GFCI for jetted tub

[Amopower]

Since a jetted tub requires a GFCI receptacle, can I just put in a GFCI breaker instead? Wouldn't they serve the same purpose, or is it important that the GFCI be at the receptacle, closer to the actual appliance using it?

 

[Jadnashua]

All that is important is that it be protected with a GFCI, doesn't matter whether it is a CB or a receptacle. Since the receptacle is probably behind a panel, neither one is really easier to use than the other, and the cover may be harder to get off.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[JohnfrWhipple]

Since a jetted tub requires a GFCI receptacle, can I just put in a GFCI breaker instead? Wouldn't they serve the same purpose, or is it important that the GFCI be at the receptacle, closer to the actual appliance using it?

I love the GFCI breakers myself. They cost more than just the GFCI plugs.

Make sure your never use both.

If the breaker trips sometimes people forget to check the panel - that's the only advantage I can see to having a plug in the locate of the pump access area.

Local code is always changing - safest to ask your local electrical inspector. You might be required to run 12/2 wire just for the pump & Lights and possibly a second 12/2 wire for the heater. Your electrician can check out how many amps these require.

Do not mess with electricity and tubs! Double check this info backwards and sideways - do not rely on some random dude from Vancouver for advice. Your electrician goes to school for this and is aware of any current changes to the electrical code.

The last jetted tub we did required two new home runs from the panel.

 

[hj]

IF you do not mind going to the panel box to reset a GFCI, go for it. I personally prefer to install a accessible GFCI in the vicinity of the tub and then wire the pump's receptacle to the "load" side of it.

 

[Jadnashua]

FWIW, the power to my tub comes from a CB, and in the nearly 10-years it has been installed, the GFCI breaker has never tripped...having it accessible is kind of irrelevant if it is a dedicated circuit. It's probably a bigger thing for the receptacle that powers other things around the sink...that one, I've tripped a couple of times, and not having to go to the panel is easier. If your tub trips it, you have bigger problems, and it probably won't be resolved by just resetting the GFCI, whether it's a CB or a receptacle. And, if it is dedicated, you won't be in the dark, either.

 

[hj]

I have had motors controlled by GFCIs "false trip". If its a drinking fountain, it is a nuisance. If it is a freezer, and you are on vacation, as my daughter was, it is a catastrophe when you get back home.

 

[Jadnashua]

If you talk to an electrician, they'd tell you that it's not a nuisance trip...it is an intermittent fault that might just be intermittent when it electrocutes someone were it not protecting things.