Pool pump and SWG on the same breaker ?

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I should have given some context at the beginning. I bought this house and right now the SWG and Pool Pump are both directly connected to the panel without any GCFI breakers which is getting me a bit worried. In addition, I have to turn on and off the breaker every night/morning. While adding a timer, I figured it would make sense to also add a GCFI.

I was able to get a good deal on a QF220 breaker (20 Amp Two Pole GCFI) and will therefor go for this solution.

230 Volt it is with a T104.

Thank you everyone who contributed to this thread !
 
Breakers should not be used as switches. They are not made for that and they can wear out and trip prematurely. It is probably good you are replacing the breaker that has been used as a switch.
 
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If my pool pump is inside my shed, do I still need GCFI ? I guess it does not matter where the pump is located ? It's a matter if the water reaches out the electricity that matters ?
 
ajw22 said:
For a single speed pump those amps are the normal continuous draw...

View attachment 321080
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Yes. But like all motors, the startup current is higher than the chart shows. So as long as the motor starts first (which it sounds like it has been doing on the 20amp breaker), then the SWG should be able to start.

Andrew
 
Andrew_D said:
Yes. But like all motors, the startup current is higher than the chart shows. So as long as the motor starts first (which it sounds like it has been doing on the 20amp breaker), then the SWG should be able to start.

Andrew
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The issue is not about the SWG being able to start. The issue is not complying with the NEC and possibly overloading a circuit.
 
For that pump, the amps would probably be between 12 to 14 amps.

The SWG would be less than 1.5 amps.

The total would be less than 16 amps.

Normal startup current should not affect the breaker because the instantaneous trip magnetic part is only triggered by very high current. The instantaneous short circuit magnetic trip can be about 5 to 15 times the circuit breaker rating.

A 20 amp breaker might not instantaneously trip until the current goes above 100 to 300 amps.

The thermal trip should not trip at the circuit breaker rating.

The thermal trip only trips as it heats up, which takes time.

Theoretically, the breaker should not trip until the amperage exceeds the breaker rating for an extended period of time.

A 20 amp breaker must trip at a sustained current of 27 amperes (135 percent) at less than one hour, and at 40 amperes (200 percent of wire rating) in less than 120 seconds. These two trip points (135 percent and 200 percent) are defined in NEMA Standard AB-1, MCCBs and Molded Case Switches.

https://goodsonengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/CircuitBreakerMyths_web.pdf
 
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JamesW said:
A 20 amp breaker must trip at a sustained current of 27 amperes (135 percent) at less than one hour, and at 40 amperes (200 percent of wire rating) in less than 120 seconds. These two trip points (135 percent and 200 percent) are defined in NEMA Standard AB-1, MCCBs and Molded Case Switches.
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And the NEC says you don't load a circuit at more then 80% of rated capacity. That is 16 amps on a 20 amp CB regardless of what the CB can sustain.

Amperage needs to be based on the devices data plates unless other specific measurements are made.

DIY'ers can wire up their equipment anyway they want. I will continue to recommend they stay on the conservative side of following the NEC.

It was fairly easy for the OP to wire their equipment within NEC parameters once it was discussed.
 
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ajw22 said:
And the NEC says you don't load a circuit at more then 80% of rated capacity. That is 16 amps on a 20 amp CB regardless of what the CB can sustain.

Amperage needs to be based on the devices data plates unless other specific measurements are made.
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The pump is listed as 15 amps from the motor label and the SWG is listed as 2 amps. That's 17 amps. So, I will agree that you are correct to say that it's not right to use a 20 amp breaker.

I suspect that the total load would be less than 16 amps, but that would have to be measured.

In the absence of measurement, the data from the appliance should be followed.
 
SpykeYs said:
Can I also connect my Hayward Aqua-Rite SWG with a T3 cell which has a 1.3 to 4.5 AMP on the same circuit ?
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Part of the confusion is that these numbers are for the cell. They are not the input amps. If the cell is drawing 4.5 amps at 28 volts, that's 126 watts.

126 watts at 115 volts is 1.1 amps input power.

The power supply requirements are printed on the inside of the door and say 2 amps @ 115 volts and 1 amp @ 230 volts.

Even a T-15 at 8 amps and 25 volts only pulls 200 watts, which is 1.7 amps at 115 volts.

The OPs pump is a SP2307X10, which is listed as 13.3 amps at 115 volts.

hayward-maxflo-xl-specs-jpg.321080


That's 15.3 amps total for both from the manufacturer's specifications.
 
@SpykeYs, can you confirm that your pump says SP2307X10 on a label on the front of the pump somewhere?

Can you confirm that the power requirements listed on the inside of the Aquarite door say 2 amps @ 115 volts and 1 amp @ 230 volts?

In any case, a 20 amp breaker with 115 volts is borderline.

Going with 230 volts is a better choice.
 
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Good morning everyone,

Thank you for the added information.

I believe my best option is still to change from 15AMP single pole non GCFI to 20AMP two pole GCFI. My pool pump and SWG are located inside my shed where my panel reside and therefor wiring is not an issue at this point. I may also change my pool pump down the road as it is noisy crazy and I guess getting ready for 230V would make a lot of sense.

Now that 230V will draw much less AMPs, is a 20 AMP two pole breaker too much ?Should I consider to go for a 15 AMP two pole instead ? According to a prior post if I go on 230V, both the pump and SWG will draw ~10 AMP max.

Thanks :)
 
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