The Million Dollar Question: Lights Near Water?
We have all been taught our whole lives: water and electricity do not mix. So how on earth can a professional, totally up-to-code installation have lights sitting right there on the pool deck? It seems like it defies all the rules—but it does not.
There is a very specific modern exception in the electrical code, and at Aquatic Artists, we live by it. This is not about finding loopholes. It is about understanding a purpose-built, engineered pathway to creating beautiful, safe poolside lighting.
The Five-Foot Rule: Square One
Let us start with the fundamental rule of poolside electrical safety—something every single person involved in a pool project needs to know.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) says you need to keep most electrical gear at least five feet away from the water edge. The reason is simple: it creates a safety buffer designed to keep high-voltage equipment far away from wet people to prevent electric shock.
That is the default rule. But there is a really smart exception we are going to focus on.
NEC 680.22(B)(6): The Code Exception
This is where modern engineering and a smart electrical code come together. The NEC is not just a book of “no”—it is a roadmap for how to do things safely.
NEC 680.22(B)(6) is not a loophole. It is a purpose-built, engineered pathway. This exception says yes, you can do this—if you use a system with multiple layers of safety built right in.
Three Non-Negotiable Conditions
For this exception to apply, you must meet three conditions. No exceptions:
- The light fixture must be officially listed as not requiring grounding (UL 1838 listed)
- The whole system must be super low voltage—15 volts AC or less
- It must be powered by a listed UL 379 isolating transformer—this is the real heart of the safety system
The Magic of Isolation: Why It Works
Not all low-voltage transformers are created equal—not by a long shot. If you are working inside that five-foot zone, you need a special kind of transformer that does one thing incredibly well: it isolates the entire circuit.
A normal transformer might actually have a connection between the high-voltage side and the low-voltage side. But a UL 379 isolating transformer is built differently. The wires for the high-voltage and the low-voltage are physically and electrically separate. There is literally no direct path between them.
The Electrical Air Gap
Think of this as an electrical air gap. It totally severs the 120-volt power from your house from the low-voltage system lighting your pool. This means the low-voltage side is essentially floating—it has no connection to the earth ground.
What does that mean in the real world? Even if something goes wrong, the electricity has no path to travel through a person to the ground to cause a shock. It is an amazing built-in safety feature.
The Fixtures: Why Metal Is Actually Safe
This is where people get nervous—especially when they see lights with metal parts so close to the water. We are taught that any metal near a pool needs to be bonded to prevent stray voltage, right?
So when you see a metal light fixture sitting on the pool deck that is not bonded, it can look really wrong. But here is why it is actually perfectly safe.
UL 1838 Listed Fixtures
When a fixture has that special UL 1838 listing, it means it has been engineered and tested to be safe with a metal body without needing a safety ground. How is that possible?
- Double insulated: At least two layers of protection between any live electrical parts and the metal you can touch
- UL certified: Specifically listed as not requiring a ground wire
- Current limited: The special transformer caps how much energy can flow if something goes wrong
And let us not forget the final layer of safety: the super low voltage. At 15 volts AC or less, the system is running at a level that the NEC considers to be below the serious shock hazard level for people in wet areas.
The Complete Safe System
You have got three things working for you: an isolated circuit, double-insulated lights, and extremely low voltage. It is a complete system designed for safety from the ground up.
The Final Checklist
This is what Aquatic Artists lives by:
- UL 1838 listed fixture that says “no grounding required”
- UL 379 isolating transformer
- Whole system runs at 15 volts AC or less
- Everything installed exactly like the manufacturer specifies
You nail these four points, and you have got a perfectly safe and legal installation.
Safety and Style, Hand in Hand
At Aquatic Artists, our work is all about that perfect blend of knowing the electrical code inside and out while having that creative, artistic eye. A deep understanding of the rules is what lets us safely build these incredible backyards that people dream about.
So the next time you see a pool lit up like a resort, you will know the secret. It is not magic—it is just smart engineering and following the code. Safety does not have to limit beautiful design. In fact, when you do it right, it is what makes it possible.
