Will this work?

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busman

busman

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Location
Northern Virginia
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Master Electrician / Electrical Engineer
Working a Home Inspection punch-list last night. GFCI for the Hydromassage Tub is powered, but the GFCI doesn't trip (old style with black and red buttons). They located the GFCI receptacle inside the tub enclosure with a hole just big enough for my fat head and part of one arm. Changing the GFCI would be impossible without damage to finished surfaces.

The question is: if I place that circuit on a GFCI breaker, is that receptacle likely to stay on forever, or will it eventually fail in the off condition?

Thanks,

Mark
 
I'd say that if you install a GFCI breaker, you probably wouldn't have any problems. I never heard of a GFCI receptacle un failing.....:grin:
 
busman said:
Working a Home Inspection punch-list last night. GFCI for the Hydromassage Tub is powered, but the GFCI doesn't trip (old style with black and red buttons). They located the GFCI receptacle inside the tub enclosure with a hole just big enough for my fat head and part of one arm. Changing the GFCI would be impossible without damage to finished surfaces
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If it's one of the old style it may be wired backward.The earlier one's if you hooked power to the load side it would feed through but not trip.

If that's the case then a GFCI breaker would be just the thing. The receptacle will act jus like a regular receptacle.

I have seen several that had been in use for 10-12 years and had never been tested that were wired backward.
 
busman said:
Working a Home Inspection punch-list last night. GFCI for the Hydromassage Tub is powered, but the GFCI doesn't trip (old style with black and red buttons). They located the GFCI receptacle inside the tub enclosure with a hole just big enough for my fat head and part of one arm. Changing the GFCI would be impossible without damage to finished surfaces.

The question is: if I place that circuit on a GFCI breaker, is that receptacle likely to stay on forever, or will it eventually fail in the off condition?

Thanks,

Mark
Click to expand...

Wouldn't the inaccessable GFCI / junction box still remain an issue? And if you cannot access the existing GFCI, how is one to access the pump motor?
 
I believe the GFCI breaker will work just fine..But you have couple of problems I see..since the access is a problem and adding a GFCI breaker only prolongs the problem and does not fix it..The GFCI receptacle does not work properly and that is why you are there correct.. If not tell me what did the HI say On his inspection sheet..Why are you working on the hot tub in the first place..If the receptacle has not failed and is wire incorrectly it still can fail down the road..
 
cschmid said:
I believe the GFCI breaker will work just fine..But you have couple of problems I see..since the access is a problem and adding a GFCI breaker only prolongs the problem and does not fix it..The GFCI receptacle does not work properly and that is why you are there correct.. If not tell me what did the HI say On his inspection sheet..Why are you working on the hot tub in the first place..If the receptacle has not failed and is wire incorrectly it still can fail down the road..
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I guess that was the point of the question - is the GFCI likely to stop working as an ordinary duplex? Now that it's failed (won't trip), it seems to be just another receptacle. I don't see why it would be more likely to fail than any other duplex. As far as accessability, it is accessible, you just can't get two arms and a head in the hole.

Mark
 
dont remeber the code article exactly but it is not code compliant to lacate equipment incleding that receptacle in an area where it is not accesible for service. says that in the plumbing code as well but i had a plumber cover my receptacles with the tub skirt claiming that all you had to do was remove the tub for service. hardly readily accesible. Guess what ? The plumbing inspector and the electrical inspector both wote it up. Now we have a hatch neener neener neener!!!!!
 
So far, they havn't put the words "easy" or "fun" in the definition to the word accessible. Anybody worked on their own car lately?
 
mdshunk said:
So far, they havn't put the words "easy" or "fun" in the definition to the word accessible. Anybody worked on their own car lately?
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I gave up after I spent a 1/2 hour looking for the spark plug wires. Seems they don't use spark plug wires anymore...
 
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