Q. A fellow electrician told me if I were to wire an aboveground storable pool pump motor for 240V operation, the receptacle outlet would need to be located 10 feet from the pool. I thought five feet was the minimum. Who’s right?
A. Your electrician buddy is almost right. According to 680.34, all receptacles must be located no less than 10 feet from the inside walls of a storable pool. So voltage is not really the issue in this case. In addition, GFCI protection is required for all electrical equipment, including power-supply cords, used with storable pools [680.32]. If I were you, I’d connect the pool pump motor to a 125V GFCI receptacle that’s located 10 feet or more away from the pool.