Do all portable spas sold have an integral GFCI, and is it self-testing?

[wondertub]

Something like this doesn't seem to be mentioned in the specs, but in the warranty: GFCI warranted against defects in material and workmanship for one year, for example.

 

I guess they're not expected to be all that reliable, if only warranted for a year though (the example is from high end spa manufacrurer, supposedly). A gfci outlet I got from the hardware store has a two year warranty, and disables the outlet if a self-test fails. Do the spa gfci parts have to disable their power supply if they stop working too?  I'm not talking about a ground fault actually occurring, just if the gfci is not functional.

 

The context of my question has to do with whether a gfci breaker is required by the national electric code, although it might be more reliable, in addition to an integral one, if not absolutely necessary: "Additional GFCI protection isn't required for a listed self-contained spa or hot tub or a listed packaged spa or hot tub assembly marked to indicate that integral GFCI protection has been provided for electrical parts within the unit or assembly [680.44(A)]."

 

Then again, I guess if the spa gfci was self-testing and it failed, the whole hot tub could be damaged or ruined, if the power to it shut off while the ambient temperature was freezing (and nobody used or checked it for a few days). So if this is not required (depending on where the spa is located), it's probably better not to plug one (like a plug & play) into a modern gfci outlet either (since those will power themselves off if a self-test fails)—it looks like their cords have a gfci, which can be manually tested, but using a gfci outlet in addition to that would add the automatic shut off.  Do any spas, especially those without a corded gfci (that is within easy reach for testing), have an indicator on their control panels to warn that their gfci is not functioning? This would at least mimic such requirements for gfci outlets, while not being as extreme as disabling the power automatically.

[Cusser]

Not really your question, but my 40-amp 1988 CalSpa - purchased new - had GFCI ONLY for the spa light, not for the rest of the spa.  Maybe that was OK with code then, have no idea. 

Maybe a decade later I read about such GFCI in Popular Mechanics magazine, so I bought a 40-amp GFCI breaker, box, etc., and wired that into the main 240 volt power feed, inside the redwood cabinet.  That has tripped a few times over the ensuing years, and would not re-set, and each time was due to a faulty heating element.

These older CalSpas use essentially a 4500/5500 watt water heater element like in your home tank, and if one cuts a "recess" hole, R&R of those is pretty straightforward.

[wondertub]

Interesting, I checked their warranties on heaters for comparison, and those are 3-5 year vs 1-2 year for the GFCI. So the GFCI is expected to fail before the heater it seems, and when the heater fails, the GFCI won't necessarily be working (or the same goes for other parts which the GFCI is intended to protect against perhaps).

[Jersey Hot Tub Repair]

Most instruction manuals tell you to check the GFCI monthly. 

If the GFCI has a self-test feature, and the GFCI isn't working, what makes you think the self-test feature will be working correctly?  I get it - it's designed that way.  I just wouldn't have any faith in a broken electronic device to let me know when it's broken.   Every year in the trades you read at least one article about someone who got electrocuted because of faulty electrical components.

Over the years, I've discovered a few tubs that had bad GFCI's that the customer was unaware of.   I refuse to repair the tub until the customer gets the GFCI repaired, and I do everything I can to impress upon the customer how dangerous it is.

A bad heating element SHOULD trip a GFCI.  In that case, the titanium (or incoly) coating on the element develops cracks from years of expansion and contraction, and the internal conductor comes into contact with the water.  The GFCI senses the microvoltage leakage and shuts down.  Without a GFCI, the voltage leakage may not be bad enough to trip the regular circuit breaker.  Two weeks ago I had someone with a Balboa heater that had water leaking inside the spa pack.  The heating element straps were wet.  When they turned the pump on, sparks would fly out of the pac and you'd hear an awful arcing.  They had installed the tub themselves without a GFCI. 

The bottom line is, if the GFCI goes bad but doesn't trip the breaker, then you get in the tub, then the unthinkable happens and something shorts out,  the $30 you saved on the GFCI can be used to put towards your funeral.  It doesn't matter if the thing has a one year, two year or lifetime warranty - I wouldn't trust my life on the warranty, I'd check it myself.

[wondertub]

Thanks, I'd looked up the self-testing info initially, because I wasn't sure if it was mandatory on outlets (for them to self destruct as it were). Then, since it was said to be, wondered if that included GFCIs on spas too. It would seem that is considered more reliable somehow technologically, or simply because people don't tend to check them manually, not sure (except that outlets are supposed to be tested monthly, like you said, and the self-testers do it more often). Spas are supposed to be tested as often as they are used though, I gather.

 

 I was just reading over a couple of hot tub  manuals online, and like I was thinking, one says "Do not use both a GFCI outlet and GFCI cord!"  Another says "Your hot tub uses ground fault circuit interrupters in the electrical subpanel. Before each use of the hot tub and with the unit operating, push the TEST button on each breaker. The switch should click over to the “Trip” position. Wait 30 seconds and reset each GFCI breaker by switching it completely off and then completely on. The switch should then stay on. If either of the interrupters does not perform in this manner, it is an indication of an electrical malfunction and the possibility of an electric shock. Disconnect the power until the fault has been identified and corrected... Subpanel with GFCI breakers, minimum 5 feet. The Subpanel must be within sight of the spa. Do not exceed 50 feet."

 

So it sounds like they are not usually self-testing and should not be plugged into an outlet which is.  However they should be within reach, so that manual testing can be done before each use of the tub, and they should not be so integral as "hot tub assembly" may sound, like inside the skirting, or integrated into some other place, like where the main electrical panel is.  I think the only issue with more than one GFCI on a tub is if one automatically shuts the outlet off at its "end of life".  Apparently that wouldn't happen with a subpanel, since the manual referred to a GFCI cord and outlet as being incompatible (didn't say why though), and otherwise described how to convert it from corded to a higher power panel hookup, with a GFCI in there. 

 

As to whether all portable spas have integral ones, I guess not, or it doesn't matter if those which are higher power have to include one in a subpanel (it's just that the wording of codes made me think a GFCI could be built-in somehow other than at the end of a cord)... anyway, it's good get familiar with codes I think, not for a license to DIY, but to have a better idea on how things should be done, or what may not work together___F.I.T.B. though, they jump around a lot (with more subcontexts than subpanels).