Hayward SP2607X10 Super Pump Wiring Question

[norbie]

I just got done using the seal assembly kit SPX1600TRA on my existing 1 HP Hayward Super Pump to change the gaskets and seal assembly. I noticed the electrical cord was worn and I am looking to replace the cord. My 1st question is what is the Max distance the pump can be from the GFCI. My existing wiring is currently a dedicated 20A breaker for the pump with 12AWG wire going to a junction box in my basement. Then it goes through the GFCI to the pump 15 feet away using (3) 12AWG solid wires through conduit to the pump power outlet. The pump is configured for 115V.
My 2nd question is should I use 12AWG or 10AWG for the power cord from the pump to the outlet and lastly I read somewhere that 1HP and above pumps should be 220V....Is that true?

Thank you in advance. :?:

 

[JasonLion]

There is no hard and fast rule about when to use 120 and when to use 240. Going to 240 volts lets you use thinner wires, which saves a little money, but it isn't really required until around 2 HP.

There is no absolute limit on distance. Longer distances just require thicker wires.

12 gauge is fine for 15 feet.

 

[scooperhsd]

I have 12 guage wire from the house to my shed (about 50 feet), about 4 feet of 12 gauge from subpanel in shed to timer, 5-6 feet of 12 guage from timer to junction, with 20-30 feet of 10 gauge from shed to the pool pump electrical outlet (with 12 guage jumpers from the 10 guage). I would really like to re-do the wiring feed to the shed to at least 8 guage and maybe even 6 guage copper (or the equivalent alumuinum service entrance wire) so the shed subpanel can handle at least 40-50 amp service. But that's going to be a fairly major project and I might even want a pro electrician to do it.

And I'm running 240V on the pool pump.

Last summer, I did discover some 12 guage wire from the house subpanel to the pool pump area. One of the wires was bad, but i was still able to setup a 12 guage 20 amp 120V outlet as a just in case. If I really wanted to - I can convert either circuit to the other voltage at the recepticle.

 

[CraigMW]

On a single circuit, the weakest link is always the thinest gauge. This means that the ampacity of the circuit is set by the thinest gauge. So, even if you had 12 gauge running most of the length, but some 10 gauge at the end, the maximum size breaker for that circuit would be 20A, whether 120 or 220V. If you need 40-50A, yes you will need at least 8 ga copper. Aluminum can be used, but it has a lower ampacity for a given gauge than copper. In addition, it has issues with oxidation and should never be directly connected to copper due to differences in heat expansion between the two metals. This latter issue led to many structure fires in homes built with aluminum wiring back in the 70s. If you want to use aluminum, make sure you have the right gauge for the load and make sure to use Al approved breakers and connectors. Also note that if you rewire using the same conduit, you need to make sure you use the appropriate conduit fill chart to determine the number of wires for a particular gauge. Lastly, while I always use the same gauge for ground as the other wires, I believe it is okay to increase the gauge of the equipment ground for sub-panel runs (e.g. if you use 8ga for lines and neutral, a 10ga is okay for equipment ground; this may factor into the maximum size wire you can run in that existing conduit). However, sub-panels always need to keep ground and neutral on separate buses. Also, on a sub-panel on a detached structure (like a pool house or shed), there should be a separate ground rod sunk near that structure and tied into that sub-panel's ground bus.