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ok to use breaker as switch for pool pump?

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ok to use breaker as switch for pool pump? KLE 04-30-2008
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Posted by on April 30, 2008, 7:46 pm
wrote:

>The regular switch for the pool pump is, well, out by the pool. Out
>the back of the house, across a lawn, through a locked gate, etc. The
>circuit panel is conveniently located in my central utility/laundry
>room, and the pool is on its own circuit. Would it be appropriate or
>safe to use the circuit as the switch on a daily basis, on then later
>off once per day through the summer? I know some people put a timer on
>the pool pump - is there something I can buy at the big box and hook
>up simply, or is it something I need an electrician for?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Karen

Breakers OK to use as a switch will have SWD molded on the side or
written on the label. Most are.

Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on April 30, 2008, 10:00 pm

> The regular switch for the pool pump is, well, out by the pool. Out
> the back of the house, across a lawn, through a locked gate, etc. The
> circuit panel is conveniently located in my central utility/laundry
> room, and the pool is on its own circuit. Would it be appropriate or
> safe to use the circuit as the switch on a daily basis, on then later
> off once per day through the summer? I know some people put a timer on
> the pool pump - is there something I can buy at the big box and hook
> up simply, or is it something I need an electrician for?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Karen

Rather than go to a big box store, go to a real electrical supply house
where they will most likely have what you want. Probably cheaper too.

There are certain types of breakers that are rated for switching. They are
SWD rated and the breaker itself will be marked as such. SWD breakers are
designed for daily use such as you propose, not for a hundred times a day as
part of a process.

It is possible the breaker you have is rated so you can check it out buy
pulling it our of the panel. Removing a breaker is not difficult and is
safe as long as you turn off the main and use care. Most times you just
remove one screw and pry the breaker out. If it was my house, I'd probably
use the existing breaker anyway and replace it with an SWD if it started to
fail.



Posted by pipedown on May 1, 2008, 6:19 pm

>
>> The regular switch for the pool pump is, well, out by the pool. Out
>> the back of the house, across a lawn, through a locked gate, etc. The
>> circuit panel is conveniently located in my central utility/laundry
>> room, and the pool is on its own circuit. Would it be appropriate or
>> safe to use the circuit as the switch on a daily basis, on then later
>> off once per day through the summer? I know some people put a timer on
>> the pool pump - is there something I can buy at the big box and hook
>> up simply, or is it something I need an electrician for?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Karen
>
> Rather than go to a big box store, go to a real electrical supply house
> where they will most likely have what you want. Probably cheaper too.
>
> There are certain types of breakers that are rated for switching. They
> are SWD rated and the breaker itself will be marked as such. SWD breakers
> are designed for daily use such as you propose, not for a hundred times a
> day as part of a process.
>
> It is possible the breaker you have is rated so you can check it out buy
> pulling it our of the panel. Removing a breaker is not difficult and is
> safe as long as you turn off the main and use care. Most times you just
> remove one screw and pry the breaker out. If it was my house, I'd
> probably use the existing breaker anyway and replace it with an SWD if it
> started to fail.
>

A number of posters including myself commented on replacement if it fails.
That's obvious if the lever gets loose or breaks or if you cannot turn it on
but how would one know if it failed in such a way that it would not trip at
all or at the specified current. Based on that, the SWD switch replacement
up front might be a good thing.



Posted by ron on May 1, 2008, 8:28 am
Is your pump hardwired or just plugged in to an outlet? If its just plugged
in, buy an outdoor timer from big box.

> The regular switch for the pool pump is, well, out by the pool. Out
> the back of the house, across a lawn, through a locked gate, etc. The
> circuit panel is conveniently located in my central utility/laundry
> room, and the pool is on its own circuit. Would it be appropriate or
> safe to use the circuit as the switch on a daily basis, on then later
> off once per day through the summer? I know some people put a timer on
> the pool pump - is there something I can buy at the big box and hook
> up simply, or is it something I need an electrician for?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Karen



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