Episode 20 - Why New Pool and Hot Tub Code Changes Matter More Than Ever transcript

Trevor Tremblay: It is important because we are seeing a lot of reports of shocks at hot tubs, and we had one example of people just relaxing in their hot tub. They started feeling some electric shocks because of a nearby metal fence.

Karen Ras: The 2025 Ontario Electrical Code is in full force, and one of the updates that's making a splash is about residential and commercial pools and hot tubs. On today's episode of Grounded in Ontario, we're diving deep into the changes, including new requirements aimed at preventing stray currents from causing shocks. Stay tuned to find out exactly what these changes mean for Ontarians. Grounded in Ontario is a podcast for you, the province's licensed electrical contractors, master and certified electricians, and offers safety tips, tech, and best practices. Now let's get grounded.

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to Grounded in Ontario. I'm Karen Ras and happy to be back on the podcast. Now that the snow is finally melted, we are optimistically thinking about opening up our pools and hot tubs or getting one installed. Today, our focus is on changes in the latest edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code that affects pools and hot tubs. There were some rural changes that are important for you to know. We're now dealing with requirements to bond the water itself and even build copper grids around the structure. To help us jump into the subject, and you'll notice all the swimming puns, we have a ESA technical advisor, Trevor Tremblay, to break down these new requirements. Welcome, Trevor.

Trevor Tremblay: Thank you, Karen. Always happy to be here.

Karen Ras: It's great to have you here. So as most of our listeners know, a new version of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, or the OESC, was released last spring. It included quite a few updates, and one of the ones I'm hearing a little bit of buzz about is the change around pools and hot tubs.

Trevor Tremblay: That's right. Has definitely caused a lot of buzz, but these changes are going to improve the safety around pools and hot tubs, ensuring people can enjoy them in a safe manner. Over the last few years, we've had numerous reports of people getting mild electric shocks around pools and hot tubs, and even some have been more severe. One example, when you'd get some of these shocks is when you're walking out of an in ground pool, one foot's on the concrete and one foot's on the water.

Karen Ras: And that's something most of us wouldn't think twice about, stepping in and out of a pool or a hot tub. But it turns out, from what I understand, that simple action can actually put you at risk under specific conditions. What's going on to cause that?

Trevor Tremblay: It really all comes down to straight current in the earth. Think of it as electricity trying to find every path back to its source. In North America, including Ontario, we use a multi-grounded system, which can sometimes lead to these conditions. Especially with an in ground pool, the water might be bonded through the heater that's located a distance away. This creates some resistance in the water, and when you're standing on the earth or touching the water, you're actually standing on two potentially different planes, and the stray current can actually use you as a path to complete the circuit.

Karen Ras: So the electricity is actually traveling through the person, and that's where the shock comes from? That's interesting to know. Have we seen real cases of this happening?

Trevor Tremblay: We definitely do see real cases. We had one situation where kids were at a public swimming pool and they had to roll out of the shallow end to try avoid being shocked. They even received shocks around the touching of the ladders and standing on the concrete slab around the pool. Close to that pool was a municipal ball field that people were actually getting shocks from the metallic fence around the ball field, and that pool was definitely closed till they fixed the issues.

Karen Ras: Wow. That situation really shows how far the issue can reach. Amazing that it can even affect things like metallic fences nearby. I imagine hot tubs can also experience similar issues, especially since they're often above ground and close to patios or decks.

Trevor Tremblay: Yes, definitely something similar can happen with hot tubs where the current can use a person in the water as a path from the ground through the water and back to the source. The thing is, this can even be from a utility source since low voltage neutral is often connected to the primary neutral. So even when the stray current is coming from the utility side, it can still use the secondary neutral to get back to the source.

Karen Ras: Yikes. Okay. That sounds like a real headache and tricky to diagnose, but potentially expensive too. So these new code changes are really about getting ahead of the problem before it starts?

Trevor Tremblay: Yes. And hopefully the code change will help save people money in the long run. Finding the source of a shock can be time-consuming and possibly getting the utility involved, which can be costly. And that's actually one of the big reasons for the recent code changes. The new rules might seem costly upfront, but they are designed to prevent these problems from ever happening in the first place. This gives the owners of the pool a lifetime of worry-free swimming. And they still need to remember proper maintenance because as the system ages, things can come apart and not be properly bonded. As the contractor, the homeowner will call you first to solve this problem, which may involve countless hours of investigation and even sometimes involvement of the utility. Proper bonding upfront will save you from shocks, even if nothing is happening at the beginning. Situations and conditions change, which could lead you to shocks around the pool and hot tub in the future.

Karen Ras: So let's dive into the changes. Where do you want to start?

Trevor Tremblay: Well, let's start with a quick overview. The code now treats the pool as three main elements plus the nearby equipment. So first, we have the pool shell itself, the physical structure that holds the water. We have fiberglass, concrete, metal pools that are lined, and even pools with constructive, insulated concrete forms, ICF, which seems to be a new trend. Second, we have the patio or perimeter decking, the air right around the pool, depending on what you plan to have in your perimeter, wood deck or just grass, this is where prices might jump because of the new changes. And third is the pool water, which is a conductive medium. So the new rules cover how to bond the water. Fortunately, products are readily available since they have been required in the US for years. Finally, we have non-electrical equipment located within 1.5 meters of the pool. This isn't a change. It's always been a requirement.

Karen Ras: And I'd like to remind everybody that any rules referred to on this podcast or any of our podcasts are posted on the website with the podcast page. So you don't have to take notes if you're in your car driving. Safety first after all. So what's new with the body or shell of the pool?

Trevor Tremblay: The new code now gives us a definition for the conductive pool shell. It's a rigid structure made of metal, concrete, or other conductive material that holds the water. The appendix clarifies that vinyl liners and fiberglass shells are considered non-conductive, but any metal parts of them still have to be bonded. So for a concrete pool with unencapsulated metal rebar or reinforcing steel, the steel must now be bonded in four equally spaced locations in the wall. If the floor has rebar and is isolated from the walls, it also has to be bonded in four spots and connected to any equipment or metal within 1.5 meters of the pool.

Karen Ras: So now we have a clear definition of what counts as a conductive pool shell. That might seem like a small tweak, but I bet it has a big impact on how pools are designed and inspected.

Trevor Tremblay: It definitely does. With newer construction methods, some people are now using fiberglass mesh concrete, encapsulated rebar or even composite rebar to reinforce concrete. These materials aren't conductive, so there's nothing to bond the four spots to. So in these cases, the new code does require a copper grid to be installed down the size and under the pool. This grid is made out of a number six bare copper wire in a 300 by 300 millimeter pattern. In the past, traditional building methods, the unencapsulated rebar acted as the grid ensuring equal potentiality. If you are building the traditional rebar pool, the copper grid isn't necessary because the rebar and four point bonding already take care of that. For metal pool shells or panels, you only need to pick up the bond in one spot. So in these cases, the change is not big at all. You may still have to jump over the metal, whether you have non-conductive stairs, no change in practice.

Karen Ras: Got it. Newer materials like fiberglass mesh really change the safety requirements. It's interesting how the code adapts to modern construction methods. Would that same logic apply to fiberglass pools too?

Trevor Tremblay: For a fiberglass pool, you wouldn't need the ground grid around the walls and the floor, but you would still have to follow the rules for the perimeter surface bonding and the pool water bonding.

Karen Ras: Ah, okay. So it's all about creating that level playing field of safety, no matter the pool construction. And that brings us to the next big topic. Let's talk about the perimeter surface bonding.

Trevor Tremblay: This is definitely a change. We've never actually had a specific rule requiring bonding for the concrete around the pool. We used to consider it as part of the pool's reinforcing steel and only bonded if it was actually unencapsulated rebar. The new rule requires you to bond the rebar at four points if it exists. So just like with the pool shell, if there's no unencapsulated rebar, you'll have to install the copper grid. This is a number six copper grid, 300 by 300 pattern that extends 1.5 meters from the pool's edge. This even applies to areas that are just grass. And we tie all these changes together in a minute, but we do have a new pool bulletin being published and we did lower the distance to one meter from the pool edge.

Karen Ras: Okay, got that. Then what's the final new rule?

Trevor Tremblay: So pool water bonding, this is the final piece of the puzzle. This is definitely new. And if you have a conductive pool shell where the water is in direct contact, the water's considered bonded and you don't have to do anything else. But if you have a fiberglass or vinyl liner pool that insulates the water, you have to bond the water itself.

Karen Ras: Okay. That's something new to me. I am a pool owner, but have limited knowledge on this. Now, how do you bond the water?

Trevor Tremblay: You can bond the water by installing a conductive plate or a similar corrosion resistant surface, indirect and permanent contact with the pool water. The conductive surface is then connected to the main bonding grid of the pool. This has been a requirement in the US National Electrical Code for years, so there are products readily available. Some skimmers never or have built-in water bonding devices already built right into them.

Karen Ras: And can you tell me about how all of these new roles will work together?

Trevor Tremblay: Well, the entire goal of the change is to make everything around the pool equal potential. That means all the conductive parts of the pool and anything within 1.5 meters are at the exact same voltage level. So even if there's straight current, because there's no potential difference, you won't get a shock. If you actually took a multimeter and tested for voltage between all the bonded parts or the water, it should read zero or very close to it. Before these rules, we are sometimes measuring 20 volts. It's simply easier to make everything equal potential than trying to eliminate the straight current.

Karen Ras: This sounds like it's mostly for in-ground pools.

Trevor Tremblay: Mostly, but it also affects hot tubs and above ground pools made of metal with non-conductive coatings. With these pools, there's no way to bond the metal without damaging the protective coating.

Karen Ras: You mentioned hot tubs. How did the bonding for those change?

Trevor Tremblay: So we have been getting a lot of reports of similar issues with shocks around hot tubs. The new rule requires a number six bond wire to be run around the hot tub. Has to extend out 450 to 600 millimeters out and buried at least 100 to 150 millimeters deep. This is only required if the hot tub is on the ground or on a concrete slab that is in contact with the earth. If it's on a wooden deck or other insulating material that extends out one meter, then it's not required. And the new bond ring must be connected back to the bond in the hot tub. For an existing slab on grade where you're installing a hot tub, you can saw cut a slot and drill four holes at the corners just under the edge of the hot tub, grow it in a number six copper at the four corners and create your ring with the tail going into the hot tub. This will create an equal potential plane with the slab to the tub.

Karen Ras: And Trevor, why is this change so important?

Trevor Tremblay: It is important because we are seeing a lot of reports of shocks at hot tubs, and we had one example of people just relaxing in their hot tub. They started feeling some electric shocks because of a nearby metal fence. Thankfully, the deck itself wasn't conductive, so they were actually able to step out of the hot tub without getting a shock. And the issue was that the fence was grounded and somehow using bonded water in the hot tub as a return path for stray voltage. The homeowners were able to demonstrate the stray voltage by connecting a light bulb between the water and the fence posts and it actually lit up.

Karen Ras: That is scary, but I think that there are reasons why we have these kinds of podcasts and make these rule changes is because they affect people's safety. Now, before we wrap up, let's talk about best practices. If a contractor is doing in-ground bonding, what should they be careful about to make sure everything's up to code?

Trevor Tremblay: Well, they should definitely make sure that any aluminum slip bolts or ground lugs are not used for pool bonding. They have to be specifically approved for the direct barrel or for concrete encasement. If you're unsure of how to do your bonding correctly, maybe schedule your rough-in for a day the inspector's in the area and possibly try and meet up with them on site. If you have any components used outdoors, they must also be approved for wet locations, and all electrical equipment must be specifically approved for its intended use.

Karen Ras: Yes. Product safety, very important role for the ESA. Trevor, thank you so much for breaking down these changes. I'd like to mention now that this isn't the first time we've talked about pools and hot tubs. In fact, it was the subject of our first ever episode of Granted in Ontario. So if you're looking to dip your toes in a bit deeper into the subject, go back and give that one a listen. Before I let you go, do you have time to answer a listener question?

Trevor Tremblay: Of course.

Karen Ras: Great. Lou in Kingston has a question about another situation where water is in close proximity to electricity. He asks, "If a dishwasher should be supplied by branch circuit, does it supply any other outlet?"

Trevor Tremblay: Great question, Lou. No, the Ontario Electrical Safety Code doesn't require that a dishwasher have a dedicated branch circuit. The best thing to do when installing a dishwasher is to refer to the manufacturer's instructions for electrical supply requirements, and make sure to follow rule 2034 in the code.

Karen Ras: Again, you can find all the rural references in today's podcast on our website. We want to hear from you, so please email us at podcast@esasafe.com. We're open to topic suggestions and comments. Make sure you subscribe on any platform where you get your podcasts so that you'll get notified about our next episode. And remember, this podcast is for general information purposes only. While we endeavor to provide information that is relevant and current, as of the date of the initial broadcast, you should always consult the current edition of the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, bulletins, and applicable technical guidelines. Until next time, be safe, work safe, and stay grounded.