So I ordered a pentair superflo VSP, i have a heat pump, and the new chlorinator just arrived (YAY). I'm seeing more and more talk about surge protection. I spent a lot of time digging and running pipe (125 feet of misery) to my shed, where i installed a 100 amp 6 spot 12 circuit breaker. I know surge protection is extremely important to protect my pump. Question is, when i install it, it will need its own dual pole 20 amp breaker. So now the panel will have a 50amp breaker for the heat pump, 20 amp breaker for surge protector, and I'm now forced to wire the pool pump and chlorinator to 120 because i need the last spot for lights at my bar area. now what makes this even worse if i have a 50,20,30 then im at 100 amps. Does that 20amp breaker count to towards the 100 amps of my system. If it does then i wont have enough to run the heat pump, pool pump, chlorinator, and bar lights. If its not pulling any amps, i would think it wouldn't count towards the 100amps the panel can handle. obviously i can have my breakers exceed 100amps the panel is for because i probably wont be running everything at once, but i would prefer not to do that.
Surge protector and panel wiring
- Thread starter Juggernaut1103
- Start date
CJadamec
TFP Expert
You can put as many breakers into the panels as fit. It doesn't matter what they all add up to. Breakers protect whatever is connected to them. That is to say a 20 amp breaker is there because the wire for a 20 amp circuit would burst into flames if you passed the full 100 that the panel can put thru it
Can you snap a shot of your panel an post it?
This is what mine looks like.
Can you snap a shot of your panel an post it?
This is what mine looks like.
Attachments
Hey Chuck,
I don't have anything hooked up to it yet except the #3 wire i ran to the shed. I'm in the planning process, so when i start i can just breeze through etting it done. This stupid strom today is delaying me getting stuff done. I was all fine and dandy until i saw everyone say you need a surge protector with VSP's. Thats when things got interesting and i had to figure out how to get everything wired up in the 6 spaces available on my panel. this is the panel in the shed Square D Homeline 100 Amp 6-Space 12-Circuit Indoor Surface Mount Main Lug Load Center with Cover-HOM612L100SCP - The Home Depot
Current thought son wiring:
Heat pump- 50amps dual pole
Surge protector- 20amps dual pole
Pool Pump and Chlorinator- 30amp single pole
Im at 100amps worth of breakers and i still need to add another for the lights and receptacles at my bar. That's why i was wondering, if the Surge protector isn't pulling amps and is just there to protect, i can just use another 15 amp breaker on the lights and outlets and not ever worry about the 100amp breaker blowing in my main panel. I'm not familiar with how these surge protectors work.i understand basic electrical and can wire everything up, but this one has me stumped.
I don't have anything hooked up to it yet except the #3 wire i ran to the shed. I'm in the planning process, so when i start i can just breeze through etting it done. This stupid strom today is delaying me getting stuff done. I was all fine and dandy until i saw everyone say you need a surge protector with VSP's. Thats when things got interesting and i had to figure out how to get everything wired up in the 6 spaces available on my panel. this is the panel in the shed Square D Homeline 100 Amp 6-Space 12-Circuit Indoor Surface Mount Main Lug Load Center with Cover-HOM612L100SCP - The Home Depot
Current thought son wiring:
Heat pump- 50amps dual pole
Surge protector- 20amps dual pole
Pool Pump and Chlorinator- 30amp single pole
Im at 100amps worth of breakers and i still need to add another for the lights and receptacles at my bar. That's why i was wondering, if the Surge protector isn't pulling amps and is just there to protect, i can just use another 15 amp breaker on the lights and outlets and not ever worry about the 100amp breaker blowing in my main panel. I'm not familiar with how these surge protectors work.i understand basic electrical and can wire everything up, but this one has me stumped.
Jug,
I think you missed Chuck's point.. To exaggerate, you can have a 500 amps worth of breakers, it does not matter. The only thing that matters is that you can not use more than 100 amps at the same time.
Just because you have a 50 amp breaker for the heat pump, does not mean that the heat pump will actually use 50 amps, especially all the time..
The surge protector will use so little power you can consider it to be zero...
Thanks,
Jim R.
I think you missed Chuck's point.. To exaggerate, you can have a 500 amps worth of breakers, it does not matter. The only thing that matters is that you can not use more than 100 amps at the same time.
Just because you have a 50 amp breaker for the heat pump, does not mean that the heat pump will actually use 50 amps, especially all the time..
The surge protector will use so little power you can consider it to be zero...
Thanks,
Jim R.
That's what I figured. Thanks for the clarification. Its friday and my mind isn't working to well, I reread what he wrote like 3 times and it just didn't click.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,929
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I'm not quite following along on all you have to get into all the spaces you got, but just in case you didn't know: they make breakers that can increase the number of breakers per space, just for this reason. So you can replace a single 15 amp breaker with one that will protect two 15 amp circuits (two separate breaker switches), without using up another space. Would that help your situation?
Also, I seem to recall seeing a pump surge protector that was not installed in the breaker box, but stand alone. Not super sure about that, just a glimmer of a thought...
Also, I seem to recall seeing a pump surge protector that was not installed in the breaker box, but stand alone. Not super sure about that, just a glimmer of a thought...
Hey Dirk,
Yeah, it is rated for tandem breakers since its 6 slots and 12 circuits. Jim and Chuck basically verified what i was digging at. I think I have it all figured out now.
I appreciate everyones help.
Yeah, it is rated for tandem breakers since its 6 slots and 12 circuits. Jim and Chuck basically verified what i was digging at. I think I have it all figured out now.
I appreciate everyones help.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,929
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Oh, my bad. I thought your issue was both space and amps... Glad they sorted it out for you. T-F-P... Yah-ba-by!
Hey Chuck,
I was looking at your panel. Looks like you have an 8 slot. I don't see a main breaker, is that because the dual poles count as a single throw, so technically its not needed because you only have 5 throws to shut everything down? Reason i ask is my plan is backfiring, Square D does not make a single pole 30amp GFCI breaker for me to use for the Pool pump and Chlorinator, so i have to use a dual pole and that takes up the remaining two spots after the Heat Pump and Surge Protector. So if i do an 8 panel QO box with no main I can have 3 dual poles then two slots for single poles, and be under the 6 throws rule.
I was looking at your panel. Looks like you have an 8 slot. I don't see a main breaker, is that because the dual poles count as a single throw, so technically its not needed because you only have 5 throws to shut everything down? Reason i ask is my plan is backfiring, Square D does not make a single pole 30amp GFCI breaker for me to use for the Pool pump and Chlorinator, so i have to use a dual pole and that takes up the remaining two spots after the Heat Pump and Surge Protector. So if i do an 8 panel QO box with no main I can have 3 dual poles then two slots for single poles, and be under the 6 throws rule.
CJadamec
TFP Expert
You don't need a main breaker with a sub panel. The style panel I have is called a main lug panel. The breaker that connects them to the main panel in the house is the main breaker for the sub panel. In my case my pool panel is served by a 50amp breaker. There is no need to have an additional breaker on the panel as a main. Since you got you panel at home Depot I suggest bringing that one back and getting one with more space just to make things easier wiring. The one I have is a regularly stocked item.