Jacuzzi circuit

[rlskfoster]

I recently inspected a home with a jacuzzi bath. This jacuzzi was on the same circuit as the bathroom plugs. The circuit ran to a plug in an upstairs bath(one duplex receptacle) where a GFCI plug was located. The circuit continued to a plug in the Master Bath(one duplex receptacle)that was also protected by a GFCI plug. The jacuzzi motor is also protected by a GFCI plug. They just all happen to be on the same circuit.

I wrote that the jacuzzi should be on a seperate circuit with the GFCI protection. Truthfully I wrote it up because I would have wired it seperatly. I can't find where it should be seperate.

I just got off the phone with the electrician who originally wired the house and his position is that articles 210.23 A(2) allows the jacuzzi to be on this circuit if it doesn't take more than 50% capacity. Article 680.70 just says it must be GFCI protected.

I could have sworn there was cause for it to be a seperate circuit. Is it in 430? or am I just wrong.

The electrician I talked to said that he would prefer a seperate circuit but he was not going to add one three years later. He was very nice and stated that if I found out different he would rectify the situation and run a seperate circuit.

Anybody know about this? Jim?

By the way this is the same house I questioned the size of the service. It had a 200 amp service and a local contractor did a load calculation and came up with 195. I was wrong.

Oh well, I hope I'm not wrong twice on the same house. If I am though I chalk it up to learn something new every day.

Thanks,

Buster

[hausdok]

Hi,

Here's what the maestro says in Electrical Inspection of Existing Dwellings - 2001 Edition:

(Chapter 6 - Branch Circuits & Outlets: Bathrooms) All bathroom receptacles require GFCI protection, regardless of the size of the bathroom.

Beginning with the 1996 NEC, a separate 20-amp circuit is required for the bathroom receptacle outlets. No other outlets are allowed on that circuit, including the lights for the bathroom. The purpose of this rule is to provide needed power for items such as hair dryers that are likely to be used in the bathroom. There is one exception to the rule excluding other equipment from the bath circuit. if the circuit supplies only one bathroom, then other equipment such as lights, space heating, vent fans, or even a hydro massage tubcould be placed on the same circuit as the receptacle.

That oughta do it. I don't know enough about electricity to argue with AHJ's and electricians about it. I use a Code Check. When they dispute me, I fall back on Douglas's font of knowledge and he's never failed me. In fact, one Puget Sound Energy tech who'd argued with me about bonding, called me back to apologize profusely, after I'd sent him extracts from Douglas's book that explained bonding.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Jim Katen]

I don't know of any reason why the whirlpool bath would need to be on its own separate circuit as long as that circuit only serves bathroom receptacles.

Just because the electrician's load calc came out at 195 doesn't mean that you were wrong. It was clearly close enough to merit the calculation. By the way, I did a second calc using a different formula and came up with 225. Who knows?

BTW, all that talk of "plugs" in your first paragraph made it difficult to follow until I realized you meant "receptacles." You might want to revise your use of those words to make things less confusing.

- Jim Katen, Oregon