Choose the type of installation from different types of power lines nearby.

This questionnaire will allow you to check whether your pool or spa has been installed in accordance with electrical safety standards. In case of doubt, ask Hydro-Québec to check for compliance.

You need to do a visual check to see whether the installation is at a minimum safe distance from different types of power lines nearby.

Select the type of installation

Lines connecting your house to the power system

How is your house connected to the power system?
  • (overhead lines connecting to the system)

  • (power system lines are overhead, but the cables connecting the house to the system are underground)

  • (all power system cables are underground; there are no utility poles in your neighborhood)

Overhead system — Medium-voltage lines

These bare lines are at the top of the pole. Are there lines like this nearby?

Do a visual check to see whether there is a minimum of 7.5 metres between the closest medium-voltage line and any part of the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.).

MAKE A ROUGH VISUAL ESTIMATE OF THE DISTANCE.

NEVER BRING ANY INSTRUMENT NEAR THESE POWER LINES (TAPE MEASURES OR OTHER TOOLS).

According to your visual estimate, is there a clearance of at least 7.5 metres between the pool and the power lines?

Overhead system — Low-voltage lines

Low-voltage lines are located below the medium-voltage lines. They can consist of three separate wires or three wires twisted together.

Do you see lines of this type nearby?

Do a visual check to see whether there is a minimum of 5 metres between the closest low-voltage line and any part of the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.).

MAKE A ROUGH VISUAL ESTIMATE OF THE DISTANCE.

NEVER BRING ANY INSTRUMENT NEAR THESE POWER LINES (TAPE MEASURES OR OTHER TOOLS).

According to your visual estimate, is there a clearance of at least 5 metres between the pool and the low-voltage line?

Overhead system — Lines connecting the house to the power system

The lines connecting your house to the power system consist of three twisted wires—two insulated wires around a single bare wire.

Do a visual check to see whether there is a minimum of 5 metres between the wires connecting your house to the power system and any part of the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.).

MAKE A ROUGH VISUAL ESTIMATE OF THE DISTANCE.

NEVER BRING ANY INSTRUMENT NEAR THESE POWER LINES (TAPE MEASURES OR OTHER TOOLS).

According to your visual estimate, is there a clearance of at least 5 metres between the pool and these connecting wires?

Overhead system — Telecommunications lines

Telecommunications lines (telephone and cable) are below the low-voltage lines. They are thick cables with a black rubber insulating sheath.

Are there telecommunications lines nearby?

Do a visual check to see whether there is a minimum of 5 metres between the telecommunications lines and any part of the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.).

Compliance with this clearance distance is the responsibility of telecommunications companies, not Hydro-Québec.

Overhead system — Guy wire

A guy wire is a metal cable covered with yellow plastic at the base. This cable connects the utility pole to the ground in order to stabilize it.

Is there a guy wire nearby?

Check that there is a minimum of 0.75 metres between the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.) and the guy anchor.

According to your visual estimate, is there a clearance of at least 0.75 metres between the pool and the guy anchor?

Overhead system — Respecting rights for system maintenance

Permanent installations such as a pool or spa are not allowed within a 1.5-metre strip of land on either side of a distribution line. However, you may put up a fence less than six feet high or a moveable shed of less than 13 m2.

According to your estimate, does your pool or spa encroach on the 1.5-metre strip of land?

Respecting servitudes

It is always wise to check whether the location of a new pool or spa is in a servitude belonging to a public utility company, municipality or neighbour.

Does the installation of your pool or spa respect the servitudes belonging to Hydro-Québec?
To determine whether there is a servitude on your property, check your location certificate or contact your notary.
Note: It is not the responsibility of Hydro-Québec to confirm whether there is a servitude on a property nor determine the accuracy of a certificate of location.

Overhead-underground system — Medium-voltage lines

These bare wires are at the top of the pole. Are there wires like this nearby?

Do a visual check to see whether there is a minimum of 7.5 metres between the closest medium-voltage line and any part of the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.)./p>

MAKE A ROUGH VISUAL ESTIMATE OF THE DISTANCE.

NEVER BRING ANY INSTRUMENT NEAR THESE POWER LINES (TAPE MEASURES OR OTHER TOOLS).

According to your visual estimate, is there a clearance of at least 7.5 metres between the pool and the power lines?

Overhead-underground system — Low-voltage lines

Low-voltage lines are located below the medium-voltage lines. They can consist of three separate and stacked wires or three wires twisted together.

Do you see this type of line nearby?

Do a visual check to see whether there is a minimum of 5 metres between the closest low-voltage line and any part of the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.).

MAKE A ROUGH VISUAL ESTIMATE OF THE DISTANCE.

NEVER BRING ANY INSTRUMENT NEAR THESE POWER LINES (TAPE MEASURES OR OTHER TOOLS).

According to your visual estimate, is there a clearance of at least 5 metres between the pool and the power lines?

Overhead-underground system — Service cable to the house

An underground cable connects the overhead distribution system to your home. The cable runs through a conduit or directly through the ground.

You must contact Info-Excavation to ensure that the location of your pool or spa does not impact the service cable or any other underground equipment belonging to a utility company (electricity, gas, telecommunications).

Info-Excavation centralizes the locate requests for most of Québec’s underground infrastructure operators, including Hydro-Québec. This service is free.

If there is underground equipment on your property, the operator’s representative will indicate the location on the ground.

However, in an overhead-underground system, the service cable may belong to the homeowner. In this case, it is neither the responsibility of Info-Excavation nor Hydro-Québec to locate the cable.

Following the technician’s visit, if the location of the service cable is not indicated up to your meter, the cable belongs to the homeowner.

In this case, you must call upon the services of an underground cable locator. Ask the representative to determine the location of the cable as accurately as possible.

The horizontal clearance between a service cable and the inside wall of a pool or spa must be at least 1.5 metres.

Contact Hydro-Québec if you have any questions about clearance. A representative will inform you of the minimum clearances to safely install your pool or spa.

Under no circumstances should a service cable run under a pool or spa, regardless of the depth at which it is buried.

Has the location of the cable been determined up to the meter?
Is there a horizontal clearance of at least 1.5 metres between the cable and the inside wall of the pool or spa? (Under no circumstances should the cable run under the pool or spa.)

You must know the location of the service cable before drawing up the plans to install your pool or spa. Continue the assessment for a complete overview of the situation.

Overhead-underground system – Telecommunications lines

Telecommunications lines (telephone and cable) are below the low-voltage lines. They are thick cables with a black rubber insulating sheath.

Are there telecommunications lines nearby?

Do a visual check to see whether there is a minimum of 5 metres between the closest telecommunications line and any part of the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.).

Compliance with this clearance distance is the responsibility of telecommunications companies, not Hydro-Québec.

Overhead-underground system — Guy wire

A guy wire is a metal cable covered with yellow plastic at the base. This cable connects the utility pole to the ground in order to stabilize it.

Is there a guy wire nearby?

Check that there is at least 0.75 metres between the pool, spa or related equipment (platform, slide, diving board, ladder, etc.) and the guy anchor.

According to your estimate, is the 0.75-metre clearance respected?

Overhead system — Property and servitude rights for system maintenance

Permanent installations such as a pool or spa are not allowed within a 1.5-metre strip of land on either side of a distribution line. However, the installation of a fence of up to 6 feet or a moveable shed of up to 13 m2 may be permitted.

According to your estimate, does your pool or spa encroach on the 1.5-metre strip of land?

Respecting servitudes

It is always wise to check whether the location of a new pool or spa is in a servitude belonging to a public utility company, municipality or neighbour.

Does the installation of your pool or spa respect the servitudes belonging to Hydro-Québec?
To determine whether there is a servitude on your property, check your location certificate or contact your notary.
Note: It is not the responsibility of Hydro-Québec to confirm whether there is a servitude on a property nor determine the accuracy of a certificate of location.

Underground power system

Before selecting a location for your pool or spa, you must ensure that there are no underground wires or equipment belonging to public utilities that could interfere with the planned installation.

File a request with Info-Excavation to find out whether there are any cables or equipment buried near the planned location of your new pool or spa.

Info-Excavation centralizes the locate requests for most of Québec’s underground infrastructure operators, including Hydro-Québec. This service is free.

If there is any underground equipment on your property, the operator’s representative will indicate its location on the ground. Info-Excavation will only indicate lines and equipment installed by member utility companies.

If the location of the service cable is not indicated up to your meter, the cable belongs to the homeowner.

In this case, you must call upon the services of an underground cable locator. Ask the representative to determine the location of the cable as accurately as possible.

Minimum clearance between underground cables and the inside wall of the pool or spa

Contact Hydro-Québec once the underground cables to your meter have been located. Our technicians will then be able to tell you how far your pool or spa must be from the cables in order to comply with safety standards.

The minimum horizontal clearance between the cable and the inside wall of the pool varies depending on the type of cable. It can be anywhere from 1.5 metres (home service cables) to 6 metres (medium-voltage cables).

Under no circumstances should a service cable run under a pool or spa.

Has the underground infrastructure been located?
Is there a horizontal clearance of up to 6 metres between the cable and the inside wall of the pool or spa? (Under no circumstances should a service cable run under a pool or spa.)

You must know the location of the underground infrastructure before drawing up the plans to install your pool or spa. Continue the assessment for a complete overview of the situation.

Respecting servitudes

It is always wise to check whether the location of a new pool or spa is in a servitude belonging to a public utility company, municipality or neighbour.

Does the installation of your pool or spa respect the servitudes belonging to Hydro-Québec?
To determine whether there is a servitude on your property, check your location certificate or contact your notary.
Note: It is not the responsibility of Hydro-Québec to confirm whether there is a servitude on a property nor determine the accuracy of a certificate of location.

Results of your assessment of the installation of your pool or spa

Thank you for taking the time to check whether your pool or spa has been properly installed and for helping to keep your neighborhood safe.

Next step

Reminder: underground cables, pipes and equipment

You must ensure that there are no underground wires or equipment belonging to public utilities (electricity, gas, telecommunications) on your property.

To do so, contact Info-Excavation. This service is free.

Fill out an online request on the Info-Excavation Web site

Be sure to mention that you are inquiring about the installation of a pool or spa.

If there is an underground infrastructure belonging to an Info-Excavation member on your property, the operator’s representative will indicate its location on the ground. Info-Excavation will only indicate lines and equipment installed by member utility companies.

If your project does not meet installation standards

Contact your installer to draft new plans that comply with clearance standards.

Still unsure?

Fill out a request form. A Hydro-Québec representative will clarify the situation.

The information in your assessment will be automatically transferred with the form.