New Designs Powering Today’s Pool Market – But Electrical Safety Remains Top Concern
Chuck Ross
If you haven’t tried to block out the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 from your mind, you might remember the ways the work- and learn-from-home trends helped drive home renovation projects during that period. The more time we spent at home, the more we noticed things we wanted to change. That spirit continued, even as Covid rates fell. Many saw their home values rise and, as housing demand led to new-home shortages, decided to plow some of that new equity back into long-desired improvement efforts. Swimming pools quickly floated toward the top of that list.
Rising interest rates may have slowed renovation interest somewhat, but pools remain a popular option for creating or improving upon homeowners’ outdoor living space. Among the trends for these new installations is a move away from the curvy, kidney-shaped designs of the past to more rectilinear approaches that draw on infinity and spill-over pools that have become signature amenities at high-end hotels and resorts. Along with these contemporary plans can come an increased interest in lighting, sound and other power-using equipment, beyond standard pool pumps and cleaning equipment.
Of course, electricity and water don’t make for friendly partners when it comes to safety. Without close attention to the electrical design, stray electrical current can create dangerous conditions for those who might touch railings or other hardware, and even those in the pool, itself.
Proper grounding and bonding are critical to protecting against such dangerous situations. Grounding, which gives electricity a low-resistance route to the earth, is generally accomplished by running a ground wire to either the electrical panel supplying power to a pool system or back to a home’s main breaker box. Bonding creates a means for connecting all pool equipment together to ensure equal electrical potential across all the areas electrical devices and typically involves tying this equipment together with a conductive bonding wire or grid.
Rising interest rates may have slowed renovation interest somewhat, but pools remain a popular option for creating or improving upon homeowners’ outdoor living space. Among the trends for these new installations is a move away from the curvy, kidney-shaped designs of the past to more rectilinear approaches that draw on infinity and spill-over pools that have become signature amenities at high-end hotels and resorts. Along with these contemporary plans can come an increased interest in lighting, sound and other power-using equipment, beyond standard pool pumps and cleaning equipment.
Of course, electricity and water don’t make for friendly partners when it comes to safety. Without close attention to the electrical design, stray electrical current can create dangerous conditions for those who might touch railings or other hardware, and even those in the pool, itself.
Proper grounding and bonding are critical to protecting against such dangerous situations. Grounding, which gives electricity a low-resistance route to the earth, is generally accomplished by running a ground wire to either the electrical panel supplying power to a pool system or back to a home’s main breaker box. Bonding creates a means for connecting all pool equipment together to ensure equal electrical potential across all the areas electrical devices and typically involves tying this equipment together with a conductive bonding wire or grid.
Photo courtesy of BURNDY
