Sauna GFCI

blueheels2

Senior Member
Location
Raleigh, NC
Occupation
Electrical contractor
I have a customer installing a standalone sauna in their backyard. Unit required a L6-30R to match the L630-p on the unit. We are under the 2017 code.

Is GFCi protection required for the receptacle? My brain says no because it’s a house/dwelling but the nitpicking side of me says because it’s a standalone unit it’s other than a dwelling unit so gfci required. But technically the receptacle is on the dwelling not on the sauna.
I would just put it on a gfci anyway but the manufacturer says it already has gfci protection and I am concerned about nuisance tripping if I add it.
It’s a livesauna Courtyard 4 if it matters.

Thansk
 
If you're on the 2020 or 2023 NEC, then 210.8(A) applies to "All 125-volt through 250-volt receptacles" which includes an L6-30. So if the receptacle is outdoors as it sounds, then 210.8(A)(3) requires GFCI protection.

If you're under the 2017 NEC, apparently no GFCI protection is required for 250V receptacles at dwelling units.

Having two GFCI mechanisms in series shouldn't lead to any nuisance tripping. If one of the mechanisms trips, it would have tripped even if the other one had been deleted.

Cheers, Wayne
 
If you're under the 2017 NEC, apparently no GFCI protection is required for 250V receptacles at dwelling units.
680.20(C) required it though, even in 2017, still does.
That exclusion in 2017 applied to other outlet fed equipment, it did not extend to pools and spas.

Edit: Oops, sorry, I read spa, not sauna... It would not have been required for a sauna.
 
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