Quote Originally Posted by JohnT
By pool circuit, do you mean the power circuit for the pool? If so, it is bad practice to ground an electrical system at more than one point. You wind up with current flowing through the earth.
As an EE, I understand ground loops. During this whole process I've been trying to bring my EE knowledge with me. I'm not an electrician, but I have done more than a few wiring projects at home. This is the first time I've ever been confused, and I think it is more terminology than anything. Your explanation of bonding in your above post i think cleared up the muddied waters for me.

Getting back to the grounding rod issue, is a grounding rod required at the breaker box for the pool (which is a separate box from the house, but fed from the house box)? I had to return the copy of the 2002 NEC that I had borrowed from a friend, so I don't have access to it any more. I seem to have read conflicting info on the grounding rod for the pool breaker box.

Quote Originally Posted by JohnT
Look at Table 680.10 for burial depths. Clearly 18" min inside the 5 foot area.
All of my underground conduit is greater than 10' away from the edge of the pool. It is nonmetallic, buried at about 14". Everything closer is above ground, attached to the deck structural members.