Temporary Power

[kmacht]

So what's the best way to run temporary power while building a garage? I need to tear down an existing attached garage to put up a bigger detached. The problem is that the electrical for the above ground pool runs through the garage, to a timer on the back wall, and then underground to the pool pump plug. All of that wiring will have to get removed when the old garage comes down. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to safely run power to the pool for a few months while the new garage goes up? I have thought about a big extension cord but have been told that a pool pump run on an extension cord will burn up in short order.

Keith

 

[Tscott]

I am assuming the power for the old garage comes from the house. If so I would put up an underground pedestal. It will allow you to feed the construction site and the pool. Just intercept the wire running to the garage and cut in the pedestal. If the power comes from the power transformer, then I would install a temporary construction pole and feed the pool off that.

Tom

 

[rockwithjason]

run pvc conduit to a good spot then put a pvc box down and install the timer in it. from there run out to the pool

 

[BioHazard]

I have thought about a big extension cord but have been told that a pool pump run on an extension cord will burn up in short order.

That's not necessarily true. How many amps/volts is the motor? Temporary power at job sites is often provided through heavy duty flexible cords. ("extension cords" at 50 amps or more) As long as you use a cord of the right gauge, it's no different than the wiring you have now.

I have no idea what your amp draw is, but the wiring in your walls is basically just an extension cord with special insulation. Whatever gauge that wiring is, is what you would need for a portable type cord. Keep in mind these can be expensive and you do need to use the proper type of heavy duty cord. Any old cheap orange cord won't do the job.

 

[rodnok1]

I would get outdoor rated wiring for the pool(sized approiately) and either bury from house or put in PVC across to the pool.

 

[walrus]

. Their is a whole section in the NEC on pool and spas and I doubt extension cords are mentioned as a legal or safe means to run a pool

 

[Falcon67]

I have thought about a big extension cord but have been told that a pool pump run on an extension cord will burn up in short order.

Not if the cord is properly sized for the load. How far did the power travel before it got to your house? There's one hell of an "extension cord" running from the power plant. We've got a 1 HP sand filter that has run on it's own 10' 12 gauge cord plus a 30' 10 gauge cord for quite a few years. It's currently in storage, but I'd have no issue putting a cord on it. When it was on the big above ground in Houston, it was plugged into a GFCI outlet under the outside breaker panel. I eventually buried some wire in conduit because I got tired of unplugging and rolling it up to mow the yard.

 

[GarageEnvy]

Funny you should mention this as I have the exact situation going right now. Needed temporary power for house as well as the existing power was on the garage that was demo'd. In the contract I had with the electrician he was to make sure that the pool pump (about 60' away) had temporary power. In my situation there really wasn't a good way to run it in conduit and keep it out of the way of construction. He rewired the pump motor to run on 110 (it's a 110/220 motor) but it tripped the thermal overload protection after only 15 minutes of run time. He then put it back to 220 and mounted a 220 plug under the temporary panel and labeled it pool pump. I will say this, he did it after the inspector approved the panel and he was reluctant to do the 220 until 110 had failed and he said to unplug it and coil it back when the inspector comes. I'm sure it's not to code but it was a workable solution for the time being. Also my pump is only 1 horsepower.

 

[kmacht]

Burying the cable as a temporary fix isn't really feasable. Where the power comes out of the house now I have the concrete pad for the existing (to be demo'd) garage. I could have it come out of the house under a deck but then would have to dig a 18" deep trench under a 2' high deck (not fun). I plan on running power to the garage to a subpanel when I am done. The pool will be fed off of that subpanel with the plug mounted on the outside wall of the garage. It is about 50' from the panel inside my house to the pool including any bends. The pool motor is 1.5hp and requires a full 20 amp dedicated circuit. I hve 10 gage wire feeding it right now. Can I legaly and safely run temporary power through conduit above ground? If I can then I can just run the conduit along the lenght of the side of my house, past the new garage foundation, and over to the pool pump plug. I just didn't think you could run power in conduit above ground.

Keith

 

[mrb]

make sure you dont compromise the grounding of the pool

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Burying the cable as a temporary fix isn't really feasable. Where the power comes out of the house now I have the concrete pad for the existing (to be demo'd) garage. I could have it come out of the house under a deck but then would have to dig a 18" deep trench under a 2' high deck (not fun). I plan on running power to the garage to a subpanel when I am done. The pool will be fed off of that subpanel with the plug mounted on the outside wall of the garage. It is about 50' from the panel inside my house to the pool including any bends. The pool motor is 1.5hp and requires a full 20 amp dedicated circuit. I hve 10 gage wire feeding it right now. Can I legaly and safely run temporary power through conduit above ground? If I can then I can just run the conduit along the lenght of the side of my house, past the new garage foundation, and over to the pool pump plug. I just didn't think you could run power in conduit above ground.

Keith

Its temporary, why worry about burying it 18 inches deep, dig a trench six or eight inches and bury it, come under that shallow deck, either on the ground or best to bury it six inches or so. You wouldn't want a dog or other critter to decide to chew it up, and you wouldn't want to hit it with the lawnmower. A trench that shallow would be easy to dig, safer than on the surface and............. its temporary.

Not saying code don't count, but common sense also should prevail.

As already noted, make sure you have a good, uninterrupted ground and verify the function of the GFCI on the pump circuit, etc.

When I built my shop I had a 100 ft 12 gauge extension cord running from the house to the shop for almost a year. It was simply in the grass, and when I mowed, I pulled it up. Cord held up pretty well in the weather, I still use it, but for a pool, you need a permanent or semi-permanent installation, a cord simply would not cut it.

Charles

 

[walrus]

make sure you dont compromise the grounding of the pool

That's a little bit of an understatement when talking about a pool and electricity, isn't it?

 

[kmacht]

Grounding isn't an issue. I know enough to make sure I have a dedicated ground wire running to the pool and not to use soemthing like a 2 prong extension cord. The breaker that the pool is on is a GFCI breaker and as long as I stay tied into that with a proper ground and neutral I should be fine.

Keith

 

[mrb]

Grounding isn't an issue. I know enough to make sure I have a dedicated ground wire running to the pool and not to use soemthing like a 2 prong extension cord. The breaker that the pool is on is a GFCI breaker and as long as I stay tied into that with a proper ground and neutral I should be fine.

Keith

I am talking about the bonding of all the metal in the pool, any required electrodes, etc. There is quite a bit more to pool grounding than having a ground wire.

 

[kmacht]

That was already done when I installed the pool. It is all properly grounded (or bonded if you want to call it that) to both the motor, ladder, pool frame, etc. The issue I have is getting power to the box with the twist lock plug in it for the pool motor. Everything on the other side of that box is already properly installled and to code.

Keith

 

[BioHazard]

. Their is a whole section in the NEC on pool and spas and I doubt extension cords are mentioned as a legal or safe means to run a pool

Guess what? When you call it "temporary", the NEC has no authority what so ever. And you DON'T even need to try to follow all the rules. Ever seen temporary power on a job site? Think that always meets code?

Also, any pool in the world that has electricity, is connected with an extension cord. That's how you move power from the power plant to your pool. The only difference between buried/in wall wiring and extension cords is the insulation. The electrical properties are exactly the same. They're both full of the same quality and quantity of copper inside the insulation.

 

[mrb]

Guess what? When you call it "temporary", the NEC has no authority what so ever. And you DON'T even need to try to follow all the rules. Ever seen temporary power on a job site? Think that always meets code?

what are you talking about? the electricity that will kill one of your kids doesnt know the wiring is 'temporary'. The NEC applies to all wiring no matter how long it is installed for. NEC 590 covers temporary installations.

 

[BioHazard]

what are you talking about? the electricity that will kill one of your kids doesnt know the wiring is 'temporary'.

Didn't say it had to be dangerous and have exposed wires. There is still a little thing called negligence.

On the other hand, you can do whatever the hell you want with wires on a temporary basis. That's why you use the word "temporary". And that's what you tell the inspector when they come out.

Is a half finished building up to code? Of course not - any electrical inside is temporary until it has all been finished. (for example, wires run through the walls, no wallboard yet, you can still turn on the power and use the outlets)

What are they going to do, ask you to remove it? Say "yeah, it's only temporary, I'll take it down when I'm done".

NONE of this gives you the right to do something stupid or careless with electricity. That is ALWAYS implied.

 

[walrus]

Guess what? When you call it "temporary", the NEC has no authority what so ever. And you DON'T even need to try to follow all the rules. Ever seen temporary power on a job site? Think that always meets code?
.

Good luck with that if someone gets hurt. Just because temp power on a job site doesn't meet doesn't mean their isn't a code to follow