We recently purchased a new Weslo spa and are starting the hookup process. The only spa panels with GFCI I can find at the warehouse stores are 50 and 30 amp. The manual calls out a 40 amp circuit requirement.

By running the branch circuit off of a new 40 amp circuit breaker in the house panel to a 50 amp spa panel, I believe I'm meeting the requirement for installation. Is this arrangement technically sound or do I need to match the breaker sizes? I've got to get the electrical permit before I can have the work done and just want to get all of my ducks in a row before I head to City Hall.

Thanks for the help.

As long as you have the 40 amp in line, you're fine.

And this is a good installation too, having a big breaker at the tub and one in the house. Put the 40 inside.

The 50 will give you the ground fault protection you need, the 40 the current limiting requirement.

Good to see somebody's actually putting these things in!

My Scenario: Outdoor sub-panel (new 50 Amp 2 pole GFI breaker) is fed from inside mailn breaker panel (40 amp) through 1” BX cable with N, L1, L2, and ground, all of which are 8 gauge, stranded wire. All the wires seem to be installed on the correct lugs in the main and sub panel. The GFI doesn’t trip when both main and sub-panel breakers are switched “ON” WITHOUT Spa wired into to sub-panel.

WITH the spa wired in to the sub-panel (N, L1, and L2 enclosed in ½” Seal-tight conduit - neutral to the neutral bus, L1 and L2 to the breaker set screws), the GFI trips immediately every time, disrupting power to the Spa.

I'd appreciate suggestions as to isolating the cause of the GFI tripping.

Be sure that your neutral in the sub-panel isn't tied to the ground bus. In most of those sub panels neutral and ground will be the same. With a gfci, they can't be. So, your neutral coming from the gfci in the house, should be tied directly to the neutral going to the spa - NOT connected to a bus in the sub panel, unless you are positive it's isolated from the ground bus.

Last thing, be sure that the ground line in the spa control isn't tied to neutral also.

http://spasupport.com/electrical/main/installguide.html

Check those and let us know how it turns out.

Thanks.

Hmmmm something you said leads me to believe that you may have the load neutral hooked up to the bus bar instead of the position for it ON THE GFI breaker itself. The GFCI breaker has a position for L-1 L-2 and NEUTRAL. The Pigtail goes to the Neutral bus bar but the actual neutral line going to the tub MUST go this neutral postion on the breaker!

Barb

http://spasupport.com/electrical/elexmain4wire.gif

See you cant hookup the Neutral to the equipment to the busbar or it will trip when energized... it must go to that neutral position on the breaker itself.

BARB

Thanks for your help so far.

I have a follow up to my initial electrical installation question. Do I need the sub panel out at the spa? The wire run will be approximately 80 ft. of #6 wire on a 40 amp GFCI breaker installed in the main panel. I know I need a disconnect within 5 ft. of the spa but I'm hoping that by moving up to the larger #6 wire, I can eliminate the sub panel.

Thanks again for your help.

You cannot legally install this without a remote disconnect.

The outside disconnect performs two functions:

1. Ability to disconnect power from the spa in the event of an electrical problem... (eg somebody's flailing around getting electrocuted), and
2. Ability for a service technician to work on the spa and monitor that the power is off, and stays turned off.

Clarification:

The cut off, needs to be GREATER than 5 feet away. Any closer then it is unsafe, and not in code spec per nec sec 680. (Personally, I would NEVER install one closer than 10 feet!).

Cut-offs are real cheap. Standard 60 Amp Cut-Off

There's an example of what will meet nec requirements. Your local code requirements will vary though so it's good to double check.

So, say if your house is 20 feet from the spa, then you can mount the cut-off at the house, (then run conduit), as long as it can be seen visibly at the spa, then you should be in great shape.

Also, if your run from the cut-off box to the spa is short, and your max load is only 40 amps, then running the 6 gauge to the cut-off is good, then going from 6 to 8 gauge from the box to the tub will work just fine. It's a lot easier to install. Of course your installation instructions, and local code requirements may dictate differently.

This is really good info. My original thought was to use the sub panel with GFCI breaker installed as the disconnect but I would like to avoid installing the sub panel if possible. Would a 75-80 ft. run from the main panel to the disconnect box be too long for a 40 amp GFCI circuit using #6 wire? That would leave me about 10-20 ft. run to the spa after the disconnect.

Thanks again for all of the help.

You should be just fine with this, as long as it's a 40 amp max load. Once you get up to 50 amps, then everything starts to get in the grey area, and you're better off upsizing, like going with a professionally run 00 aluminum line.

But as always, it's good to check your local codes.