocutions.
"There isn’t a precise, universally agreed-upon figure for the exact number of people electrocuted each year specifically "next to a swimming pool" because data collection on this topic varies by source, and incidents are often under-reported or bundled into broader categories like "electrical injuries" or "pool-related accidents." However, I can give you a solid foundation based on available information and some reasonable extrapolation.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) provides the most cited data on pool-related electrocutions. According to their reports, from 2002 to 2018—a 17-year span—there were 33 fatalities due to electrocutions in swimming pools and spas.
This averages out to roughly 2 deaths per year from electrocution in or around pools and spas combined. More recently, the CPSC has referenced 60 deaths and nearly 50 serious shocks over a 13-year period (roughly 1990–2003 in earlier reports, though sometimes cited as a rolling timeframe), which breaks down to about 4.6 deaths per year. These figures include incidents both in the water and around pools, spas, and hot tubs, often tied to faulty wiring, underwater lighting, or ungrounded equipment.
Now, your question specifies "next to a swimming pool," which suggests incidents outside the water, like on the pool deck or nearby, rather than in it. The data doesn’t cleanly separate "in" versus "next to" incidents, but some cases—like shocks from grabbing electrified handrails or ladders—imply proximity rather than submersion. For example, a 2018 case in Miami involved three children shocked by a pool ladder’s metal railing due to faulty wiring, though they survived. Fatalities, though, are more often linked to submersion (electric shock drowning) than dry-side shocks, suggesting "next to" deaths are a subset of the total.
Given the CPSC’s 2–4.6 annual average for all pool-related electrocutions, and considering that "next to" incidents (e.g., from pumps, power washers, or dropped appliances) are less common than in-water ones, a conservative estimate might place electrocutions "next to" a pool at 1–2 per year in the U.S. This is a rough split, as maybe half or fewer involve dry-side contact based on incident patterns. Non-fatal shocks are more frequent—possibly 3–5 annually—based on the CPSC’s "nearly 50 serious shocks" over 13 years (about 3.8 per year), but again, not all are "next to" the pool.
Globally, data is spottier. The World Health Organization focuses on drowning, not electrocution, and no centralized database tracks poolside electrocutions worldwide. In the U.S., with about 10.4 million residential pools (per the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance), the risk per pool is tiny—on the order of 1 in millions annually—but the stakes are high when failures occur.
So, my best answer: approximately 1–2 people are electrocuted fatally each year next to a swimming pool in the U.S., with a few more experiencing serious but non-fatal shocks. This is an educated estimate, not a hard stat, since the data blurs the "in" vs. "next to" line. If you’re looking for a global number or more precise breakdown, we’d need better reporting systems—something that, frankly, doesn’t exist yet."
The End
The reality is that the 1-2 annual deaths will continue for the next fifty years as the existing pools become replaced. Perhaps an improved method of dealing with stray electricity would better serve humanity as that could be utilized throughout the built environment.
As an aside: As our brains shrink, our finger will grow longer.
Last edited:
wwhitney
REGISTERED
You could use a polygonal approach--straight sections that are spliced together. Or you could try bending the longitudinal strands--the strands on the inside of the curve would need to get shorter, so you could use a tool that's like a split solid cylinder that you put over a segment and rotate to put a zig-zag in the middle of the segment.
Not enough experience with #8 Cu to know how hard it would be to work with or how quickly it would work harden. Hopefully it's shipped in the annealed state.
Cheers, Wayne
You think? If I had a clue as to what that is. Near as I can tell that means two gonals. For starters, I'm not sure that I have even one,.... unless of course it's... but hah that's not it. The zig-zag sank in.
"From 2019 to 2021, an average of 358 children fatally drowned in pools or spas and 6,500 visit the ER annually each year." -Pool Safety (.gov)
So, either the electrical danger is way over exaugurated, or all of the pool bonding that people have done over the last 30 or so years is actually paying off...
Interestingly, that website has a link to this one about electrical safety in regard to pools. No mention of bonding whatsoever.
So, either the electrical danger is way over exaugurated, or all of the pool bonding that people have done over the last 30 or so years is actually paying off...
Interestingly, that website has a link to this one about electrical safety in regard to pools. No mention of bonding whatsoever.
steveray
SAWHORSE
Stairway Injury Statistics and Their Hazards - Tenge Law Firm, LLC
Discover the alarming stairway injury statistics and potential hazards associated with them. Stay informed and take action to prevent accidents. Learn more now!
www.tengelaw.com
Not to get too far OT, but we could make bigger safety gains...If we wanted...
Stairs are meant to kill us.Stairway Injury Statistics and Their Hazards - Tenge Law Firm, LLC
Discover the alarming stairway injury statistics and potential hazards associated with them. Stay informed and take action to prevent accidents. Learn more now!www.tengelaw.com
Not to get too far OT, but we could make bigger safety gains...If we wanted...
View attachment 15356
If the money spent on retooling and advertising new car models was spent on safety R&D, we would have cars that last a lifetime and hardly ever crash.
Mr. Inspector
SAWHORSE
wonder how this will work on curved perimeters? 3'x!00' sells for $683.00 plus tax & shipping. The added labor is probably another $683.00. This is a solid $2000.00 hit for the customer. It has me wondering how many people have been electrocuted at swimming pools?
I remember inspecting these years ago. I think the 2006 code required the copper mesh only around pools.
One nation under the NEC and I've never seen such a thing as this copper mesh.
steveray
SAWHORSE
Ya I don't think so as I am the keeper of Tiger Code.
Gregg Harris
SAWHORSE
The Copper EquiBond Grid System has a size of 3-foot by 100-foot roll which is all made from exothermically welded #8 Solid Copper with 12-inch spacing on the
So yes there is
So yes there is