Questions About Electric Generator For Winter Protection

[jhelm]

Hello......I am a newbie and my Sundance Altamar will be delivered in six weeks. I am having an electrician install either a 50 or 60 amp line. My intention is to install a GFCI Disconnect at the deck five feet or so from the Spa and run a line back to the main service. There I think I will need to install a GFIC breaker either 50 or 60 amp in order for me to be at code. I already have a Honda 5000 watt 120/240 V generator wired to the main service via a gen tran. This unit however is only thiry amps. I am wondering if I can somehow use another gen tran using the thirty amp generator service to attach to the 50 or 60 amp #6 wire that leads to the 50 / 60 am gfci disconnect near the spa. I am understanding if I did this I would need to learn how to convert the circuit board in the spa to run at 30 amps rather than the 50 or 60. I would be doing this manual conversion for 50 / 60 to 30 only if the power is off for a prolonged time and I want to protect the spa from freezing. (Rural Northern Maine). Does this make sense??

Also am I on the right track witht he GFCI Disconnect rather than the GFIC breaker near the spy? Planning to do this to reduce false triping.

If I am on the right track what is the best GFIC Disconnect for this purpose? I paln on getting that and the Gen Tran if necessary and possibly the wire and the GFCI breaker and have them all set for my local electrician when he comes.

I know this is a lot of question and I'm sorry for the overload on a first question. I have found this forum very valuable in making my spa choice.

[ciderjack]

I personally like when the GFCI is near the spa so that when the spa needs to be worked on, the technician does not have to go into the house. It also makes troubleshooting a lot easier. This way, you just put a normal breaker in the main panel. You should not have 2 GFCI protected breakers on the same line to the tub.

[amanphoto]

I personally like when the GFCI is near the spa so that when the spa needs to be worked on, the technician does not have to go into the house. It also makes troubleshooting a lot easier. This way, you just put a normal breaker in the main panel. You should not have 2 GFCI protected breakers on the same line to the tub.

Your generator should be fine for winter backup. You won't be able to opeate the all jet pumps, but the generator should be able to keep the heater running and keep it from freezing.

If your powers out you also have to worry about your house also. ie fridge.

As far as wiring, you can put the GFI in the pannelbox and put a service disconect outside within a certain distnace from the house. Disconects are about $10. and breakers are about non-GFI's are about 30 and GFI's are around $100. Check your local codes.

[pg_rider]

If it were me I'd just use the generator to power a couple of shop lights placed in the equipment compartment. Of course you'd want to drain the spa first, but I would think the lights should keep the water in the lines and pumps from freezing...

[pnwtub]

Congrats on your new purchase! Off topic Q - How much did the Altamar cost?

[Roger]

Hello......I am a newbie and my Sundance Altamar will be delivered in six weeks. I am having an electrician install either a 50 or 60 amp line. My intention is to install a GFCI Disconnect at the deck five feet or so from the Spa and run a line back to the main service. There I think I will need to install a GFIC breaker either 50 or 60 amp in order for me to be at code. I already have a Honda 5000 watt 120/240 V generator wired to the main service via a gen tran.

Have you ever needed that gen set to power your house in the dead of winter and for how long of a stretch?

[Chas]

I would sure try my best to go for a generator which can run the spa as normal. I know you will be glad to lay off the jets and such while the power is out, and that you are mainly trying to keep the tub from freezing. I also know that I very purposely do NOT live in a freezing climate - for reasons very closely related to your question.

But I would sure hate to have to go out and mess with jumpers in the middle of an ice storm. OK - I would personally hate to go mess with jumpers if it was less than about 60 degrees, but you get the point.

Now, if you already have a genny and want to set it up this way, go for it. Switching to 30 amp just reconfigures the spa so that the heat and jet pumps cannot come on at the same time. You could do that by just not running the jets and/or blower while the heater is running when you are on the genny. I don't know about your particular model - there may be an automatic filtration cycle which would have to be turned off to be sure the heat and pumps are not coming on at the same time, but that change might be a lot easier to make than opening the side of the tub and changing jumpers.

[Jim_The_Jim]

Hello......I am a newbie and my Sundance Altamar will be delivered in six weeks. I am having an electrician install either a 50 or 60 amp line. My intention is to install a GFCI Disconnect at the deck five feet or so from the Spa and run a line back to the main service. There I think I will need to install a GFIC breaker either 50 or 60 amp in order for me to be at code. I already have a Honda 5000 watt 120/240 V generator wired to the main service via a gen tran. This unit however is only thiry amps. I am wondering if I can somehow use another gen tran using the thirty amp generator service to attach to the 50 or 60 amp #6 wire that leads to the 50 / 60 am gfci disconnect near the spa. I am understanding if I did this I would need to learn how to convert the circuit board in the spa to run at 30 amps rather than the 50 or 60. I would be doing this manual conversion for 50 / 60 to 30 only if the power is off for a prolonged time and I want to protect the spa from freezing. (Rural Northern Maine). Does this make sense??

Also am I on the right track witht he GFCI Disconnect rather than the GFIC breaker near the spy? Planning to do this to reduce false triping.

If I am on the right track what is the best GFIC Disconnect for this purpose? I paln on getting that and the Gen Tran if necessary and possibly the wire and the GFCI breaker and have them all set for my local electrician when he comes.

I know this is a lot of question and I'm sorry for the overload on a first question. I have found this forum very valuable in making my spa choice.

The first thing I would tell you is to buy a spa that has a longer down time without power. Thermally Closed design is the best for cold climates.

The second thing is that you can if you are good with electricity, modify the spa so that you can switch the heater to 120V and run the pump and the heater only on the generator. This would be around 15 amps 120 V. I don't know if the pump is 120V any longer for circulation??.

Any qualified spa service tech with electrical abilities could set this up for you, but knowing Sundance you would have to wave the warranty on the equipment.

The other option is to make up a fake control box that has duplicate plugs to the pumps and run them by unplugging from the control box and into the emergency control box. You would need to have each device fused properly inside the box and put some sort of switches on it to turn them on with the generator.

If a spa is normally running, even without a heater, it will not freeze with a good cover and a thermal blanket. The generator would only have to run the pumps. This would save the cost to run a huge generator, just to save the spa from freezing. You can also line the inside of the control box with thermal foil and monitor the temperature with a cheap indoor out door thermomoter.

Just some suggestions from someone who has done many frozen spa repair estimates in Colorado.