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enter image description hereenter image description hereI ran a UF-B 12/3 wire about 75 feet out to a GFCI outlet for running my 115v 1.5hp above ground pool pump. It is on a 20amp breaker by itself. I’ve seen some pumps are recommended to run on their own circuit. Can I add another outlet to this circuit to run a salt generator and strand of lights without putting too much on the circuit?

Benny Jones
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There is no room left on this circuit...

A 115V 1.5HP motor is considered to have a 20A full load current for wire sizing purposes, based on NEC 430.6(A)(1) and NEC Table 430.248. As a result, if there isn't another hot in this cable, then you'll need to replace it with something with more wires in it.

...but if you really have 12/3, then you have an out

If this is actual 12/3 W/G UF cable (black, red, white, bare), though, you can use the other hot for a multi-wire branch circuit, but this will require either a 2-pole GFCI breaker or a deadfront 20A GFCI device adjacent to the pool pump in order to provide the GFCI protection for the pool pump circuit required by NEC 680.21(C).

With this done, though, you can put your salt generator and lights on the other half of the MWBC from the pool pump without having to worry about running out of circuit capacity.

ThreePhaseEel
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  • My biggest concern is having to run a new line out there. I do have a 12/3. There is a wire(can’t remember which color) that isn’t being used. The MWBC seems it might be a great solution. Following up on the mention of gfci, I have a gfci outlet, but not breaker. By what you said, I should have used a gfci breaker also? From what I gathered from our city code, the outlet is sufficient but I’m not opposed to changing breaker also – Benny Jones Jul 09 '22 at 21:06
  • @BennyJones -- if the pump is cord-and-plug connected, a GFCI outlet is fine (if it's hardwired, then I'd swap the outlet for a deadfront GFCI device so that nobody overloads the circuit) – ThreePhaseEel Jul 09 '22 at 21:41
  • Thank you some much. They are all standard 3prong plugs. To recap so I’m sure I got this correct…I need a 2-pole breaker(would adding another single pole with handle tie connecting the breaker trips together work?). Then use the existing wire. Gfci outlets are fine. And basically follow the example I added to the original post? – Benny Jones Jul 09 '22 at 23:44
  • @BennyJones -- yeah, another single pole with a handle tie is fine since this is all 120V loads, and the example you posted will work just fine with GFCI receptacles :) – ThreePhaseEel Jul 10 '22 at 00:36
  • @ThreePhaseEel- thank you so much. You saved me a lot of work. Very much appreciated – Benny Jones Jul 10 '22 at 00:49
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You need to look at the current demand of each device, on the device label, and add them up. The pump should be labeled with peak and continuous demand. The total should be less than 20 (peak) or 18 (continuous). It's "better" not to put a pump on a circuit with other things but if those things are fixed, and known, and you do the math, it's ok.

While guessing is of no value, I would guess that a typical 1.5HP pump, a typical salt generator and a string of LED lights will fit on a 20A circuit. If the cable you ran is 12/3 plus ground it can handle another circuit, given another breaker.

jay613
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  • The last sentence, particularly. Though all too likely that the OP has called 12/2 with ground 12/3, but if it's 12/3 with ground (and unless it came through a time warp it should be with ground) the MWBC is the way to go here. – Ecnerwal Jul 09 '22 at 11:51