Determining Circuit Amperage

Oso954 said:

A garage panel could feed pool equipment, but it would not be a pool panel if there were any circuits in it that did not relate to the pool.

When the pool equipment requires multiple circuits, it is cheaper to run a feeder circuit to a pool panel and split off the required circuits at that point.

Having the pool panel near the equipment also eliminates the multiple disconnects that would be required if you ran individual circuits from a panel that is out of sight from the equipment.

Pools, spas and fountains have different requirements than most residential wiring. NEC 680.

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Okay, so I guess maybe I wasn't clear. I do not have a pool panel, or a separate sub panel that feeds the pool... Here's a breakdown, by location:

- In the garage is my main breaker box that serves the entire residence. The pool builder used the available space in the main breaker panel and added two, 30A breakers with their toggles linked together to feed the pool. They did not install a separate breaker box or sub-panel.

- At the pool equipment pad, they installed the Pentair pool control panel, which contains the relays and low voltage circuitry that controls filter pumps, lights, heater, etc. This Pentair control panel consists of a high and low voltage side. The high voltage side has both 240V and 120V feeds that drive the relays, and step-down transformers for the low voltage circuitry (it was here that I was going to add my outlet, and where my original question originates: is it 15A, 20A, or 30A?).

"Control panel" may have been where I confused folks into thinking it was the electrical "pool panel..?"

- Also at the equipment pad and tied into the Pentair pool control panel is a two gang in-use junction box, that contains a switch that cuts power to the pad location. It also contains a standard, two receptacle 15A outlet.

electures said:

Take a picture of the pool panel and post it. Nobody can give you accurate information unless we can see what you're talking about.

Or hire a professional. It's a pool, it has water and electricity. Don't put you and your family in danger.

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Here's a shot at the equipment pad. In-use box on the left (with cutoff switch and 15A convenience outlet), and the pool control panel on the right:

Same view, but with the pool control panel's door open. The DIN rail and 120V/240V power taps are located behind the blank panel on the right (and where I want to add an outlet and my network module). Low voltage section is on the left:

Here's the main breaker panel in the garage. Tandem, 30A breakers on the left for equipment pad power, and a 20A breaker on the right (which feeds a GFCI outlet that in turn runs out to the pool lights and other outlets installed immediately around the pool area. (Contractor couldn't spell "lights," so I hope he knew what he was doing electrically):

So again, I'm only trying to install an outlet where power already exists in the control panel box, to plug my module into. Seems pretty straight-forward. Just trying to determine amp rating for the outlet I need to use...

We put the pool in about 13 years ago, so this arrangement as is has been in use all this time. And it was inspected by the city along the way. Of course, I know inspections probably don't amount to much in reality...

redshift said:

Exactly.

I wouldn't pull any power off of that pool module. At best, it'd work but you'd void the listing and run afoul of the electrical code, but at worst you could fry something. You don't know how stable those voltages are or if there is any internal overcurrent protection.

On the subject of electrician spelling, I have met a lot of guys who are very good at what they do, but can't spell to save their lives. I have an entire building full of labeled equipment and about 6 panels are labeled "PANLE". :biggrin2: Not to mention "cubical", "lites", etc. Nothing beats the manhole cover I saw a JFK airport labeled "ELETRICAL". Good stuff.

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I'm not sure where that 20A breaker feeds into, though. It has to be into the pool control box, though, since the lights are controlled. All the power wiring from the power entry block is daisy-chained down, from one relay's power block to the next one on the DIN rail.

I'll have to trace each one down and see if the pool light relay is powered by itself and not part of the daisy chain, which would be the case if it's fed from that 20A breaker, right? Otherwise, they're using the neutral on the bus bar to create the 120V legs from the 240V feed.

So I suppose it's okay to use a 15A-rated receptacle on a 20A circuit, then? All the general house wiring in my main breaker panel is on 20A breakers.