You’ve purchased a new pool and you are wondering if you need to have a gfci breaker for pool pump. We can help answer ways around those expensive breakers.
There are a number of ways for your pool with gfci protection without breaking the bank. A GFCI outlet or faceless gfci can substitute for a breaker. This method is much more cost effective and can still offer piece of mind to know that you are safe.
A GFCI stands for ground fault circuit interrupter. Our code states that any water source much have some form of protection. Read on for the details.
1. What Is Needed GFCI Breaker For A Pool Pump?
On average any water source that you come in contact to that has electricity will need to have GFCI protection. This GFCI protection or ground fault circuit protection will detect anything over 5 mA of leakage to ground to trip the breaker if anything were to happen.
The swimming pools require GFCI protection on the motor that circulates the water. Sometimes smaller motors can be just plugged into a GFCI receptacle. GFCI receptacle is one of the ones with the test and reset button on them. This is necessary for your safety.
Any smaller swimming pools like a blowup style or the big box stores swimming pools that you can buy. To set up that have non-current curing parts only need GFCI protection for the motor. In fact most of the motors will come with a GFCI reset right on the end of the motor court. This saves you from having to install GFCI receptacle. Hence you can save money..
2.Does A GFCI Breaker For A Pool Pump Need To Protect The Whole Pool?
There are basically three different categories for the swimming pools to have GFCI protection. The first is a smaller big box style swimming pool like mentioned above. Since there are no current curing or metal parts on the pool and you only need to have the pool equipment in other words the motor protected by GFCI protection.
Most of the smaller swimming pool motors are made of plastic so you really need to only protect the internal parts of the motor. This is to prevent electrocution. The second kind of swimming pools and metal wall above ground swimming pool. This kind of swimming pool requires gfcis protection . Any current carrying parts.
You can run a piece of bond wire to the metal current during parts to pick up the GFCI protection. The pool pump however this is not necessary because they usually come together in pieces. Only GFCI protection on the motor itself is really required. Caution these motors are quite a bit larger usually one or 1.5 hp so they will require a GFCI breaker or a heavy duty GFCI receptacle.
Thirdly is an inground swimming pool. These are permanently mounted swimming pools usually with a continuous metal wall. The metal wall usually 4 feet high and gets buried in the ground and then the rest of the pool is dug out.
This metal wall requires an equipment bond or an earth ground. This earth ground should go back to the main panel source for the same circuit GFCI protection is on for all your pool equipment. In addition you should also have any other associated pool equipment also GFCI protected as per code. This means in the swimming pool lights, heaters, etc.
3.How do you wire a GFCI breaker for a pool pump?
Most GFCI breakers will come in and closure like what we call spa buddy. Spa buddy is a 50 amp one 2240 V single phase enclosure. Closures house the actual breaker or GFCI breaker. Hook one up we simply installed grounds on the ground bar the neutral line from the main panel. Will go to the neutral bar the neutral from the motor if any would go to the breaker. Both the red and black hots we go in the line side of the breaker coming from the panel. Both red and hot red and black hearts from the motor will go in the load side of the breaker.
This protects the motor itself. Note most motors do not have a neutral. So we neutral connection is not required. It is extremely important to get the line coming from the panel and the load going to the motor correct. If you mix it up that protection will not work correctly or even worse not allow power to go through at all. This is the process when we install gfci breaker for pool pump.
TO PURCHASE A SPA BUDDY LIKE ABOVE
4.Why is my pool pump tripping my breaker?
Your GFCI breaker keeps tripping opah for one of the following reasons. The GFCI breaker is detecting moisture within the electrical circuit and continuously tripping. Thoroughly dry out all of the equipment related to the GFCI breaker. This may sound silly as it is a pool pump which pumps water. However make sure the wiring connections on the backside of the motor dry and not subject to moisture or water. Make sure that the GFCI breaker if it is installed the spa body and outside is also not subject washer In addition if the GFCI breakers still tripping you could have a bad motor. If the GFCI breaker to text any leakage to ground through the windings internally in the motor and will continuously causes a trip. Unfortunately this is a sign that you will need to replace all Bob. This happens from time to time and it’s not uncommon.
It is worth a mention that if the GFCI trips periodically by itself without anything plugged in and the GFCI may need to be replaced. Sometimes the internal mechanical mechanisms get damp and then the GFCI’s passing lifespan. This does not necessarily mean an old GFCI some newer style outlets happens within a few months of us installing them. Most of the stall receptacles have a red light and will flash needs to be replaced. Keep in mind and looking for this.
5. What Is The Difference Between A GFCI Breaker An Outlet
Just GFCI outlet is an outlet installed in the wall with the test and reset button right on it. They come in a 15 amp 120 V or 20 amp 120 V configuration. A smaller pool pumps will plug into these although they are very sensitive when installed outside. Any amount of moisture that the GFCI receptacle detects because it’s a trip. The GFCI breaker is actually installed either in your main breaker panel.
Or in an enclosure like a spa buddy that we talked about above. They’re called a spa buddy because usually we use them supply power to a hot tub. They are rated They are rated 120 and 240 V up to 60 amp. The breaker size or the GFCI size is adjustable so you can get different sizes 40 amp 30 amp etc. Cost value is actually cheaper than a GFCI breaker itself so this is why we tend to install these.
6. What Is A Faceless GFCI
Faceless gfcis like shown in the picture above is exactly that. Faceless means that there are no receptacle holes on the front of the outlet to plug anything into. This type of GFCI is purely for protection. It offers a cheaper method than a cheap GFCI breaker as you can do the terminations in the back of the outlet.
On the back of the outlet is a simple line and load in the low protection circuit. We primarily use it when we hurt or having continuous problems with moisture in someone’s outside outlet.
Installing the face of GFCI inside someone’s house we’re just dry is less likely to cause problems for the outlets trip. In this case you can install a regular outlet on the outside plug. Keep in mind that these only come in 15 and 20 amp configurations 120 V. So they’re only good for the plug installed pool pump motors. Anything to 40 V and you will have to go up to an actual breaker or spa buddy.
7.How does a 240v GFCI breaker work without a neutral?
A 240 V GFCI breaker actually works with or without a neutral. It will detect any leakage to ground about 5 mA from line to neutral. They will also detect leakage line or load ground. It detects unbalance or variances in the internal circuitry of whatever it is protecting.
So as an example if you have a 240 volt motor and one leg of the 240 volt pulling more than the other the GFCI will trip. This offers protection to larger 240 volt loads without the use of a neutral.
8.How many amps do you need for a pool?
If you plan to have a larger swimming pool and you had planned to have associated equipment with the swimming pool. The best option is to have a larger electrical feet. So if you have a pool pump and you have pool lights and you have a pool heater you may want to run as high as a 60 amp sub feeder 120 to 40 V from your house.
This will allow you to provide ample power to the swimming pool area. If you have a smaller pool that just plugs in and a 15 or 20 amp 120 V circuit will suffice. Keep in mind this will mostly be used to run the pool pump so you will not be able to plug other equipment in To run the swimming pool.
9.What wire do I use for pool pump?
On average the type of wire used to wire a swimming pool pump would be an NMD 90 tech cable. This tech cable is armoured and rated for wet or damp locations. An alternative to this type of wiring would be stranded wire in hard or flexible liquid take conduit.
This will also be an acceptable means. In no case should you use non-metallic dry or host wiring outdoors. As well as the armoured cable BX style which is Which can be subject to moisture.A minimum of a 300 volt rated wire is required and a minimum of 15 or 20 A which should be 14 gauge wire or 12 gauge wire.
If you’re supplying power to a bunch of pool equipment talked about a 60 ams and they should be a piece of number six copper. You can use aluminum wiring however you will have to go a certain size larger in that case you need to go with a number for aluminum by 60 Amps.
10.What Will Happen If I Don’t Use A Gfci
In the end it is your decision for safety first to provide GFCI protection for your swimming pool. Although I have never personally been shocked gfcis it’s supposed to trip before you would ever get a shock. However I’m not about to try it myself.
Having no GFCI protection on your swimming pool but you would risk for electrocution. Electrocution and water do not mix. The electrical shock would be much more severe in or around the water. It’s not only the water itself that you have to worry about it’s around the water as well.
As an example if you had a fault in your swimming pool pump and you touch the swimming pool pump and the metal wall framing cylinder for the same time you get a dirty shock. No one likes shocks.
We hope this article was useful and helped you understand a little bit better about GFCI receptacles and GFCI protection. Please check out our other associated articles as we are happy to supply knowledge.