can homeowner so electrical work in his own home ? (above ground pool)

9 years ago

I live in Western ma and I'm having an Adobe ground pool put in. I had heard in the past that homeowners can do electrical work add long add is in their own home. but recently had someone tell me that the town wanted them to use an electrician. What sucks is that's it's gonna end up costing more for the electrical than for the pool! !

I have a good friend who is an electrician, but won't b eligible for his journeyman licence till the later part of the year, which doesn't do me a lot of good now!

Btw, can anyone give me an idea of how much I'm likely to pay for this?

Pool will b about 30-35 ft away from house.

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Comments (10)

Vith
9 years ago
Depends on what city requires. Check with them. They may just require an inspection, then you can do it and their inspector can ensure it is safe and done right. Grounding a pool requires extensive research so check up on that.
User
9 years ago
MA is a bit different. Several cities have special stipulations.
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Thank you for all the good ideas. I love the forums here for general tips and advice, but this is the first time I've posted anything. I think I'll start in approaching the new HOA board. They take over at the beginning of the year. One of the new members has a picture perfect lawn & garden. Hopefully she'll help. They had their house up for sale (we were very happy), but took it down with the real estate crash. The above-ground pool is against our deed restrictions. I think they have a higher chlorine content than actual pools. You could smell the chlorine standing near the fence. I think the issue is a mixture of both the chlorine and the extra water. Initially during hurricane season, the chlorine "burned" the grass in a very wide path down my backyard and all the way to the street. My trees showed the same "burn" pattern starting in the leaves of the lower branches then worked up to the top. My hibiscus looks scruffy now (it took two years for it to flourish). Even the sword fern that grows rampant took a hit from the run-over. Right now it stays soggy all the time (without much rain), but I don't smell the chlorine anymore. Clovers helped with the grass some (and weed competition), but HOA calls them weeds. Compost helped with the China Doll; it perked up. We've considered the French drain; we'd have to route about 70 feet to get to the street. I think a combo of french drain and water-loving plants may be the best bet. And to toxcrusadr, my shoulder devil was thinking large willow tree or pollen excessive species beside the fence would make the pool not worth the upkeep (seeing as it's removable). I need a good-sized tree in the backyard anyway. But they would probably find a way to successfully sue me!
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No additional post you must be finished! Just in case your not, the liner tips I promised. Someone else may be putting up an AG pool and use them. First you will need a NEW liner. I have seen ppl move pools and try and use the old one. It didn't work. They get brittle in no time, and lining up the skimmer and return holes would be really hard. If you can afford to get some S-clip and hang a beaded liner. They are much easier and changing them later on is easier too. Put the liner in the pool, don't drag it accross the wall. At this point your wall is in and bolted up, and your uprights are secured to the bottom plates only. A small piece of duct tape can be used to hold them to the wall, so they don't flop around. They shouldn't but if it's windy or you have to stop for the night it's a good idea. Ok, unfold the liner and start pulling it over the wall. About two feet at first, this part you kinda have to eyeball. This where a beaded liner is nice, you just start putting the liner in the bead. Back to overlap liner. Again as many family friends and neighbors is good here. You will hold the part of the liner drapped over the wall, with coping strips. They are about 2 ft long and available at your local AG pool dealer. Get new ones, the old ones are prob cracked a brittle. Once the liner is over the wall all the way around, try and get it as even as possible. If you chose a liner with a print bottom, the print should be at the base of the pool wall. A note here about the bottom. It has been a while since I installed a AG. Order brick sand, or mortar sand from a local dealer. If they can get it inside the pool area that is GREAT! If not, it has to be hand moved via wheel barrow, unless you still have that bobcat around. Bottom should be about 2" deep,and we always built up a cove around the bottom track. Cove is sand at a 45 deg angle. Damp sand with garden hose, it trowels easier. If you have a shop vac, you can put a hose through the skimmer, where the lid goes, behind the liner. Duct tape around the hose to seal it off and turn on the shop vac. This pulls air from behind the liner. It takes a while, but if you get good suction you can get your wrinkles out of the liner before you start water. Once you start water you must stay with the pool until water is about 4" up the wall. Let slack out by pulling up on the coping strip where the stress is. The liner will slip down until the stress is relieved, put the coping strip back on. Go around the pool relieving stress on each coping strip untill the liner stays in place and no longer pulls on the wall. The water will be up on the wall by now. If there are any wrinkles you can work them out with a mop or broom. If you have to get inside the pool, make sure your barefoot. You can start topping off the pool when the water is up the wall. Don't cut in your skimmer and return until water is halfway up or better. Some people don't cut them in until water is up to the skimmer. We had other pools to get to so we did. You may wish to wait. Hope this helps, I have read the instructions that come with these pools and had a good laugh. If you can get past the broken english, many are made overseas, they give the impression one man, can put these up in one day, by himself. I'd like to see that. There are probably web pages now that show pictures, that would help. But I had fun writing this and seeing how much I remembered. Good luck again, and post some pics when your done. Colt
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I know you don't want to hear this but I would suggest hiring an electrician.... it sure looks like that buried junction box needs to be relocated to a raised position..... I rewired my light last year and I had to pull fresh wire (due to lack of length) through the conduit to an elevated junction box.... from that point to the pool the conduit is below the waterline and thus submerged.... did you happen to overfill your pool or experience alot of heavy rain ??.. that may be causing water to rise up into that box from the pool.... also.... You didn't mention whether or not you have a low voltage light and transformer but I would be especially concerned if that buried junction box is carrying 120 volts ....
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I would call Seasonal World in Clarksburg, NJ (right near Great Adventure). They put in our fiberglass in Central Jersey back in 2011. See if they would provide a quote to you. Also, what brand/model fiberglass pool are you getting, and what are they quoting you on the fiberglass pool itself? (I've attached a video of Seasonal World installing our pool...)Seasonal World Fiberglass Pool Installation
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Ron Natalie
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Unless you or the person doing the work is completely familiar with Art 680, you're being foolish. Tanks of water that you're going to put yourself and your family into is not something you want to screw around with (either yourself or with "journeyman electicians" who haven't bothered to study the code on this special equipment. We lose a couple of people a year on miswired pool lights alone.

Grounding ins't the least of it. Equipotential bonding is a big isssue but there are tons of issues from lighting, nearby receptacles, etc... protection of motors, in pool lighting that all need to be looked at very careful.
Vith
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I would take ron's advice on this. Dealing with a pool is a lot more complex than adding a line in the house. Water and electricity don't mix, and every safety precaution must be taken. When hiring someone I would ask if they have done a pool before and get a reference if possible.
petey_racer
9 years ago
"What sucks is that's it's gonna end up costing more for the electrical than for the pool! !"

Yeah, this isn't even close to true.

And yes, listen to Ron.
L A
Original Author
9 years ago
The electrician friend had actually worked on putting a few of these in, but point taken!

I paid 800$ for they pool.
rwiegand
9 years ago
Not legally in MA. You pretty much need to be trained and licensed to wire a nuclear power plant to legally change out a switch or outlet in MA. (600 hours of classroom instruction, 8000 hours on the job as an apprentice for a journeyman license, more for a master). You can "work under the supervision" of someone holding an appropriate license-- they have to pull the permit. Unlike other states I've lived in there is no provision for homeowners or for lesser "home electrician" qualifications. This is a state level requirement, localities can be stricter, but not less so.
User
9 years ago
Perhaps you can point out where it actually says that in the actual LAW , MGL 143-3L

FAQs

Q: I would like to perform my own electrical work. Can I pull a permit as a homeowner and not a licensed electrician?

A: According to Massachusetts Electrical Code, a homeowner may perform electrical work provided that:
1. The work being done is residential, not commercial; and
2. The person performing the work is the property owner; and
3. The person performing the work resides at the property.
All three of these conditions MUST be met in order for a homeowner to perform their own electrical work.

Pepperell

While a homeowner is allowed to do electrical work in their own home, we strongly encourage a licensed electrician be hired since there are constant changes in the electrical code.

Carlisle

Burlington

Leominster

Just to name a few......
rwiegand
9 years ago
I stand corrected. It seems to be a town-by-town option.
PRO
Taylor Electrical Solutions, LLC
9 years ago
If I were you I would just do it my self then you can save all that money for your funeral after you get in the pool!! The reason you pay for electricians isn't just for the work its for the knowledge which any good electrician spends most of his life gathering. I wish it was as easy as just getting on an online forum and becoming an electrician. Don't do any research on wiring this pool cause you are only going to hurt you and and anyone that gets in it, the code can be hard to interpret and you might think it says one thing but it means another. Do yourself a favor and call an EXPERIENCED electrician. There are just something's you don't mess with and pools are one of them

can homeowner so electrical work in his own home ? (above ground pool)

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can homeowner so electrical work in his own home ? (above ground pool)

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