Swimming pool help please

Sarah Hill · Sep 30, 2018

Hi, I’m not an electrician- just looking for some advice please - thanks. I’m looking at putting a small swimming pool in an industrial unit to open a swim school. The existing RCD board is currently in zone 1 and has lots of surface mounted cabling serving the existing lights etc, some also in zone 1. The landlord doesn’t want the RCD to be moved. Is it possible to create an enclosure which would put the RCD and associated cabling into a safe zone or even out of the pool room altogether? Thanks for your help.

SparkyChick · Sep 30, 2018

Hi Sarah, welcome to the forums.

Some pictures/plans showing the current and proposed layout may help.

Theoretically you could have a partition wall constructed to separate the electrics from the pool but the feasibility of that would all depend on layout which is where the pictures/plan would help.

Sarah Hill · Sep 30, 2018

Thanks, I don’t have plans yet but here’s a photo. The pool would end halfway between the yellow lines and stand 1m high. I’m also concerned about the cabling that you can see going over the ceiling as it would cross the end of the pool, would a suspended ceiling put this in a safe zone? How difficult would it be to move the RCD if it’s not feasible to cover it safely? Very grateful for your help

[ElectriciansForums.net] Swimming pool help please

littlespark · Sep 30, 2018

How does the landlord feel about the swimming pool idea?

Yozza19 · Sep 30, 2018

Don’t fur get it becomes a special location to so no pme

Sarah Hill · Sep 30, 2018

Landlord is happy with the pool

westward10 · Sep 30, 2018

Yozza19 said:
Don’t fur get it becomes a special location to so no pme

Where is this stated?

Midwest · Sep 30, 2018

I've seen some requests for advice but this one takes the biscuit. OP your only possible way of seeing if your swimming pool is viable, is to get in a contractor who has a good working knowledge of the regulations regarding swimming pools, it also seems you'll need to make some structural changes, and probably need planning consent or guidance. I've witnessed a local person running a swim school for young kids on the cheap (not suggesting you are) and it was quite frightening the short cuts taken.

westward10 · Sep 30, 2018

I know of a hotel who did something similar to this whereby they had an existing dist board which they constructed a room around to contain it. We had a call that people were receiving small shocks from it when they reset the rcbos which were constantly tripping. The outcome was that over a period of time chemicals in the air had migrated to coat parts of the board internally and externally, you could actually measure voltage across the insulation of the conductors internally.

Sarah Hill · Sep 30, 2018

Thanks Midwest - as I said, just looking for general advice on the RCD. I have already built a pool and currently run a swimming school elsewhere so know what’s involved. Nothing will be done on the cheap, no shortcuts and properly qualified people will be employed to do a proper job. I was just looking for some indication of whether it’s feasible at all to enclose an RCD to safely and legally put it in a different zone as I can’t find any information on this. Thanks

Sarah Hill · Sep 30, 2018

westward10 said:
I know of a hotel who did something similar to this whereby they had an existing dist board which they constructed a room around to contain it. We had a call that people were receiving small shocks from it when they reset the rcbos which were constantly tripping. The outcome was that over a period of time chemicals in the air had migrated to coat parts of the board internally and externally, you could actually measure voltage across the insulation of the conductors internally.

Thanks, that’s useful to know

Toneyz · Sep 30, 2018

westward10 said:
I know of a hotel who did something similar to this whereby they had an existing dist board which they constructed a room around to contain it. We had a call that people were receiving small shocks from it when they reset the rcbos which were constantly tripping. The outcome was that over a period of time chemicals in the air had migrated to coat parts of the board internally and externally, you could actually measure voltage across the insulation of the conductors internally.

How was the problem overcome? IP board?

westward10 · Sep 30, 2018

anthonybragg said:
How was the problem overcome? IP board?

Still like it as far as I know, we quoted to put it on the reverse side so it would not be affected but heard no more.

telectrix · Sep 30, 2018

deffo think OP is out of her depth here.

.

Octopus · Sep 30, 2018

Sarah Hill said:
Thanks, I don’t have plans yet but here’s a photo. The pool would end halfway between the yellow lines and stand 1m high. I’m also concerned about the cabling that you can see going over the ceiling as it would cross the end of the pool, would a suspended ceiling put this in a safe zone? How difficult would it be to move the RCD if it’s not feasible to cover it safely? Very grateful for your help View attachment 44571

I think you need to get a local spark or 2 to visit site with you to review this ................ then talk to the landlord .................

and get your cheque book ready!