Jacuzzi 50 or 60 Amps

[johnnythunders]

I will be getting my Jacuzzi J-355 on weds and hope to have it hooked up by sat.I called tech surport and wanted to know can I use 50 amps instead of 60 amps.The tech told me that their spas come as a 50 amp hookup and if you want 60 amps you will have to set the jumpers to 60 amps inside the board.They said the only difference with the 60 amps that if you turn the second jet on high the the HEATER will stay on and with the 50 amps the heater will be offf when you set it to high on the second pump.The tech told me I am better offf leaving it at 50 amps because their spa are very well insulated.And he told he not to get the breakers from Homedepot because they have problems with shutting off.Johnny Thunders

[Brewman]

If you can get 60 amp service for the same price as 50, why not go for it?  The jumper setting takes a second.
The wiring should be the same, save the size of the breaker.  
In my case (SquareD QO series) the 60 amp breaker was about $15 cheaper than the 50.  
If for some reason you have to pay more for the 60 amp hookup, then I'd skip it, especially if you live in a warmer climate.  I live in the Minneapolis area, so I went for the 60 amps.  
 I don't think my breaker is any less quality just because of where I purchased it, which was Home Depot, the only retailer in the area with a 60 amp gfi breaker.
Brewman
 

[johnnythunders]

I called homedepot before Jacuzzi and homedepot said that they never have seen 60 amp breakers only 50 amps

[twok99]

Get the 60 amps you will appreciate in the winter and any time you want to warm up the water a little while you are using it.  Your electricain can get a 60 amp breaker for his distributor and they are out on the net if you search around a bit.

[Shut_Down_Stranger]

I called homedepot before Jacuzzi and homedepot said that they never have seen 60 amp breakers only 50 amps

 Being as polite as possible, they are blowing smoke up your tailpipe.

60 amp breakers are common.

[Brewman]

Don't assume that people working at places like Home Depot actually know what they are talking about.  On several occasions I've been given the wrong answers to my questions.
 If the Home Depot in your area carries Square D brand breakers, they should have, or be able to order, the 60 amp GFI.  If you persue this, you must specify the QO series of SquareD breakers.  SquareD also makes a Homeline series of breakers, and they do not have a 60 amp breaker in that line.  
Just be sure that whatever breaker you purchase is compatible with whatever panel you install it in.
Brewman
 

[doodoo]

Don't assume that people working at places like Home Depot actually know what they are talking about.  On several occasions I've been given the wrong answers to my questions.
  If the Home Depot in your area carries Square D brand breakers, they should have, or be able to order, the 60 amp GFI.  If you persue this, you must specify the QO series of SquareD breakers.  SquareD also makes a Homeline series of breakers, and they do not have a 60 amp breaker in that line.  
 Just be sure that whatever breaker you purchase is compatible with whatever panel you install it in.
Brewman
  

I fully agree. The 60amp breakers are a common listed item on Home Depot's items. As is most often the case the sales guy (girl) did not know a thing about what he was telling you. I love to mystery shop (part of my job) and it is amazing at times how screwed up an answer you can get at the big box stores (where we take our time in training our sales associates so that they can provide you with quality information)

The 60 amp breaker is the way to go. If you live in a cold climate like I do (Ottawa, Ontario) then you deffinetly want the heater to stay on when the cover is off which is when you get your serious heat loss. And at -30 this past January I am not about to scrimp and save on this item because enough people have confirmed here on this site and other sources that up to 30 minutes in a tub with anything colder than 0 can translate into 2 degrees lower in your tub. The short of it is a comfort issue.  

Your electrician or yourself can do this connection easily as it is the same connection be it 50 or 60 amps.
Like Brewman said, it takes a max of 2 seconds to change the jumpers on your tub. As a matter of fact, your dealer (if they are installing your tub) can and probably should do this as part of their normal installation. Mine did.

BTW, congratulations and enjoy your tub. I found the most frustrating part was the 'will you heat up please so that I can get in there' wait.

[Electro]

Hi All,

I usually don't get involved in prices (others do that and I review and approve designs), but since this is my hot tub - I'm interested.

When I checked at Home Depot, they wanted $79.99 for the Homeline 50 amp spa breaker package, that includes the box.  They do not carry any other in the store.  And, they sure weren't interested in ordering anything.

The local electrical parts distributor wanted $115 for the QO 60 GFCI breaker, plus another $35 for a small box.

What have you guys found?  It does not seem credible that someone could get a 60 amp package for less than the 50 amp.  Please explain.

Electro

[Brewman]

In my case, it was a matter of how I hooked up my electric.  I chose to put my GFCI breaker in a sub panel that was installed when I finished my basement.  This sub panel happened to be a SquareD QO series.  
It is also about 40 feet closer to the spa than our main service rated panel.
Home Depot did have the 60 amp breaker, for about the same price you quoted.  If I recall, their 50 amp QO series breaker was $10 to $15 more than the 60 amper.
I used a 60 amp rated pull box (No breaker or fuse) as my outside disconnect.  This pull box cost about $10.
The trade off is that the GFI breaker is inside the house.
So far, that hasn't been a problem.   The spa power can still be killed by pulling the a/c disconnect.  
Brewman

[tony]

johnnythunders

I own a SD Optima with a 50 amp hookup (same as JP) and I have never had a water heat problem, even in the middle of a very cold NE winter.  I am not recommending one way over another, but this has been my experience.

[Wisoki]

Hi All,

I usually don't get involved in prices (others do that and I review and approve designs), but since this is my hot tub - I'm interested.

When I checked at Home Depot, they wanted $79.99 for the Homeline 50 amp spa breaker package, that includes the box.  They do not carry any other in the store.  And, they sure weren't interested in ordering anything.

The local electrical parts distributor wanted $115 for the QO 60 GFCI breaker, plus another $35 for a small box.

What have you guys found?  It does not seem credible that someone could get a 60 amp package for less than the 50 amp.  Please explain.

Electro

There is no good explanation other than the Home Line stuff is suitable for the trash can. The QO equipment is musc better quality and will easily run 15 th 25 bucks more for the same amperage equipment than the Home Line.

[Brewman]

There is no good explanation other than the Home Line stuff is suitable for the trash can. The QO equipment is musc better quality and will easily run 15 th 25 bucks more for the same amperage equipment than the Home Line.

I've heard that the Homeline series was created so SquareD could compete with some of the companies putting out less expensive components.  If you compare the two side by side, it's pretty apparent that the QO line is superior.  For the lower amperage breakers, like the single pole 15 and 20 amps, they are about double the cheap ones.  For the larger more expensive breakers, not double, but considerably more costly.
For some reason, the QO 50 amp GFI breaker was maybe $15 more expensive than the 60 amp in the same series.  I compared them side by side, and the only difference between the breakers was that the 50 amp breaker had a terminal for a neutral but the 60 did not.  Since my spa doesn't need a neutral feed, it was fine by me.
Brewman

[johnnythunders]

I think i will go with a 60 amp and get it from my Electric supply store.Thanks for all of your help.Johnny Thunders