60 amp GFCI required vs recommended

crtemp

crtemp

Senior Member
Location
Wa state
I have a hot tub that has a nameplate rating of 48 amps but in the instructions it says that a 60 amp breaker is "recommended". Would this be a requirement as it doesn't say it is required?
 

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I don't think thats a 110.3(B) requirement but what size breaker and wire are you thinking?

It might be fine on a 50A I would not go higher than a 60A I have never seen a 70A GFCI. The GFCI part does not care about OCPD size.
I'd go with mfr recommendation, or calculate the load for the branch circuit per 210.19 / 210.20.
The 60A is probably more to do with the motors, you'd have to add them all up to see.
The pump is probably the only continuous load.
 
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tortuga said:
I don't think thats a 110.3(B) requirement but what size breaker and wire are you thinking?

It might be fine on a 50A I would not go higher than a 60A I have never seen a 70A GFCI. The GFCI part does not care, I'd go with mfr recommendation, or calculate the load for the branch circuit per 210.19 / 210.20.
The 60A is probably more to do with the motors, you'd have to add them all up to see.
The pump is probably the only continuous load.
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I have a 50 amp on it now with #6 copper running from the disconnect to the tub. The part that sucks is that this hot tub already had the circuit pre-wired and it is only a 50 amp wire feeding it from the main panel, so it would really suck to run a bigger wire and have to abandon what the owner already paid for.
 
crtemp said:
I have a 50 amp on it now with #6 copper running from the disconnect to the tub. The part that sucks is that this hot tub already had the circuit pre-wired and it is only a 50 amp wire feeding it from the main panel, so it would really suck to run a bigger wire and have to abandon what the owner already paid for.
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I see. Yeah it probably has a blower motor and a pump motor. What did they pre-wire #6 SER?
 
tortuga said:
I don't think thats a 110.3(B) requirement but what size breaker and wire are you thinking?

It might be fine on a 50A I would not go higher than a 60A I have never seen a 70A GFCI. The GFCI part does not care about OCPD size.
I'd go with mfr recommendation, or calculate the load for the branch circuit per 210.19 / 210.20.
The 60A is probably more to do with the motors, you'd have to add them all up to see.
The pump is probably the only continuous load.
Click to expand...
doesn't the nameplate account for all of this (motors)?
 
As long as that nameplate is using the 125% factors for the largest motor and the heating element, you should be fine. Startup surge on spa pumps is typically really short and a thermal magnetic breaker has no problem riding through that at nameplate amps.
 
I've dealt with this several times.
48V X 125% = 60A
40V X 125% = 50A

So if the tub specs say 40A, it gets a 50A breaker
48A gets a 60A breaker

I've never actually measured current on them, I just go by the running amps as stated.
 
Little Bill said:
I've dealt with this several times.
48V X 125% = 60A
40V X 125% = 50A

So if the tub specs say 40A, it gets a 50A breaker
48A gets a 60A breaker

I've never actually measured current on them, I just go by the running amps as stated.
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I just looked up the current version of UL 1563 and section 71.1 (page 114) says the marked supply circuit ampacity shall be 125% of the current rating of the product and it does not mentions 125% of a motor so it appears UL requires 125% of everything.
 
So now I'm being told that the conductors have to be #6 copper all the way back to the panel and not just from the disconnect to the tub. Is this true? I've wired hundereds of tubs that all say use #6 copper but I was always under the impression it was from the disconnect to the tub. We only have #6 aluminum feeding the disconnect. Never had a inspector have an issue with this in the past
 
Recommended is not the same as required. At 48 amps a 50 amp conductor with a 50 amp OCPD can be used.
 
hes just stating since the instruction of the tub says use #6 copper the feeder to the disconnect must also be copper
 
So yes copper is required if the instructions are part of the listing of the equipment.
 
infinity said:
So yes copper is required if the instructions are part of the listing of the equipment.
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Even the feeder to the disconnect huh? What if it was a 100 amp subpanel feed with aluminum and the tub was wired from there? Would that not be allowed either?
 
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