GFCI Spa Panel (Hate making a new thread but...)

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

NewBrewB

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Dec 26, 2009
Messages
807
Reaction score
48
Location
Pace
I just spent about 45 mins trying to find a thread with a parts list and step-by-step for using the "$50 Home Depot Spa Panel" to add GFCI between a 50A 4-prong outlet and my Kal build control panel...

Q1: Is it just me or is the "$50" spa panel now $65?

Q2: What else do I need?

I asked my electrician to install a 4-prong 30A outlet in my garage. He convinced me to run 6/3+Grnd and install a 50A breaker box (something lug.. it's after midnight--cut me some slack). This actually makes sense, so I can have some other outlets on the circuit without pushing the limits of 30A.

From my understanding, I'll need a short scrap of 10/4 and a normal 4-prong 220v wall-mount outlet to have a place to plug in my Spa Panel. The spa panel plugs into the above mentioned outlet. What else do I have to buy to have a place to plug in my control panel? Do the spa panels already have a 4-prong plug built into them? How much "cheaper" does this actually end up being, once I buy all of the outlets, cables, plugs, etc?

Q3: Reading the feedback on HD's website, it looks like a lot of these "cheap" GFCI breakers are unreliable.... "you get what you pay for?"

Q4: My electrician is installing a 50A panel with 12 slots...how much easier will my life be if I just buy a damn GFCI 30A GE breaker for the one wall-mounted 4-prong outlet for my control panel and skip the spa panel aspect? I can just take the breaker with me if I sell the house or move, right?

Q5: Why is it I had to start a whole new thread to answer these questions? I really thought the spa panel was one of the core pillars to E-Builds.
 
I would just skip the stupid spa panel and buy a GFCI breaker. Its cheaper and you don't have a NEMA 3R box inside, Not like thats a big deal but less looks better. Its a 50A Main Lug Panel.

Q2: What are your goals?
Q3: GFCI Breaker
Q4: Yes you can take it with you.
Q5: Spa panels are stupid. Lets be professional here. lol
 
Sublimis - Where are you buying for GFCI breaker? Pretty much everyone else on here (including me) have found the GFCI Breakers to be more like $100-150.
 
Typically a spa panel is good for those who have an old panel and a gfci breaker is out of this world expensive. In my mind, a spa panel is the most flexible way to go long term.

When I hook up hot tubs its generated cheaper to buy a spa panel and a breaker than buy a gfci breaker.

You can take a gfci breaker with you, however, if you have a different brand of panel in your new house, it's useless without buying a new sub panel as you have already done now.

You just need 10/3 romex or bx for the plug, if you buy soow wire (extension cord wire) you do need 10/4. It's weird, but the extension cord wire includes a ground in the wire count so you need to say
10/4 (red, black, white, green), where every other wire type includes a ground without saying (10/3 romex is a red, black, white, and ground included).
 
This is a pretty simple real life look at a 4 wire set up...

SPA.jpg
 
Sublimis - Where are you buying for GFCI breaker? Pretty much everyone else on here (including me) have found the GFCI Breakers to be more like $100-150.

Well Im a professional and a perfectionist price really doesn't matter to me. My Work in my equipment is a refection to my beer I strive for perfection. :ban:

BTW you can find less expensive...
 
If you are only in need of a 30 amp circuit you could by a power cord with built in gfci protection. This allows for a standard breaker and i only paid like 40 for the cord and ten for the breaker.... i have like 900 feet of 10-3 romex for cheap if u need some
 
It is GE.

I looked at HD today and the only 30A GFCI breakers they had were another brand. I can probably find it online. Actually, I meant to check Lowes to see if they carry the GE one.

I am betting my electrician will have a foot or two of the 10/3 (4 wire) to run from the panel to the outlet. Just a short scrap should do it.

Either way, I am going to skip the spa panel. It seems like most people say it is "cheaper" by comparing the 50A spa to a 50A breaker sold separately. In my case, I am comparing a 50A spa to a 30A breaker and the breaker seems cheaper and simpler.

Thanks for the feedback/advice. I promise to post at least one picture for your viewing pleasure in the near future. :)
 
kosmokramer said:
... you could by a power cord with built in gfci protection...

I read about these in the pdf I bought from Kal but I read somewhere that the tolerance at which the gfi built into the cords trips is much higher than a breaker (ie: not as safe). Im sure the cord option is good enough but I couldnt find one at the time and just gave up on the idea. Now, my control panel and power cord are already done so the point is moot.
 
As promised... here are 2 pictures of the main lug and my kal clone control panel hanging on the wall (not connected to anything). I guess it is time to text the electrician and see when he is available... :) (Oh, don't get all concerned when you notice the white box mounted to the wall down below. It's not some new DIY brewing gadget you don't know about---that is just the control panel for my sprinkler system that I had to move down there.)
p9240002-56542.jpg


I didn't realize how rough that plywood looks from the side--might have to cut another piece to finish that up a bit, just for looks.
p9240003-56543.jpg
 
This is probably the last post I'll make to this thread, but wanted to close the loop.

Went with the 30A built-in GFI breaker, all installed by a licensed electrician ($225 labor...ouch)

Powered-up tonight. Have some things to troubleshoot on the panel (like the volt/amp meters not powering-up) but at least I have juice.

Hoping I'll have time to test it some more next week.

pa030007-56696.jpg
 
It is GE.

I looked at HD today and the only 30A GFCI breakers they had were another brand. I can probably find it online. Actually, I meant to check Lowes to see if they carry the GE one.

I am betting my electrician will have a foot or two of the 10/3 (4 wire) to run from the panel to the outlet. Just a short scrap should do it.

Either way, I am going to skip the spa panel. It seems like most people say it is "cheaper" by comparing the 50A spa to a 50A breaker sold separately. In my case, I am comparing a 50A spa to a 30A breaker and the breaker seems cheaper and simpler.

Thanks for the feedback/advice. I promise to post at least one picture for your viewing pleasure in the near future. :)
30A gfci breakers are usually more than the $60 it costs for a spa panel with the 50a gfci included...
I use the gfci breaker box as a main power kill switch in my brew room so it has benefits depending on ones setup.
 
This is probably the last post I'll make to this thread, but wanted to close the loop.

Went with the 30A built-in GFI breaker, all installed by a licensed electrician ($225 labor...ouch)

Powered-up tonight. Have some things to troubleshoot on the panel (like the volt/amp meters not powering-up) but at least I have juice.

Hoping I'll have time to test it some more next week.

pa030007-56696.jpg
why does it appear that you used orange extension cord wire to your main 30a plug from the breaker? is it rated for 30a? most arent...
 
This is probably the last post I'll make to this thread, but wanted to close the loop.

Went with the 30A built-in GFI breaker, all installed by a licensed electrician ($225 labor...ouch)

Powered-up tonight. Have some things to troubleshoot on the panel (like the volt/amp meters not powering-up) but at least I have juice.

Hoping I'll have time to test it some more next week.

pa030007-56696.jpg
why does it appear that you used orange 12guage? extension cord wire to your main 30a plug from the breaker? is it rated for 30a? most arent even rated for 20a
 
why does it appear that you used orange 12guage? extension cord wire to your main 30a plug from the breaker? is it rated for 30a? most arent even rated for 20a



That was real heavy duty stuff, hard to bend/manipulate with bare hands--It was either 10/3 or 10/2 from HD and i had to buy 25' of it for almost $1/ft even though i only ended up needing about 3' for the job. (Installed by a professional electrician. )

Just because it is orange doesn't mean it is an extension cord. :) I guess ignorance for the purpose of encouraging safety is a positive thing.
 
That was real heavy duty stuff, hard to bend/manipulate with bare hands--It was either 10/3 or 10/2 from HD and i had to buy 25' of it for almost $1/ft even though i only ended up needing about 3' for the job. (Installed by a professional electrician. )

Just because it is orange doesn't mean it is an extension cord. :) I guess ignorance for the purpose of encouraging safety is a positive thing.

I asked because have never seen orange cord used for anything other than an extension cord myself. I dont see much need for a brightly colored cord in a permanent installation but you learn something new every day... in your picture the orange wire appears to be a smaller gauge cord than the black one plugged into the outlet it was feeding.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Southwire-25-ft-10-3-UF-B-W-G-Solid-Cable-13059125/204839501

The solid wire 10/3 romex I bought there was red
 
Back
Top