Where's everyone getting their spa panel
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daveco
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It's not $50 but it's close. I couldn't find the magical one either.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_101594-BR50SPAST-82364_4294937087?productId=50416388
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Doesn't help you, but I pulled mine off the back of my house. 
Previous owner had a spa that they took with them. I repurposed that circuit to be a power inlet for a portable generator, and moved the spa panel into the garage for my brew rig.
Previous owner had a spa that they took with them. I repurposed that circuit to be a power inlet for a portable generator, and moved the spa panel into the garage for my brew rig.
Hammond makes outstanding enclosures, here's one that's 12"x12"x3" for about 35$. If you take that link and adjust the filter i used for sizes you could try for differing depths and find something that fits your needs:
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...GAEpiMZZMsrGrAVj6eTvb4%2bPzjFYIICbsxgXQI9N/o=
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...GAEpiMZZMsrGrAVj6eTvb4%2bPzjFYIICbsxgXQI9N/o=
Okay I like this one even better 12x12x4: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetai...wQanB7t8VlJVE_pl1zi1w8UImTvlR8phoCTFMQAvD_BwE
I was askin about spa panels, for GFCI, but thank you! Also, is 4" really enough depth for PIDs to clear other internal components in the enclosure?
No, If you want to use an enclosure for all the control panel components, you most likely need deeper. To determine what you need, make little construction paper boxes the size of all the components that you want to stuff in the box, and lay them out. Make sure you leave enough space to allow you to do the wiring.
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applescrap
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Haha, I didnt find the magical spa panel either and bailed on it anyways. I just put gfci in my panel. And I found a good deal on the gfci at a local real electric store. This should be a route you consider imo.
I have considered it. Can you run a dryer off of a GFCI breaker?
Depends on the dryer. If the dryer has any 120V electronics/controls, then probably not, as the 120V return current will be seen as leakage and trip the GFCI. This does not apply to dryers that require a four slot outlet (many dryers can run with either a 3 slot or 4 slot outlet.)
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Oh yeah I wasn't thinking of using those PID controllers directly. I was thinking of using one of the automated systems like a Pi based or arduino based one, where you just need the depth for the power jacks and the SSR's etc. I was planning on my build to Put the heat sinks off the back of the panel so that the heatsinks don't have to be part of the inside, and it also allows you to extend heatsinking to the entire chassis as well. BUT with those deep PID's you definitely need more room. I just looked up one and it's 80mm which is 3.2 inches, so 4 inches would only give you about 3/4" for wiring, it 'might' work but it would be tight. Seems like 5" would make more sense. Can't seem to find anything in the 5" range that doesn't hop up into that price range for sure
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
got mine at home depot for under $60.. like 5 years ago though.gfci breakers are an option most are over $100 though.
Yeah I don't wanna fool with the breaker because I am running my dryer on the circuit. If it starts tripping my wife is gonna lose her mind. I'll just buck up and spend the ~90 bucks on the spa panel. Thank you.
I may not be following your point, but having a GFCI on the circuit won't increase the amount of times it trips, it means it will trip to stop you from dying.
Paying for the spa panel is, I'm thinking, a separate point? Good luck, seems they are getting more expensive
~Phil
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Yeah, they're more like $85 now, but Home Depot here too. Fifteen years ago when we put in a spa at a different house I think they were half that. I actually bought the same brand as my house's panel, pulled out the breaker and installed it right in my main panel to feed a small subpanel in my brew area. Now everything in the brew area is covered by a GFCI.
KIDD69
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I’m sure I’ve overspent on many things for this amazing hobby, and probably cheaped out on others but you can never cheap out on something that could compromise your safety or those around you. You can’t put a price on safety or great tasting homebrew!
I may not be following your point, but having a GFCI on the circuit won't increase the amount of times it trips, it means it will trip to stop you from dying.
Paying for the spa panel is, I'm thinking, a separate point? Good luck, seems they are getting more expensive
~Phil
I was saying that if I put a GFCI on the dryer circuit, and it keeps tripping while the dryer is running, I'm gonna have a bad time. Nothing to do with using it during a brew.
Gotcha, I'm no electrician, but as I understand it GFCI's don't trip more than other circuit breakers, they only trip when there's a major fault sending too much current to earth instead of through to neutral, so that should never increase the amount of tripping incidents to the dryer... no?
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
They certainly can trip especially on old appliances like some fridges and dryers that use the ground as a neutral for 120v things inside the dryer. remember whats considered common sense and safe today will not be safe 10 years from now the codes constantly grow more and more as time goes on. appliance wiring also changes.
It also why you dont see gfci outlets everywhere throughout the house these days. up until recently the dedicated fridge plugs were not gfci because many older compressors would trip them.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
btw you can still buy them new for under $50 shipped.
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338413729&icep_item=192663431597
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5338413729&icep_item=192663431597
PS: You don't have to use a Spa panel. You could just replace the breaker in your main house panel with the same capacity GFCI breaker for that circuit. The reason that most people use the spa panels is that it typically costs less than replacing the breakers in your existing panel.
augiedoggy
Well-Known Member
this has been discussed... The OP uses this outlet for an electric dryer and some dryers will trip a GFCI if they are wired to use the ground in the plug for 120v devices in the 240v dryer.
Cost is also a concern from what I read too and a gfci breaker typically costs double what a breaker included in a spa panel costs for some silly reason.
That's great info, thanks, (thus my quote about not being an electrician
) You learn something new every day!Dont have to tell me twice. Bought! Thank you!
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