I have tried every GFI swith that is on outlets in the house. Then, I look in the breaker box and the breaker for the spa tub has it labeled as a "GFI". Is THAT the required GFI switch for the tub or does there necessarily have to be one in the house somewhere.
It showed up on an inspection report that he could not locate the GFI for the tub - so now I am looking for it. Thanks.
Is the breaker of GFI breaker?
Amy
If the breaker in the box for the spa is a GFCI breaker, then that is all that is required for GFCI protection of the spa. However, be sure that the breaker is in fact a GFCI type. Sometimes a label could be applied next to a regular breaker, indicating that a GFCI is somewhere on that circuit. If it's a true GFCI breaker, it will have the usual test button. If there is a GFCI in the panel for the spa, the home inspector would have to be incompetent to not be able to find and correctly identify it.
If the circuit breaker in the panel, labeled for the tub is a GFCI and actually feeds the tub, that is sufficient. If there is only a standard circuit breaker in the panel feeding the tub, there must be a GFCI device between it and the tub. Often it is a GFCI outlet under the tub, with the tub equipment plugged into it.
GFCI doesn't mean the actual item or device, but the protection the device offers. So when something needs to be GFCI protected, this can be accomplished with the two most common devices, a GFCI receptacle(normal and faceless) and a GFCI breaker.
So if you have a GFCI breaker, and labeled for the tub, I would test it. Press the test button to verifiy it is safely operating, and see if the tub losses power.
Little inside secret, Home Inspectors don't have to experts about all systems in a house. I've heard of older homes getting written up for NO GFCI protection in the kitchen, becaue there was no ground. The GFCI's present worked, and tested sat, but there was NO ground. The inspector said there HAD to be a ground. The NEC tells you to use GFCI receptals on ungrounded circuits, to provide ground protection.
Now remember, I'm not there, so only guessing. Only a qualified electrician should work on your equipment, per the NEC.
good luck, imho,
tom @
The breaker itself could be a GFI breaker. If it is, there would be a test and a reset button on it.
In my house, the builder was so cheap that the bathroom GFI is downstream of the GFI receptacle in the garage.
If you cannot find the GFI, then can you find a receptacle controlled by the same breaker as the SPA? If so, you can plug in a GFI tester and try to listen for the click sound when GFI is tripped.
It's not at all unusual to find it done that way. Many builders do it, regardless of the cost of the home.
In almost all cases, a spa is going to be the one and only load on the circuit because of the current requirements.
it, regardless of the cost of the home. Past tense, it was a cost effective way of meeting the GFCI requirements, but is no longer applicable as the GFCI requirements have changed
Interesting. What exactly does code now say that prevents one GFCI from being used to protect both a bathroom and garage outlets?
Bathrooms can be wired two ways: One 20 amp dedicated circuit can feed one bathroom, including lights, fans, and GFCI outlets in ONLY that bathroom. Or: One 20 amp dedicated circuit can feed all GFCI outlets in bathrooms only, and bathroom lights, fans, etc can be on general lighting circuits
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