# electric pool heater requirements



## whiskey79 (Mar 9, 2012)

Was looking over article 680 for pool heaters and did not see where gfci protection is required. I have always used gfci breakes for pool heaters electric or gas but i dont see where this is required.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

whiskey79 said:


> Was looking over article 680 for pool heaters and did not see where gfci protection is required. I have always used gfci breakes for pool heaters electric or gas but i dont see where this is required.


Bump!....


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## Peewee0413 (Oct 18, 2012)

Not required, but the heater runs with the pump so put it on the same circuit.??? My best analysis ...correct me if I'm wrong. Industrial is more my line. Never looked at code for pools/spa, etcetera


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## whiskey79 (Mar 9, 2012)

Peewee0413 said:


> Not required, but the heater runs with the pump so put it on the same circuit.??? My best analysis ...correct me if I'm wrong. Industrial is more my line. Never looked at code for pools/spa, etcetera


Heater and pump not on same circuit. Heater is probably a 50A unit and pump is usually on 20a circuit. I asked me ce instructor and he said it only needs to be gfci if installed in accordance with 680.21. He was citing that out of 2011 codebook im still sportin 2008. I looked in 2008 and didnt see that it is required. 

It just confuses me because most pool heaters i see are on a gfci breaker and there tons of pools around here. Seems like people would try to save some money. Woud be nice to use a $10 breaker istead of a $100 breaker. Might be a kick the inspectors are on around here.


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

I'm all for the cheap insurance of gfci protection in any sort of bodily immersion, in fact i found a way to gfci a 3ph pool motor once....~CS~


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## Dennis Alwon (May 9, 2009)

I agree that no gfci is required for the heater. Heck almost all 3 phase pool pumps, except for Steve's, are not gfci protected and in fact if it is more than 20 amps then you don't need gfci for the pump either


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## chicken steve (Mar 22, 2011)

Dennis Alwon said:


> I agree that no gfci is required for the heater. Heck almost all 3 phase pool pumps, except for Steve's, are not gfci protected and in fact if it is more than 20 amps then you don't need gfci for the pump either


 
methinks if one looks back in older code books, finding requirements for 120V motors gfci'd was it, 240V came later on Denny

It _reeks_ of mortality/morbidity stats imho, but as they say codes are written in blood....

~CS~


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