Need help - NOOB questions

There is an opportunity for me to get a 8/3 cables (used but in good condition) for a great price. So I was thinking to get an electric system for HLT and BK in my garage.

The plan is to have a 240VAC from a gfci 40 amps breaker in the main panel and run a cable to the garage.

However with 8/3 cable, I can't have 120V from the same source which is ground fault protected in the electrical panel for powering peripheral equipments (lights, contactors, pid controllers, pumps, etc). Instead I will have to get the regular non GF 120VAC source from the wall socket. Will this cause any safety problems ?

If the above answer is NO, then I had thought several options from the cheapest to most expensive:

1. Get a single 8 awg wire and run along with the 8/3 wire (tie wraps) so I have 8/4

2. Get a 120V gfci for powering the peripheral equipments

3. Forget about the good deal on 8/3 and get brand new 8/4 cables

4. Get all peripheral equipments in 240VAC

Any opinions, comments, suggestions, critiques, etc are greatly welcome and appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

is it 8/3, or 8/3 with ground? often the wire count doesnt include the ground. so 8/3 usually means there are 2 hots, 1 neutral and 1 ground. which would solve your problem on its own.

audger said:

is it 8/3, or 8/3 with ground? often the wire count doesnt include the ground. so 8/3 usually means there are 2 hots, 1 neutral and 1 ground. which would solve your problem on its own.

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Unfortunately it's 8/3 with no ground

Do you have the 40A gcfi breaker yet? If not, use a standard breaker and get the $50 spa panel, which you can use to turn the 3 wire into 4 wire, (that's allowed in the panel). Or just buy a 15A 120V outlet, those are cheap.

shortyjacobs said:

Do you have the 40A gcfi breaker yet? If not, use a standard breaker and get the $50 spa panel, which you can use to turn the 3 wire into 4 wire, (that's allowed in the panel). Or just buy a 15A 120V outlet, those are cheap.

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That's really a good idea to have a spa panel and convert 3 wire to 4 wire.

I saw the wiring diagram made by P-J in:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f170/spa-panel-wiring-dummies-266751/

Unfortunately spa panel in local homedepot canada is roughly $150 and up. They don't sell the one listed in the US for $50.

I am able to get one 40A GFCI breaker for $50 used in good condition. Not too sure whether it's a good idea to get a used GFCI breaker. Any thought ?

Side note: as you can see, I am trying to get the electric system with limited budget. I've been accumulating parts for all grain brewing, such as three 1/2 barrel kegs (got the top cut with simple DIY jig by other HBT member), ball valves, fittings, etc and I've got harris liquid flux and #8 silver solder as well. It's still a long way to completion, but with all help from you guys, I think will be able to make it.

Ugh, was replying on my phone before, missed the Alberta tag. Something somewhere in the back of my head says Canada has stricter regs on something-or-another, and that's why the Canadian spa panels cost so damn much, (well, that and everything's more expensive in Canada).

In that case, I vote for the 40A GFCI breaker and a 15A 120V GFCI outlet. Easy peasy, (I doubt the "used" bit matters...those things are made to do like 10,000 or something trips). I'm doing the same thing. Was running 30A service to a spa panel, and last night did the math, (in bed, on my phone, cuz I couldn't sleep), and realized that my 120V RIMS + 240V BK would pull 33 amps or so....so now I picked up a 120V 15A GFCI to run the RIMS element off of, (just have to swap it into the place of the current outlet...that's easy too).

My 15A GFCI outlet was $9 at the hardware store...surely they can't cost THAT much more in Calgary?

shortyjacobs said:

Something somewhere in the back of my head says Canada has stricter regs on something-or-another, and that's why the Canadian spa panels cost so damn much, (well, that and everything's more expensive in Canada).

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You nail that in the head. Almost everything here in Canada cost more than in the US.

shortyjacobs said:

In that case, I vote for the 40A GFCI breaker and a 15A 120V GFCI outlet. Easy peasy, (I doubt the "used" bit matters...those things are made to do like 10,000 or something trips). I'm doing the same thing. Was running 30A service to a spa panel, and last night did the math, (in bed, on my phone, cuz I couldn't sleep), and realized that my 120V RIMS + 240V BK would pull 33 amps or so....so now I picked up a 120V 15A GFCI to run the RIMS element off of, (just have to swap it into the place of the current outlet...that's easy too).

My 15A GFCI outlet was $9 at the hardware store...surely they can't cost THAT much more in Calgary?

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I think that makes sense. Your suggestion is my choice for now (until someone else can give a better recommendation)

Thanks shortyjacobs