Load center as spa panel

[BenniferBropez]

I have some Cutler-Hammer breakers made for type BR load center that are 240v 30 amp gfci and want to put them in a spa panel rather than my main breaker box. Most spa panels I see come with a breaker already but I just need the panel and not the breaker. I found this Eaton type BR load center for 70amps but with no breakers. It is much cheaper ($29) than buying a spa panel with breakers in them so if I could use this option I would like to me it work. It is the BR24L70RP model.

There appears to be a neutral bus bar but no ground bus or lug. If I add a ground bus to this myself can I use it as a spa panel? Here is a picture of the unit without a breaker in it. I drew a breaker and wires as I understand they should be wired. I should mention that this will be for an l6-30 connection so just 2 hots and a ground needed to the controller. I left the center of the breaker without a wire because I don't believe I need the neutral for the demand of the unit I will be powering (Brew Commander). The white is the pigtail coming off the breaker to the neutral bus.

1) If I add the ground bus myself can I use this to power my unit?

2) Can someone check my wiring plan and let me know if it looks right?

Thanks,
Ben

 

[jseyfert3]

I'm pretty sure the neutral wire feeding the breaker must be connected to the neutral buss on your main panel, even it it's not connected to the load. In other words, as you've drawn it you need a white wire from your main panel to the neutral buss on your sub-panel.

Are you only using one breaker? If so, you need a breaker in the main panel to power this sub-panel so why have the sub-panel at all? That seems like extra steps. If you need more than one breaker then it makes sense.

 

[BenniferBropez]

Thank you jseyfert3 for your help. So I need 4 wires coming in and the white would go to the neutral bus inside the stand alone load center in the picture above?

I was going to use my dryer outlet which has a 240v 30 amp breaker on it already but is not gfci. There are only 3 wires running to my dryer (older model) and my range in the kitchen. If I needed a neutral from the main breaker to the neutral bus in my stand alone panel then I'd have to run new wire to my dryer.

I have been reading on this site and on various forums for electrical work and what I have gleaned (right or wrong) is that the neutral is not always needed for the gfci to provide protection. That with 240v gfci breakers they can do the job of protecting with just the two hots and a ground. If there are any electricians or HBT members who have wires a 3 wire to 3 wire gfci spa panel I would love to hear from you as well.

There are several reasons I'm not putting these in my main breaker box. I did consider it but I am not going to brew close to the main breaker so I would need to run wire and pay to have it inspected and approved after getting a permit to do the work. I'd have to run the wire to the laundry room where I'm going to brew and put in an outlet and all that really doesn't sound like less work than wiring up a spa panel to me.

The only 240v outlets I have are for dryer and stove and I can't put a gfci breaker for my dryer as it is not recommended and probably would trip all the time. The stove is a 40 amp breaker and so my 30 amp couldn't go there either.

Ben

 

[jseyfert3]

Check out the first post in this thread. The guy is powering his setup from a dryer outlet. He's using a 10-30 to 6-30 adapter (which I assume you'll need, as dryer outlets are 10-30 and the Brew Commander is a 6-30) and then a North Shore Safety PGFI-23111, which is an inline 240 V GFCI. An inline GFCI would be a lot easier than getting a box and breaker like you are outlining.

 

[jseyfert3]

Otherwise if you've already bought everything and want to go that way over a pre-made inline GFCI connect the neutral wire of the GFCI breaker to the ground bus.